Football Season Guide

It was generally a solid season for New England Revolution in Brad Friedel's first season in management. They finished 8th in the Eastern Conference, 9 points behind the play-off places. That was 4 points fewer than 2017 but, while there wasn't an improvement in their points tally, Friedel will be confident his style and philosophy is firmly resonating around the club. Friedel's key players in 2018 were Cristian Penilla, whose loan from Pachua was extremely successful notching 12 goals and assisting 7, while midfielder Diego Fernandez also impressed scoring 9 and assisting 10. Friedel has been busy strengthening his squad but also keeping the squad together. Comfortably, his most important piece of business was signing Cristian Penilla on a permanent deal after his brilliant 2018 season. The coach has also signed Luis Caicedo to a permanent deal after the 22-year-old impressed in the heart of the midfield making 30 appearances. However, Friedel will be disappointed to lose captain Claude Dielna to the Portland Timbers, but will be confident his side can cope without him. In terms of new faces, Spanish playmaker Carles Gil is the impressive arrival having started his career at Valencia before spells at Aston Villa and Deportivo La Coruna.