Recent performances have shown why Brooklyn Raines was the New England Revolution's first signing under head coach Marko Mitrovic.
The midfielder arrived from the Houston Dynamo in a cash-for-player trade worth $1.6 million, plus up to $400,000 in additional compensation if additional conditions are met.
Raines, who played for Mitrovic at the U-20 World Cup, has been a fixture for the Revolution this year, playing 965 of 990 minutes.
"I know Brooklyn very well," Mitrovic said. "I also know that to find a profile like Brooklyn is very difficult, at least from my coaching perspective. Brooklyn is also an exceptional talent."
Always a player who will cover ground and break up plays, Raines has turned heads recently with his ability to advance the ball.
In Saturday's 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union, he had 14 progressive passes – the most he's had in a game as a Revs player – and went 2/2 on successful dribbles.
"It's something I've been trying to work on, just trying to play forward as much as I can," Raines said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can for the team, just finding the players in front of me. I think I'm doing magic, then just trying to hold it down on the back line."
Mitrovic noted that Raines has had to adjust to a new environment, a new city, and new teammates. The 20-year-old has been forging relationships with Carles Gil, Alhassan Yusuf, and others.
Yusuf, his frequent midfield partner, said that Raines is a player with "great potential" who is "always trying to improve every game."
The two have been working on ways to disrupt the opponent.
"It's something that we work a lot on in training," Yusuf said. "We're trying to push each other every training and in games. We see a lot of films to see where the spaces are. You can see every game, every training, it's getting better and better. But then the most important thing is the execution going forward. He's been doing that."
It all came together on the game-winning goal, as Raines' press allowed Yusuf to get the ball to Matt Polster. Some quick interplay led to Gil's third goal in as many games.
Moments like this are positive for Raines, who has already received European interest.
"I think he needs time to unlock himself," Mitrovic said. "Game after game, he is getting better and better, playing with more confidence. He looks more like Brooklyn and what we expect from him.
"I think he's just going to keep growing as a player, because Brooklyn has a high ceiling and we are all here together with him to work on that, so he can achieve and reach his maximum potential.”
