Curt Onalfo Discusses the Revolution's "Bold" Transfer Window

Onalfo: “You could argue that those are three or four starters for us, and that is positive news because we want to improve upon last year.”

Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution

It’s been an active transfer window for the New England Revolution as they look to improve on 2024.

Out are Xavier Arreaga, Joshua Bolma, Dylan Borrero, Nacho Gil, Nick Lima, Tommy McNamara, Jonathan Mensah, Tim Parker, Damian Rivera, Ryan Spaulding, Bobby Wood, Ian Harkes, Mark-Anthony Kaye, and Dave Romney.

In are centerbacks Mamadou Fofana (from Amiens SC) and Brayan Ceballos (from Fortaleza), midfielder Jackson Yueill (formerly of San Jose), and forward Leo Campana (from Inter Miami).

Sporting director Curt Onalfo stated that the team will soon announce the additions of two free agents: centerback Tanner Beason and goalkeeper Alex Bono.

The Revs also drafted goalkeeper Donovan Parisian and defenders Eric Howard and CJ Williams.

Sources tell The Blazing Musket that Earl Edwards Jr. has been traded to the San Jose Earthquakes for $150,000 in General Allocation Money while Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport was first to report that Esmir Bajraktarevic has been sold to PSV Eindhoven.

“We have made a lot of bold moves,” Onalfo said. “Obviously, in our last window we were very bold, and we continue to be bold. We have made a lot of changes that are going to help our roster be more competitive.

“We know that we needed to get better in the back, and so we have done that and we have gone out and got some very high-level center backs in that position. We have added Jackson Yueill in that midfield, and that makes our midfield even more robust.

“And obviously, we needed to improve in the goalscoring area and that is why we secured Leo Campana. We continue to work to make the roster better.

“You could argue that those are three or four starters for us, and that is positive news because we want to improve upon last year.”

Fofana, 26, and Ceballos, 23, are expected to be the starting centerbacks this year.

Though young, both players have a wealth of experience as Fofana has played 250 games for club and country while Ceballos has featured in 110 club games.

“Caleb [Porter] and the coaching staff are really fond of these two players,” Onalfo said. “Obviously, in the case of Fofana from Amiens, he was playing in Europe and is a Malian National Team player. [He] just brings a lot of experience.

“Brayan, a Colombian and a U-23 National Team player, played in Ukraine and has got a lot of athleticism. Both of them are very good in the air, very good on the ball, very good one-on-one defenders. They are two more-than rock solid defenders, so we are pleased to have them with us.”

Onalfo noted that Campana is a player that has been on the club’s radar for some time. He believes that the Ecuadorian attacker—who has collected 28 goals and eight assists in 80 league matches—will give the Revs a different look.

“We love Leo,” Onalfo said. “Ever since he came into the league in 2022, you can see his quality. His goalscoring record is basically every 90 minutes, he scores a goal.

“He, unfortunately, played for a team that had star players that often got playing time in front of him. We knew if he is in a situation where he is playing game-in and game-out that he is going to produce a lot of goals.

“Caleb and I are really thrilled to have him as part of our team. He is a class act, he works hard. In terms of how we play, he fits perfectly into Caleb’s game model.

“It also gives Caleb tactical flexibility. You talked about [Giacomo] Vrioni, he is also on our team. He has come off a solid season as well, so it gives Caleb the opportunity, at times, to play with two forwards. I think that tactical flexibility is good.

“It also gives us good forwards. Vrioni had nine goals last year, that is a great thing. Obviously, we have Tomas Chancalay coming back who can score goals, Carles Gil scores goals, [Luca] Langoni scores goals, just to name a couple of guys. We want to make sure we are better in that part of the field, so Leo certainly helps us.”

Onalfo stated that he feels the Revs “are in a good position” after recent moves, noting, “We've addressed areas where we need to improve upon.”

That said, there’s still approximately a month until preseason begins, giving the Revs time to make more transactions. Onalfo explained that their “jobs are never done” because business is fluid.

“We have been very active,” Onalfo said. “We still have some other moves that we are working on and our goal is to continually make the team better, transform the roster, really make it Caleb’s, and that is what we have done.”