It’s safe to say the New England Revolution brass was a little surprised when Benny Feilhaber fell to them Tuesday night.
The Revs were third on the allocation list to nab the U.S. national team midfielder, who had recently signed with MLS from Denmark’s AGF Aarhus.
It was widely expected he’d land with Chivas USA or the Philadelphia Union.
But both passed, and the 26-year-old was free for the taking.
New England personnel chief Michael Burns didn’t have to think long.
“We were quite surprised, to say the least,” Burns said on a conference call with reporters yesterday. “We just felt like it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
Revs coach Steve Nicol was also pleasantly surprised to be presented with the chance to add Feilhaber to his 1-2-3 club.
“We thought if he wasn’t going to Chivas, he was going to Philly,”?Nicol said.
Instead, the Revs have a new star.
A long few days for Revs star
With experience in the World Cup and Europe, Benny Feilhaber brings instant credibility to the New England Revolution roster.
That he landed here at all is a bit of a surprise.
Chivas USA had first dibs on Feilhaber, but passed — a move agent Lyle Yorks called a “huge curve ball” via Twitter.
Until this morning, it was hard to find clear answers on what would become of Feilhaber — even for him.
“I went to bed last night without knowing 100 percent” where he’d end up, Feilhaber said yesterday in a conference call with reporters.
The entire transfer deal to come to MLS took only a few days, Feilhaber said.
