Joshua Bolma Impressing Bruce Arena and Teammates

"But he’s a good player and he’s got a good future.”

2023 MLS SuperDraft selection Joshua Bolma is still searching for his MLS debut but he has already made an impression on head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena and his teammates.

Bolma did manage to receive his first start with Revs II in the second team’s recent win over NYCFC II after coming off the bench in Revs II season opener. In total he has played 135 minutes, completed 90 percent of his passes, and recorded three interceptions.

But Bolma’s eyes certainly are on the first team who he trains with during the week. There he gets to learn from the legendary head coach as well as some of the best players in Major League Soccer such as Carles Gil and DeJuan Jones.

Arena touched upon Bolma’s progression and play so far after training on Tuesday.

“[Joshua Bolma] is a good player,” Arena said. “He’s getting better and he’s a very good player. We’ve played him in a bunch of positions. He’s probably best suited to play in the midfield, although here we’ve played him in the right back position. But he’s a good player and he’s got a good future.”

Against NYCFC, New England’s midfield struggled with Matt Polster missing out on the game due to an illness and Latif Blessing recovering from having to be stitched up after getting cut on his leg during training. The Revolution were forced to trot out Christian Makoun who had recently travelled from the Middle East due to international duty for Venezuela and youngster Jack Panayotou who received just his second start of his career.

Another interesting note on Bolma, he has seemed to leapfrog Ryan Spaulding on the depth chart. He has yet to appear on the matchday squad for New England this season while Bolma has made the squad the last two games. Also while Bolma has received playing time with Revs II, Spaulding has yet to suit up for the second team.

Left back DeJuan Jones has also been impressed with Bolma and is excited to see how he grows as a player.

“Yeah, Josh [Bolma] is awesome, really good kid, and we’re happy to have him part of the Revs organization, and he’s a versatile guy,” Jones said. “He played right back for us, he’s played center mid, winger, so he can really do it all, so we’re excited. Happy he’s getting minutes and looking forward to his development.”

So while Bolma still has ways to go as a player, he is making a positive first impression since coming to New England. His versatility makes him a great asset and may help him find a way to make his MLS debut this season.