After his debut Major League Soccer season, Mamadou Fofana has become an anchor of the New England Revolution backline.
Fofana made a key goalline clearence in New England's 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. A goal would have seen the Revolution go down 2-0 and create a large mountain to climb. But after Fofana's intervention, New England wound up securing the three points.
"Obviously, we had that amazing block from Mamadou [Fofana] at 1-0," head coach Marko Mitrovic said. "I think it added the next piece into our game, ‘Ok, now we are going fully.’ I’m really grateful to the guys, for everything they are doing.”
Fofana's good performances have come as New England has dealt with injuries on the backline. While Ilay Feingold is the most recent player that has had a stint on the sidelines, Brayan Ceballos, Will Sands, Peyton Miller, and Andrew Farrell have all dealt with injuries.
Even with the rotating cast on the backline, Fofana has performed well. He is in the 97th percentile when it comes defensive goals added; a measure of the value added by disrupting opponents through interceptions and tackles. Additionally, Fofana is averaging 7.2 clearences and 3.9 balls recovered per game.
“It’s easy to talk about [Fofana] after that goal-line clearance [during last weekend’s match]. But he’s a really important player," Ethan Kohler said. "He does all the dirty work, he cleans up everything. He’s super consistent, very clean on the ball. He’s an air of calm. For me as a young center back coming in, having someone that you know is so stable is really important. It gives me that freedom to express myself and really get into my own game. He’s been super helpful and he’s an amazing guy as well.”
As Kohler alluded to, Fofana is also an important piece in the locker room. His calm demanour and work ethic make him a great person for youngsters to look up to.
"He's a great player, a real role model for a lot of the guys," midfielder Brooklyn Raines said. "Obviously, that great save he made, I think if they score that, it changes the course of the game. So it's a big play from him."
New England has been in desperate need of help on the backline over the past couple of seasons. It now feels like the Revs finally have their defensive anchor who should help take some of the pressure off Matt Turner and help the club contend in the Eastern Conference.
