FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution will transition from participants to fans this weekend with the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T pausing for the international break and two of their teammates set to play for the US national team.
Following New England’s victory in their Eastern Conference semifinal series over the Columbus Crew, Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones joined the USMNT in London where they will take on Colombia on Friday at Craven Cottage (2:45 pm ET; ESPN) before returning home to continue playoff preparations.
“For us, we’re happy for those guys,” Revs head coach Jay Heaps told MLSsoccer.com. “We can control what we can control. Both of them, it’s well deserved.”
Said captain Jose Goncalves: “It’s good for the guys; it’s good for the club. It shows that we have a lot of good players here, good products for the future of the club and also for the future of the US national team.”
While Jones has been a mainstay with the USMNT during Jurgen Klinsmann’s run as manager, Nguyen is returning to the international fold after a seven-year absence, something his teammates feel has been a long time coming.
“In my opinion, it’s long overdue,” said Chris Tierney. “Lee’s been so good for us and such an important player. I think it was just a matter of time for him to get his chance, and we’re all proud of him representing our club really well – and Jermaine obviously, as well.”
Nguyen, who has put together an MVP-worthy season with 18 regular-season goals and five assists, arrived at Tottenham Hotspur training center on Tuesday, alongside Jones, a scene that has played out nearly every day in New England since Jones’ arrival in August.
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It is safe to guess that Jones, who was listed on Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster as a defender, will once again see time at center back, a position he played on Oct. 14 when the US faced Honduras.
Should he see action, Nguyen is likely to line up at the No. 10 spot, where he has worked elegantly all season long for the Revolution, who are eager to see what he can do against the third-ranked Columbian side.
“We’ll all tune in, and hopefully he’ll get the chance to get out there and show what he can do,” said Tierney. “We see it every day, how good he is. Hopefully he gets to show everyone.”
“It’s exciting,” added Goncalves. “I think Lee, being back with the national team, he’s very happy and excited. So we will watch and support them.”
