The New England Revolution will bring back veteran defenders Kevin Alston and Darrius Barnes, along with second-year goalkeeper Luis Soffner, for the 2014 season.
Per club policy, further terms of the deals, announced in a release Thursday, are not being disclosed.
“We’re pleased that we have been able to bring Kevin, Darrius and Luis back to the Revolution,” general manager Michael Burns said in a release. “Each player could have chosen a different path but wanted to return, which was important to us.”
Alston, 25, will return to the club for his sixth professional season after the Revolution originally drafted the Indiana University product in the first round (10th overall) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Alston ranks 10th on the club’s career appearances (121) and minutes played (10,265) charts and ninth on the career starts chart (118). Up through March, he started every game in which he was available – playing both right and left back through his career.
But following his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia in early April, he took a leave of absence from the team to undergo treatment. He returned to the field on July 27 at D.C. United and finished the season with nine appearances and six starts. At the end of the season, he was honored as the 2013 MLS Comeback Player of the Year.
Barnes, 27, will also return to the club for his sixth professional season after the Revolution originally drafted him out of Duke in the third round (40th overall) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Barnes has made 98 career appearances – 87 starts – while playing every position across the back line. Last seson, Barnes made six appearances (four starts) during the regular season and recorded one assist.
He has also started all four playoff matches the team has played during his Revs tenure.
- Get the latest Revolution news at RevolutionSoccer.net
“Both Kevin and Darrius have been valuable members of this club for the past five seasons and are reliable, proven veterans,” Burns added. “They are both professional in the way they conduct themselves both on and off the field.
Soffner, 23, will come back for his second professional season after the Revolution selected him in the second round (36th overall) of the 2013 SuperDraft out of Indiana. He didn’t make a first-team appearance with the Revs last season.
“In the case of Luis, we believe he has the potential to become a solid goalkeeper in MLS and look forward to his continued development,” Burns said.
