The New England Revolution wasted little time making moves when the MLS summer transfer window opened Wednesday morning, executing a bit of house-cleaning to open up roster slots and cap space for some summer reinforcements. John Lozano was waived, while Bjorn Runstrom and Jeremiah White had their mid-season options declined.
"We want to thank John, Bjorn and Jeremiah for their service and efforts representing the Revolution," New England General Manager Michael Burns said. "With the International Transfer Window opening, we had to make some hard decisions about our roster as we look to bring in some new players."
New England immediately used that extra space to activate Sainey Nyassi off of the disabled list, freeing the Gambian winger to appear in competitive MLS matches again. As of now, the Revolution has 27 roster spots filled, a number which will drop to 25 on July 1st, when Lozano and White are officially removed.
Lozano arrived at the club on loan from Colombian side America de Cali on January 9th. He was, by all appearances, brought in to be the full-time partner for A.J. Soares in defense, but injuries and the ascendance of Stephen McCarthy has apparently rendered Lozano - and his reportedly heavy price tag - surplus to requirements. Lozano made two starts in league action for the Revs.
Bjorn Runstrom was brought in later in the offseason after a fairly successful trial period. The Swedish striker made three substitute appearances, but injuries derailed his chances of getting more playing time. Jeremiah White seemed to be a replacement for Nyassi's speed down the right flank, but he has battled concussion issues and other injuries since the regular season started, making just two substitute appearances.
Where the Revolution go next is anybody's guess. In terms of salary cap space, Lozano (and possibly Runstrom) will grant them a fair amount more wiggle room, and they will have the roster spots to make at least three acquisitions, barring any more outgoing transfers.
Furthermore, New England holds the top spot in the MLS Allocation order, meaning that they have the right of first refusal on any US Men's National Team players or former MLS players seeking a move to MLS. There are several juicy targets on that front, and among them are the Rangers trio of Maurice Edu, Carlos Bocanegra, and Alejandro Bedoya.
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