FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – One week in Boston inspired Didier Domi to make the move from Europe to the United States.
Domi spent a brief period on trial with the New England Revolution in September as he and the Revs assessed whether a potential transfer made sense for both parties.
After getting a feel for the club and the city, Domi decided it did. The Revs agreed.
“You have to see if you feel good first with the team, the trainer and the town,” Domi told MLSsoccer.com earlier this week. “When I saw the atmosphere, it was good. There were a lot of youngsters and Steve [Nicol, Revolution coach] is very nice. That is the best part – to come here when you have the relationships.”
Those nascent bonds encouraged the former Newcastle, Olympiakos and Paris Saint-Germain defender to hold off on making a more lucrative move within Europe until the Revolution could claim him in the MLS discovery process and negotiate a deal for his services.
[inline_node:326322]“I don't mind or else I would have stayed in Europe,” Domi said about passing up a larger wage packet to sign with the Revs. “It's not about money, it's all about experience. I would not have waited six months through [the discovery process] and everything. I really wanted to come here to play in MLS and for Boston.”
Domi's arrival provides the Revolution with a seasoned option to fill in the troublesome left-back berth. Despite the former French youth international's considerable experience at the highest levels of European club soccer, Revolution coach Steve Nicol believes Domi still has plenty to contribute as he starts his MLS career.
“He's not exactly a veteran,” Nicol said. “He's 32. There are loads of players playing in the Premier League who are 32, 33 and 34. He's got experience and he's good on the ball. Those were a lot of the things we were lacking last year.”
As he contemplates his first campaign with the Revolution, Domi understands that he will need to lend his ability and his nous to this young squad. Those contributions, however, will not determine whether this season will count as a successful one, according to Domi.
“First of all, we want to play as a team and get back into the playoffs,” Domi said. “We want to go [as far] as we can into the playoffs. That's the first thing, yeah, and then to help everybody. We want to be good as a team.”
