New England Revolution defender Chase Hilgenbrinck was supposed to make his MLS debut last weekend -- on the other side of the country.
Hilgenbrinck, who turns 26 years of age on Wednesday, signed with the Colorado Rapids during the offseason. Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo wanted to make him the starting left back.
Then, in a second, it all changed.
"That's the way soccer is," Hilgenbrinck said. "I had heard stories about it happening to other players. It's always a surprise when it happens to you."
The arrival of Jose Burciaga Jr. and Tim Ward happened to Hilgenbrinck. He ended up third on the depth chart without ever playing a game. With Christian Gomez soon to arrive, Hilgenbrinck's salary and the need for room under the salary budget meant he'd never play for the Rapids.
The moves left Hilgenbrinck as just another left back searching for a job.
"I went home for a while and then my agent called me," Hilgenbrinck said. "I've been in this situation so many times that I've learned to enjoy it. I'm competitive. I like the pressure."
The pressure came with a week's trial in New England. The Revs had plenty of cover at left midfield, but with James Riley now in San Jose, the team needed another left back to cover for Jay Heaps.
A lot can change in a week. Hilgenbrinck arrived on Monday. On Thursday, he knew he was signing with the Revs. On Friday, he inked his deal. On Saturday, he sat on the bench and watched his teammates dispatch the Houston Dynamo 3-0 as an unused substitute.
"This is a great team that does things right," Hilgenbrinck said.
Hilgenbrinck is living out of a hotel instead of at home in Illinois. Former Clemson teammate Doug Warren, the Revs' backup goalkeeper, gave him a tour of the area and helped him settle. The surroundings are far different than what Hilgenbrinck saw as he played in Chile since going undrafted in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.
Those changes will translate to what Hilgenbrinck will see when he eventually enters the field. Hilgenbrinck spent the past two seasons playing in the Chilean first division with Nublense, which earned promotion from the second division in 2006.
The style of play differs significantly from what he has seen over the past few years.
"In Chile, it's a technical game," Hilgenbrinck said. "Here, the players are bigger, faster, and stronger. It's a faster game. It's more tactical with more one and two touch passing. There's a lot of the European tradition here."
Hilgenbrinck thinks his style of play will adapt to that tradition. While Hilgenbrinck said he can play in midfield, the presence of Khano Smith and Mauricio Castro means he'll get to focus on his first love as he attempts to crack the starting 11.
"I'm a left back," Hilgenbrinck said. "I've played some left midfield. At my last club, the left midfielder got injured and they needed a left midfielder, so I played there. My natural position is a left back. I like to mark players. I like the competitive responsibility."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
