New England Revolution Hire Assistant Coaches

The New England Revolution announced this morning that they have hired three new members of their technical staff. Jay Miller joins the team as the primary assistant coach, while Nick Downing has been hired as the strength and conditioning coach and Scott Emmens is the team's new equipment manager.

Miller joins the staff after 30 years of experience at the college level and in U.S. Soccer's youth system. "I'm very excited to work with Jay to build a season-long, tactical approach that improves us each week," Heaps said. "I knew I wanted to bring a highly experienced, tactically-minded coach, and in Jay, he's a coach who's coached at - and succeeded at - every level of the game with a wide range of players. I believe he'll provide a solid foundation for our team, both on the practice field and in games."

Downing was actually drafted by the Revolution out of Maryland in 2001. He was a Project-40 defender before retiring in 2004 and becoming a certified personal trainer. Most recently, Downing has worked for Pure Performance Training in Needham, MA.

"Nick is the perfect person to be our first strength and conditioning coach," Heaps said. "With his combination of high-level playing experience and his fitness expertise, he knows what soccer players go through physically and what they need to do to succeed on the field throughout the long season. His approach and his work with our players off the field will be vital to our success this year."

Emmens has a background in retail. He was the equipment manager for the now-defunct Chicago Red Stars of WPS in 2010. Emmens has also worked at SoccerPlus camps in Hartford and brings a wealth of experience to the table.

The Revs' search for a second assistant coach is ongoing.