After a quiet, the New England Revolution have added two center backs in the span of three days.
On Friday, the Revs added center back Benjamin Angoua via loan from Ligue 1 side EA Guingamp. The club will have the option to keep the Ivorian on a permanent basis following the season.
“With Benjamin’s experience, adding him to the Revolution was an important step for our club this offseason,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a release. “We began this offseason with the goal of bringing in veteran players who are ready to contribute right away, so we are very pleased to have Benjamin with us as we head to preseason training in Arizona.”
Angoua, 30, has made a combined 309 appearances across all competitions in France, Hungary, and the Ivory Coast, recording five goals and two assists from the backline. He joins the Revolution after more than two seasons with EA Guingamp (2014-17) and previously played for FC Valenciennes (2010-14), both in France’s top-flight Ligue 1.
An experienced defender, Angoua has registered 152 appearances, including 138 starts, in Ligue 1 competition since 2010. The Ivorian international also played with Budapest Honved (2006-10) in Hungary’s OTP Bank Liga, and Africa Sports (2004-06) in Ivory Coast's Ligue 1. Angoua has additional experience competing in the UEFA Europa League with both Guingamp and Budapest Honved.
At the international level, the Anyama, Ivory Coast native has recorded 17 caps and registered one goal for the Côte d'Ivoire national team.
Angoua joins Antonio Mlinar Delamea as center back signings this week, with the club having just London Woodberry and Je-Vaughn Watson in the position before. New England conceded 54 goals in 2016, the sixth-highest total in MLS.
New England Revolution |
|---|
<strong>ROSTERED PLAYERS (22 of 28 spots filled):</strong> |
<p><strong>GK (4):</strong> Cody Cropper, Brad Knighton, Bobby Shuttleworth, Matt Turner<br><strong>DEF (7):</strong> Benjamin Angoua (INT'L), Andrew Farrell, Antonio Mlinar Delamea (INT'L), Donnie Smith, Chris Tierney, Je-Vaughn Watson, London Woodberry<br><strong>MID (7): </strong>Scott Caldwell (HG), Diego Fagundez (HG), Zachary Herivaux (HG), Daigo Kobayashi, Xavier Kouassi (DP, INT'L), Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe<br><strong>FWD (4): </strong>Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Kei Kamara (DP), Brian Wright</p><p><strong>DESIGNATED PLAYERS (DP):</strong> 2<br><strong>HOMEGROWN PLAYERS (HG):</strong> 3<br><strong>INT'L ROSTER SPOTS FILLED (INT'L):</strong> 3<br><strong>GENERATION ADIDAS PLAYERS (GA):</strong> 0<br><strong>UNSIGNED DRAFT PICKS: </strong><em>Napo Matsoso, Joshua Smith</em></p> |
