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Revolution announce signing of center back Mamadou Fofana from Amiens SC
New England begins its list of offseason additions with a center back.
The Revolution continued to reshape the roster heading into 2025 with the announcement on Tuesday that the club has agreed to sign center back Mamadou Fofana.
Fofana, a 26-year-old Malian international, will join New England on a three-year deal (utilizing the league’s “Targeted Allocation Money”), and includes a club option in 2028. The deal is pending Fofana receiving his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate, according to the team’s announcement.
The deal was first announced by L’Equipe’s Flavien Trésarrieu, and Seth Macomber of The Blazing Musket.
Fofana joins New England from French side Amiens SC (currently seventh in Ligue 2), where he featured 120 times after joining in 2021. Prior to that, he played 80 times for Metz (37 of which were in Ligue 1).
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At the international level, Fofana has 44 caps for Mali, including five appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and possessing an ability to play with the ball at his feet, Fofana is seen as a possible starter to replace outgoing center backs Xavier Arreaga (whose option was recently declined by New England), and Dave Romney (who is set to head to the San Jose Earthquakes in a trade first reported on Monday).
“Mamadou is an excellent fit for the profile we were looking for at central defender, bringing size and athleticism, composure on ball, and a strong mentality to not concede goals,” Revolution head coach Caleb Porter noted in the club’s announcement.
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“Our performance and results need to improve defensively, and Fofana’s talent and experience will help bolster our backline for the 2025 season,” he added. “I’m excited to have him join us at the start of preseason so we have time to integrate him into the team.”
New England does indeed need defensive improvement after conceding the most goals in the Eastern Conference in 2024 (finishing 14th out of 15 teams). Porter’s first year as head coach of the Revolution was defined by defensive struggles. New England surrendered three or more goals 14 times across all competitions in the past season.
The team is currently in the midst of serious roster turnover, with 11 players either leaving due to expired contracts or having options declined. In addition, the three-player trade with San Jose (now led by former Revolution coach Bruce Arena) is set to send three more players off the roster.
As it currently stands, Andrew Farrell (who recently re-signed with the club on a deal that includes a part-time role as an academy coach) is the only experienced center back on the roster. As a result, Revolution management will be expecting Fofana to push for a starting role.
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