FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth shared a bit of inside information with rookie Zack Schilawski when he learned the duo would leave Wednesday to spend 10 days training with English club Plymouth Argyle.
“I told him, 'You know [Revolution coach Steve] Nicol's a goofy guy, [but] wait until you meet Paul,'” Shuttleworth told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday.
Paul, of course, is former Revolution assistant coach and current Plymouth head coach Paul Mariner. Mariner moved to southwestern England late last year to join the then-English Championship side and paved the way for the two Revolution players to come over for a short training stint this offseason.
“It's great to have that relationship with Plymouth and, particularly, Paul,” New England vice president of player personnel Michael Burns said.
The trip will reunite second-year goalkeeper Shuttleworth with Mariner and give the former University at Buffalo star an opportunity to test himself in a new environment.
“I think it's going to be a great experience,” Shuttleworth said. “I've never been to England, so it's a chance to see a new place and see a different style of play. I'm definitely looking forward to it.”
While Shuttleworth hopes to hone the skills he developed after breaking through into the first-team during this campaign, Schilawski said he hopes to learn a little bit about Mariner and pick up a few tricks of the striking trade from the former England international along the way.
“I'm going to get as many little things as I can pick up from him,” Schilawski said. “I'll keep my ears open a little bit. Anything he can help me with, it'll help me a lot so I can come back next year and be even more confident and comfortable.”
