Ten Best: Metros who played for New England
November 13, 2014
So, there is a little playoff series coming up... you might have heard. Of course, New England has been a thorn in Metro playoff history, dropping New York in alternate years from 2003 to 2007. The two MLS originals also have shared numerous players, so here is a look at ten best Metros to play for the Revs. You can bet that neither Alexi Lalas nor Mamadou Diallo will appear on this list...
10. Ted Chronopoulos: NE 1996-2002; NY 2002
Midway through 2002, the Metros and Revs combined for the biggest trade in league history. Three players: Brian Kamler, Diego Serna, and Daniel Hernandez went to New England, and three: Diallo, Andy Williams, and Chronopoulos came to New York. The Revs' new trio immediately helped them reach MLS Cup. Metro's new arrivals helped them crash out without making the playoffs, with a late-season collapse that ended with a 3:0 loss to... New England. Chronopoulos, a 1996 original with the Revs, played left back for that half-season with Metro and... wasn't that horrible? He produced four assists, but that was the last time he appeared in MLS.
9. Gilberto Flores: NY 2004-05; NE 2005
Clint Dempsey might be America's soccer darling, but back in 2004, he was just a thug that took out Gilberto, shattering his knee. The Brazilian never fully recovered, could not return to his previous form, and was cut by Metro a year later. Where did he end up? How is that for irony: New England, in exchange for a lowly 4th round supplemental pick. Gilberto never appeared for the Revs in the league, but did play for them in the Open Cup.
8. Chris Albright: NE 2008-09; NY 2010-11
A one-time forward who didn't know how to score, Albright spent two years with the Revs, but played only one game in 2009, losing the rest of the season to injury. With Metro flush with draft picks at the 2010 draft, they dumped two to New England for the veteran. It worked out somewhat, as Albright became the team's starting right back. A year later, injuries caught up, and he ended up in a retirement home in Philadelphia.
7. Eduardo Hurtado: NY 1998-99; NE 2000
We're not sure if Rev fans remember this one, but then, we don't care about their fans. Hurtado spent two years with Metro, a successful 1998 and a terrible 1999. He was cut after the season and was picked up by the Revs on waivers... and lasted just three games in New England. "El Stanque", indeed.
6. Andy Williams: NE 2001-02; NY 2002
A World Cup player for Jamaica at the age of 20, Williams was already on his fourth MLS team when he came to Metro at the age of 24 as part of that previously-mentioned massive trade. He started very well, tallied 13 assists in just half a season, but faded down the stretch. New coach Bob Bradley wasn't exactly a fan of Williams' defensive liabilities, so he was dumped to Chicago for what eventually became Edgar Bartolomeu.
5. Juan Agudelo: NY 2010-12; NE 2013
A one-time darling of the RBNY academy, Agudelo was supposed to be the next great thing in American soccer. (Not the first time we heard that one.) Unfortunately, the maturity level was just not there, and constant crying for playing time led to Hans Backe getting tired of the pouting. So early in 2012, Agudelo was unceremoniously dumped to the trash heap of Chivas USA. A year later, he came to New England, and spent a successful half a season there, before leaving for the supposedly greener pastures of Europe.
4. Daniel Hernandez: NY 2000-02; NE 2002-03, 2005-07
Of all the players involved in that massive six-player trade, Hernandez ended up with the best MLS career. Of course, it wasn't in Metro land, but rather in New England, and then Dallas. During his time here, he was a vital cog in defense and midfield. With the Revs, he helped them to three MLS Cups (all losses, of course).
3. Jim Rooney: NY 1998-99; NE 2002
One of the most idiotic moves in team history (and there have been MANY idiotic moves) was the cutting of Rooney by Bora Milutonovic. For whatever reason, the moronic coach did not see value in a player who tallied eight goals in his first MLS campaign. So Rooney was dumped and ended up in Miami, where he became an essential cog for three seasons. After the Fusion disbanded, he moved to New England in 2002, and even attempted to return to Metro a year later... but couldn't pass a preseason tryout.
2. John Wolyniec: NY 1999, 2003-05, 2006-10; NE 2001
Obscure Rev Files? One of our favorite Metros of all time played just 45 minutes for New England, compared to over 9,000 in a New York uniform, the first of those coming back in 1999. His Rev stint came in 2001, after he was traded from Chicago for Eric Wynalda. Half a game later, the Revs cut him. He'd return to Metro in 2003, leave again, return... We wonder if Woly remembers those 45 minutes?
1. Giovanni Savarese: NY 1996-98; NE 1999
We tried to block this out, but we can't. The idiotic Bora struck again, dumping the leading scorer in team history (no one was even close at the time, and no one would catch up until Clint Mathis in 2007) to New England for Raul Diaz Arce. Diaz Arce was immediately traded to San Jose for future considerations, which then rolled up to an allocation that became Lothar Matthaus... or something. Dumb, dumb, dumb trade. Gio Savarese, one of the greatest Metros ever, and we had to watch him spend a year in the Revs' putrid colors. He scored against us, too. Three times. Ugh.
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