DeJuan Jones ready for intense preseason

The 2021 season can be described with one word for the New England Revolution, competition.

New England is coming off a great playoff run that saw them make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Being one win away from appearing in an MLS Cup Final is disappointing, but it also shows just how far the Revs have come.

Last season New England was severely hampered by the absence of Carles Gil. They were a completely different team when he returned to the pitch.

In the offseason, Bruce Arena went out and got some quality talent such as Wilfrid Kaptoum and Christian Mafla. This boosted the depth of the midfield as well as the back four. New England also recently signed Revs II players Jon Bell and Maciel who will add even more competition.

One of these guys who will be fighting for playing time is DeJuan Jones. Due to injuries, Jones got a boost in playing time at left back. It’s fair to say that Mafla should be the starter, but Jones will need to fill in if he needs a rest or worst case scenario ends up getting hurt.

Jones told the media on Thursday that he is continuing to play primarily at left back but is also willing to play where he is needed. Especially with the amount of competition on the roster, Jones will need to be flexible if he wants to get on the field.

The 23-year-old spoke about the competition for minutes and it seems as though Revolution fans should be excited about the preseason games.

He said, “Everyone is in different positions when you play these preseason games. There’s second team guys trying to make first team, first team guys trying make impressions on the coaching staff. So they won’t really be friendlies in that this is a great opportunity to make a statement to your coaching staff. So I think everyone’s going to be going very hard.”

Saturday nights friendly will be the first time that fans will get to see this squad in a competitive atmosphere. Fans definitely won’t want to miss out.