FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution today announced that veteran midfielder/defender Joe Franchino has re-signed with Major League Soccer to play for the Revolution and that the club has reorganized its athletic training staff.
The Revolution also announced that forward Pat Noonan has transferred overseas to Norwegian club Aalesund.
Franchino, 31, is a 10-year MLS veteran and is entering his eighth full season in New England having joined the club midway through the 2000 season from Los Angeles. Franchino has played in 210 career MLS games, including 161 with the Revolution. In his career, he has scored five goals and added 23 assists, playing mainly on the left side of the midfield or at left back. Franchino has been a member of five teams that have played for the MLS Cup championship, and started for New England in three of its trips to the league's championship game (2002, 2005, 2006).
"Joe has been a staple with this club since he arrived and has been a leader on and off the field," Revolution director of soccer Michael Burns said. "We're pleased we'll have Joe back around the club again this season after he worked so hard to rehab from surgery last year."
The Revolution has hired Sean Kupiec, A.T.C., P.E.S., as the team's head athletic trainer and created a new position for Wayne Penniman, P.T., A.T.C., CSCS, as the team's rehabilitation specialist.
Kupiec joins the Revs from the New England Patriots, where he has spent the last two seasons as the Pats' athletic training intern. Kupiec will oversee all aspects of the team's medical care and sports performance, both in-season and during the off-season. Kupiec is also recognized as a performance enhancement specialist by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He will officially join the Revolution after Super Bowl XLII, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 3.
Penniman, who spent the 2007 Revs season as the team's athletic trainer, will now focus on the team's rehabilitation needs after injuries and surgeries. He will work with Kupiec and the team's physicians to help players return to the field as soon as possible after suffering injuries, utilizing both his physical therapy and strength and conditioning background.
"The opportunity arose where we could expand our sports medicine staff," Burns said. "Wayne's new position is unique in MLS and is a great utilization of his expertise and experience, and Sean has received excellent training with the organization the last few years. We're glad that our players will benefit from this strengthened medical staff on a day-to-day basis."
Noonan, 27, played five seasons for the Revs after being drafted in the first round (ninth overall) by the team in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. He appeared in 119 games in New England, starting 110, and scored 37 goals and added 29 assists while helping the team reach three consecutive MLS Cup championship matches. He left the club ranked third in both career goals and career assists. Noonan will reunite with former Revs goalkeeper Adin Bown at Aalesund.
"We want to thank Pat for his tremendous service to the organization during his career," Burns said. "He is a model professional who was a big factor in our recent success. We wish Pat the best of luck in his new endeavor overseas."
