New England Revolution defender Jay Heaps walked into preseason training last week looking for familiar faces. While a few of those faces will play elsewhere next season, Heaps found one new face that could place his familiar position under threat.
The roster that ended last season has undergone significant revision. Key squad players Avery John, Andy Dorman, and Pat Noonan have left the side, sending seismic changes through a roster that the team hasn't seen many alterations over the past few years.
"Obviously, it's tough," Heaps said. "We've kept the group together for a while now. It's out of our control."
With players leaving, the Revolution coaching staff has worked to get players into the fold. But to this point, the team has acquired only one player off a MLS senior roster without adding anyone from abroad while surprisingly losing Noonan's services after opting not to renew his contract.
"There were a couple of changes that we expected and a couple of changes that we didn't expect," Heaps said.
Of particular note to Heaps is the one notable new face New England has acquired: U.S. national team defender Chris Albright. Albright, acquired from Los Angeles in exchange for an undisclosed amount of allocation money, plays right back.
Heaps, who has started in that position for New England since his arrival from Miami in 2001, admitted that he wasn't expecting Albright's arrival.
"I was a little surprised by it, but we've been trying to build a squad and getting competition for places," Heaps said. "Chris is another player in the mix."
For much of his tenure, Heaps hasn't faced much of a challenge for his right defender slot in New England's three-man backline. Despite his previously unfettered access to the team, Heaps plans to fight for his slot if Albright ends up as a direct competitor for his shirt.
"If it means competition for me, I'm not going to shy away from it," Heaps.
There are other options for Revolution head coach Steve Nicol to accommodate both Heaps and Albright in his lineup.
Albright could shift to left defender in the Revolution's customary three-man backline. The side, which drafted center back Rob Valentino in the first round of the SuperDraft, could also shift to a four-man defense. That move could see Albright line up at right fullback and Heaps play central defense or Albright and Heaps employed as the two fullbacks.
Heaps admits he's gone over those options and places his faith in the coaching staff to decide which option will ensure the Revs' continued success.
"You could do a three-man backline," Heaps said. "You could do a four-man backline. We as players have to trust in our coaches to figure out what's best for the team. Steve knows what's best."
Heaps dismissed any claims that Nicol would remain wedded to any particular formation, despite the team's success over the past few years.
"He was always a 4-4-2 guy with Liverpool, but he saw our group and saw that our talent would be best used in a 3-5-2, so that's what we played," Heaps said.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
