Revolution Will Keep Soares’ Rights Even if He Leaves for Europe

If the reports are true that AJ Soares plans to sign a deal with Italian Serie A outfit Hellas Verona, he would become the first Revolution player to go directly to Serie A from MLS. Kim Raff/AP

By Julian Cardillo

December 20, 2014

2 minutes to read

Numerous reports say that AJ Soares will not re-sign with the New England Revolution and MLS next year and instead sign a deal with Italian Serie A outfit Hellas Verona. If the reports are true, as appears to be the case, Soares would become the first Revolution player to go directly to Serie A from MLS.

Soares’ deal with the Revolution, worth just shy of $160,000 in 2014 (according to the MLS Players Union) expires Jan. 1. The Revolution have offered Soares a new contract, but also left him unprotected in last week’s expansion draft for New York City FC and Orlando City SC, which will join the league next year. During that time, Soares, who has dual citizenship with the U.S. and Italy, was exploring a move to Europe.

MLS teams rarely negotiate a contract that’s high enough to encourage a player to stay in the U.S. and quell the desire to experience soccer in Europe. The Revolution have experienced this before with Clint Dempsey, Pat Noonan, Andy Dorman, and Michael Parkhurst, all of whom chose to experience the “beautiful game’’ around the globe over staying in MLS. The Revolution have a safeguard in place, though: since they extended a contract offer to Soares and he was not taken in the expansion draft, the Revolution would own his rights if he were to come back to MLS in the future, according to a league source.

Soares’ likely destination, Hellas Verona, is in desperate need of help along its back line. They have the third-worst defensive record in Italy, with more than half the defense currently injured. His arrival will add depth, but is relatively straight forward too: as a free transfer and dual citizen, he can enter and work in Italy without delay.

Soares’ is strong in the air and exudes confidence. He’s been a reliable starter for the Revolution since he was drafted sixth overall in the 2011 Superdraft out of Cal, earning this year’s team Defender of the Year award and being a key component to its Cup run. But there could be a steep learning curve in Serie A, especially since he doesn’t have any international playing experience.

Italy has been hit-or-miss for American players in the past. U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley flourished at Chievo Verona, a comparable team and local rival to Soares’ likely destination, then moved on to play for Roma, a yearly title contender. But national team defender Oguchi Onyewu had a more fruitless experience there, suiting up for AC Milan only a handful of times over more than two years.

No American player has ever played in Serie A without playing for the national team first, at least since the inception of MLS, and possibly longer. But Soares’ chances of earning a national team call will go up, especially since U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who was a star player in Italy with Inter and Sampdoria, values European playing time.

With Soares’ likely departure, the Revolution can fill his gap in a few ways. One option is to permanently convert Andrew Farrell to centerback and then sign additional defenders to play fullback. The team could also sign or trade for another player to lineup next to Jose Goncalves in defense.

The Revolution can add new talent in Thursday’s Re-Entry Draft, sign players from abroad, go for a prospect in the college draft, or sign someone on loan from Portugal’s Sporting CP.