The New England Revolution today announced that Brad Friedel will be their new manager, taking over for interim manager Tom Soehn.
Friedel will be the seventh manager in Revolution history, after former manager Jay Heaps was fired in September. This job will be Friedel’s first major managerial position after his illustrious playing career.
Revolution general manager Michael Burns praised Friedel following his appointment
“I think Brad is exactly what we need right now,” Burns said. “When you really know a person like I know Brad in terms of what makes him tick and what’s at the core of Brad, he’s a winner. He’s always been a winner.”
Owners Robert and Johnathan Kraft also had a lot of praise for the 46-year-old.
“We believe his playing and coaching experiences along with his commitment to compete at the highest level will allow him to be very successful in our league,” the Krafts said. “His knowledge of the game, passion for winning, and experience working with players whose talents range from aspiring young players to the game’s most successful professionals will be great assets for the Revolution.”
Friedel joins the Revolution with minimal coaching experience, but has some of the best playing experience out of any player from the U.S. Friedel, a goalkeeper, spent 18 years in the English Premier League making over 450 appearances for top clubs such as Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa. He holds the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310, during his time with Blackburn, Villa, and Tottenham, and has scored one career goal.
Friedel is also the fourth most capped goalkeeper in USMNT history, earning 82 caps from 1992 to 2005, and representing the U.S. at three world cups. He also had brief stints in the MLS with the Columbus Crew and in Turkey with Galatasaray, where he won the Turkish Cup in 1995.
Prior to joining the Revolution, Friedel spent time as the manager of the USMNT Under 19 team and as an analyst and color commentator for Fox Sports. In an interview with Revolutionsoccer.net, Friedel expressed his excitement towards his new appointment.
“My staff and I are delighted and honored to have been hired by the New England Revolution,” Friedel said. “I can guarantee that we, the staff and players, will give 100 percent commitment to the club and our fans while looking forward to all the challenges ahead. We can’t wait to get started right away building this club for the 2018 season.”
Friedel joins the Revolution along with two new assistants, Mike Lapper and Marcelo Neveleff. The club also announced that interim manager Tom Soehn, assistant coach Carlos Llamosa, and Head of Fitness Aidan Bryne will not return to the club in 2018.
Friedel’s appointment has been met with mixed reactions amongst Revolution fans. While some praise the hire because of his international experience, other criticize the hire as he has never held a major managerial position before, similar to Jay Heaps.
The Revolution will unveil Friedel to the media in a press conference in Foxboro on Monday, Nov. 13th at 10 a.m.
