Rumor: Figo Revs DP?

By: Dan | February 22nd, 2008

Soccer by Ives and MLS Rumors are reporting that the Kraft family is going to shell-out the cash to buy Portuguese legend Luis Figo. The 127-times capped right winger won the European Player of the Year Award in 2000, and the World Player of the Year Award in 2001. He beat out David Beckham in 2001.

Luis Figo to the Revs?!

Ives Article with some tactical Information: http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/02/new-england-lin.html

Unfortunately, this isn’t the same Figo that won the World Player of the Year, this is a 35-year old former superstar. Considering Figo is one of the greatest players to ever lace up boots, and in his heyday, was arguably better than fellow right winger David Beckham - this is huge! But is Figo worth a DP slot? His guidance would be invaluable. Imagine Wells Thompson after a few seasons training with Figo? Or how much faster Nyassi would develop? The intangibles are there; now think of the regular service that Twellman would get? This is exciting! But would Figo be better for the Revs than say Dejan Petkovic? Who is also an older, flamboyant, attack-minded midfielder. He’d be cheaper for sure too. The question is: how much is a 35-year old guy worth? This isn’t a retirement league, and he isn’t Pele.

Aside from the actual playing that Figo would do, this is big for soccer in Massachusetts. It hearkens back to the days when the Fall River Marksman was one of the greatest soccer teams in the world (yes, the world!). The Portuguese and French-Canadian textile workers made Southern Massachusetts a hot bed of soccer much like the Germans did in St. Louis, MO and the Scots in Kearny, NJ.

Among the players Fall River had at its disposal were Billy Gonsalves and Bert Patenaude (who scored the first hat trick in World Cup history in 1930). The two are arguably the strongest strike force in US history winning the US Open Cup thrice, twice with Fall River and again with St. Lewis Breweries.

Their stadium still exists to this day, in N. Tiverton, RI. They built the stadium in RI because of Massachusetts’ blue light laws.

That’s what I think of when I think Figo, and Portuguese players in general, in the MLS. If any of you have an interest in the history of soccer in the US, I urge to check out Dave Litterer’s site at: http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/index.html.