New England Revolution taking things slow with Wilfrid Kaptoum

When the New England Revolution acquired Wilfrid Kaptoum there were high expectations, but so far fans haven’t seen a lot from the midfielder.

While the 24-year-old has appeared in five games, he has only started in two. He has also yet to make an impact on the stat sheet and also has yet to play a full 90 minutes.

To his credit when he is on the field, Kaptoum has made some quality plays. He has been good on the ball while also making some quality passes.

Also for a smaller player, the Cameroonian has done well dealing with the physical play and defending opponents. The only problem area is that he has already picked up two yellow cards with some questionable challenges.

But Revolution Head Coach and Sporting Director Bruce Arena is confident in the midfielder. He’s doing well in training and seems slated to get more playing time.

Arena said, “He’s improving. He’s actually had a good week of training as well. We’ll pick our spots with Wilfrid. The season is still young, he’s had a history of muscle injuries, so we don’t want to push him too hard in the beginning. So, he’s making progress. His fitness level is improving. Once we hit this stretch in June, July, August, September with a lot of games, Wilfrid is going to get his fair share of time on the field.”

Kaptoum also told the media that his fitness is getting better and that ultimately the decision is up to Arena if he plays 90 minutes or not. If that is the case, Kaptoum will be ready.

The 24-year-old said, “My fitness is better. The decision is about the coach, no? If he thinks I have to play 90 minutes, I will be able to play 90 minutes. I’ll try to play the game the best of me, no? So, I want to be fit and then the coach decides.”

It will be interesting to see how Kaptoum is used in this weekend’s game against FC Cincinnati, but it seems as though Revolution fans to see him have a larger role moving forward.