In the third installment of Revolution Report Cards, Prime Time Sports Talks Lead Revolution writer Kyle Bray will be giving grades to the New England Revolution’s defenders.
Benjamin Angoua- B-
Angoua was one of the two defenders that the Revolution acquired going into the 2017 season, bringing him in on loan from French side EA Guingamp with an option to buy. Although they did not elected to make his move permanent, this was a big move for the team as they showed they could attract players from one of the top leagues in the world. This move did not really pan out however, as Angoua did not have a stellar season. While he certainly was not awful, he was not the cool head in the backline the Revolution needed, and often made erratic passes out of the back that hindered the team. He did manage to score a goal in his 26 games with the team, which came in a 3-0 win over Toronto FC.
Antonio Delamea- A
Delamea was the other defender brought in alongside Angoua, but his time in New England took a different route than the one of the Ivory Coast international. Delamea came in from Slovenia and was relatively unknown, but ended up being one of the best players in what was an underwhelming Revolution team. Delamea was solid and calm head in the backline, and stood out early on as a leader in the locker room. Delamea endeared himself to the fans with his hardwork and defending ability and has proven to be a go to man at the back going forward.
Claude Dielna- B
Dielna was brought in during the summer transfer window as a way to add depth to the backline for what ended up being a failed playoff push. With an impressive international resume (for MLS standards), this was an exciting move for the team. Dielna featured in 11 games for the Revolution and showed signs of promise for the future. Playing in the leftback position, Dielna did a solid job on defense, but also contributed a lot offensively. While he did not score or assist any goals, he showed a love for going forward with the ball and helped create many attacks. Dielna earns a B because of a small sample size, but going forward he could be a key figure in the defense.
Andrew Farrell- B+
Farrell will not be returning to the Revolution next season despite having a solid season. In his 30 games this season, Farrell contributed three assists and was a reliable fullback for the Revolution. He also lead all Revolution players in starting minutes with 2,664 minutes played this season. It will be a shame to not have Farrell in the defense going forward as he had been with the club since he was drafted first overall by the Revolution in 2013 and has been a consistent face in the backline. With new coach Brad Friedel coming in and Farrell going out, it is clear that the team is going in a new direction going forward.
Joshua Smith- B-
The rookie Smith exceeded his expectations early on in the season, proving to be the better option over Angoua at times. Only featuring in six games, all of which came in April and May, Smith did not make a huge impact on the team. His option was not picked up by the club after this season so best of luck to him going forward.
Chris Tierney- B
Although he fell out of favor slightly in the middle of the season, Tierney managed 26 games this season, scoring one goal and contributing five assists. Tierney began to show his age a bit this season, which is why he found himself replaced by Kelyn Rowe at times in the season. While his defensive contributions were sufficient, his offensive contributions were enough to earn him a B rating.
Je-Vaughn Watson- C
Watson featured in 18 games this season but made minimal impact on the team. After featuring a lot last year, Watson became more of a super sub this season, coming off of the bench and playing in multiple positions. Watson’s option was not exercised this offseason and he will probably not be missed.
London Woodberry- C
Apparently Woodberry played three games this year, which is three more than I thought he had played. Much like Watson, his option was not exercised and he will probably not missed as well.
If you missed out on the last two installments of the Revolution Report Cards, you can find the Attackers here and the Midfielders here.
