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Revolution welcome back Kelyn Rowe

Fan favorite returns to New England

Montreal Impact v New England Revolution Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

As the old saying goes... “If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not it was never meant to be.”

With Bruce Arena now captaining the ship, Kelyn Rowe’s return to New England may have been meant to be. After all, Arena is responsible for all four of Rowe’s international caps, having played under him in the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he notched a goal and an assist in the group stage.

After playing last year for Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake, Rowe returns to the team where he spent his first seven seasons. He wasn’t able to find the same success in either of those stops that he enjoyed earlier in his time with New England. He now hopes to reignite his career under the coaching of Arena.

“New England is a special place to me that feels like home and I’m happy for the opportunity to represent the Revolution again,” said Rowe. “I’m also very excited to work with Bruce. He had me briefly when I was at my best and wants to push me to become greater next season.”

Many fans speculated that Rowe, a Washington native, would be looking to sign with Seattle in the offseason, but this move makes a lot of sense for both the player and the organization. Rowe was a fantastic presence in the community, having been named Humanitarian of the Year four times while with the Revs. He’s also a great locker room guy, fan favorite, and a versatile player who should give Bruce Arena some options.

Rowe ranks in the top ten on the all-time leader board in a number of categories for the Revs including games played (7th), games started (10th), minutes played (10th), goals (10th), and assists (T-4th).

Rowe will likely be competing against Luis Caicedo, Wilfried Zahibo, and Scott Caldwell for a spot in the middle. He can also play as a wide midfielder or even left back.

Overall, Rowe gives the team options as a depth piece who can fill in at multiple positions when needed. This isn’t the chaotic and disgruntled Revs group that was here when he last suited up for the club. Additionally, most of the roster performed much better once Arena took control of the operation and we’re likely to see the same from Rowe.

How do you feel about the move to bring Kelyn back to the Revs? Comment below to let us know.