Gustavo Bou is Expected to Arrive in New England on Friday
Bruce Arena and Carles Gil talk about Gustavo Bou.
Designated Player Gustavo Bou is expected to arrive in New England on Friday, according to New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena.
The striker spent preseason in Argentina as he waited to receive his green card. Bou is now on his way to the United States after getting approved last week.
“Gustavo will be in Boston tomorrow,” Arena told media on Thursday.
Bou has been a pivotal piece for the Revs since arriving mid-season in 2019. In sum, he’s contributed 37 goals and 16 assists in 81 regular-season appearances. Last year he led the team with eight goals.
Although he’s been training hard in Argentina, Bou will likely take some time before getting up to speed since he missed preseason. Fellow DP Carles Gil, who also acquired his green card during the off-season, is excited to have Bou back.
“I had the same experience as him, because it just takes a long time,” Gil said about getting a green card. “But yeah, I’m talking with him, and he is obviously pushing to arrive here. I think he’ll be here soon. We are happy for his return and for sure we need him. He will help the team.”
Bou isn’t the only player to miss time during preseason as Gil arrived late to camp and several players dealt with knocks. While some players are still dealing with injuries, others are working their way back.
On Thursday, Arena said, “Latif [Blessing] is practicing again.” He later noted that Jozy Altidore “just got back into training today” after dealing with “a little bit of a mild muscle injury last week.”
Arena said that he will finalize the starting lineup against Charlotte FC on Friday. That said, it will take some time before the Revs truly solidify their game-day roster.
“I think with some of the injuries we’ve had and some players not yet here, it’s going to take us awhile, probably a couple months into the season, when we can pretty well be certain about who our starting eleven is and some of our top reserves,” Arena said.
“I think when healthy, we have a lot of depth in a number of positions so I think you’re going to see at times this year that we’re going to have the ability to rotate our squad as well. But as of now, we certainly don’t have a great feel for who our first eleven is going to be for the season and I think that’s going to take a little bit of time.”
UPDATE: Arena spoke to Zolak and Bertrand after he spoke to local media. The head coach gave more specifics regarding Bou, saying that he believes that the DP will be ready to play towards the end of March.
