Meet the Rookies: Matthew Britner

Matthew Britner knew Steve Nicol was watching.

During the course of Britner’s collegiate career at Brown University, a short trip south of Foxboro, MA, the tall defender felt that he was gaining plenty of attention during his time in Providence. Just to be sure, Britner capped off his senior season by earning 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year honors.

Along with Brown coach Mike Noonan’s familiarity with Nicol (the two are often seen chatting with each other at Revolution reserve matches), it wasn’t a stretch to assume that Noonan may – just may- have had something to do with Britner’s selection by New England in the third round of this year’s SuperDraft.

“It’s entirely possible,” said Britner after a recent Revolution training. “Coach (Noonan) will do anything to push his program. I also think that because Steve scouts some of the (Brown) games (in Providence).”

So when Britner’s name was announced as the 41st overall pick, he was thrilled to find out which team was choosing him.

“I was just happy to be drafted in the first place. But when I heard it was the Revolution, and Steve Nicol called me, I was extremely excited,” said Britner.

Excited indeed. Not only because of the short distance he had to travel from Brown to meet up with his new club, but because of the familiarity he had with the area, as well as the team.

“I think of all of the destinations in MLS, this is where I wanted to be for a bunch of reasons,” said Britner. “One (reason) being because I’m already familiar with the area. Another (reason) because I know a few guys on the team already.”

Although he has already caught the attention of Nicol and the rest of the coaching staff to warrant a draft slot, Britner is currently in training without a contract. In other words, he’s with the club on trial. But he doesn’t look at his situation as a disadvantage.

“Just coming in here as a rookie, I’m here to prove myself,” said Britner. “This may be the first extended period in which the coaches can evaluate my play. I’m just coming here and working as hard as I can to show that I can play at this level.”

With more than a month and a half of training, preseason matches, and more training before the start of the regular season, Britner will certainly have the time to prove his worth.

Another thing working in his favor: his height. The 6-1 defender is one of the tallest players in camp right now. With the strong possibility of Nicol employing the 4-4-2 this season, Britner may find earn a spot on the club before long.

He knows earning that spot won’t be easy. But he also understands the challenges ahead of him.

“Obviously, everyone wants to play. I’m realistic about it. Everyone has to prove themselves day in and day out. Obviously, everyone wants to be in the starting XI. But if I can just continue to develop as a player and improve, and make strides – whatever that may be.”

That’s all he can really do right now. Without a body of work in MLS to fall back on, nevermind a contract, Britner knows that the primary focus right now is to continue proving himself in training. And from there?

“Hopefully, I’ll win a contract from the team.”

Training observations, 2/6

I apologize for the tardiness of this piece, but between computer strikes a 24-hour bug, I wasn't able to deliver this to you until now. So, without further ado...

The Revs held training at ForeKicks in Norfolk, MA ona rainy Wednesday morning. Among some of the highlights:

*The bulk of the training was devoted to stretching, calisthenics, and some jogging. Alternately, there were some shooting and passing drills. One perfectly finished ball, courtsey of Steve Nicol, ricocheted off an angled wall behind one of the nets and crashed toward the writer's area - thus achieving its intended effect.

*Taylor Twellman was the only noticeable absentee from training.

*The only draft pick signed thus far is first rounder Rob Valentino.

*The rest of the rookie crew (all on trial, as they have not yet signed with the club) present for training are as follows-

-Kheli Dube (#11)
-Jose Angulo (#25)
-Spencer Wadsworth (#26)
-Matthew Britner (#28)
-Kyle Altman (#30)
-Sam Brill (#34)

The two other SuperDraft picks - Michael Videira and Joe Germanese - are back at school, finishing their studies.

I spoke with both Britner and Wadsworth about their impressions of joining the Revolution. I'll be posting an article on each in the coming days.

Pair of Stingrays caught in MLS SuperDraft net

For the second year in a row, two former Rhode Island Stingrays (Premier Development League) were selected – in back-to-back order, no less – in the MLS SuperDraft.

Defender Matthew Britner (Brown University) was drafted in the third round (41st overall) by the New England Revolution. Less than five minutes after the selection, his former Rhode Island teammate, midfielder Geoffrey Cameron (University of Rhode Island) was selected with the final pick in the third round (42nd overall) by 2007 MLS Champion Houston Dynamo.

In their lone campaign together (2006), Britner and Cameron played for a talented ‘Rays squad that included two other MLS prospects: Jeffrey Gonsalves and Ryan McCormick. During that season, Britner played in all 16 of the club’s matches and recorded his lone offensive statistic on an assist. Cameron appeared in all 16 club matches as well, scored four goals, and led the team with 27 shots.

Britner may have a tough hill to climb in finding a starting spot in the rear with the Revolution this season. The club drafted a defender ahead of him (Rob Valentino) and acquired fullback Chris Albright in a draft day trade with Los Angeles. Yet, the former Brown Bear may have a few things working in his favor: his height (6-1) and a stellar recommendation (presumably) from Brown coach Mike Noonan, who is often seen chatting with Revolution manager Steve Nicol during reserve matches.

Cameron is in a similar position with Houston, where the championship club is, unsurprisingly, loaded with talent front to back. Although he can play up front and has an attacking midfielder pedigree, he has a few guys named Dwayne DeRosario, Brian Ching and Joseph Ngwenya ahead of him in the front, while Ricardo Clark, Corey Ashe, and Brad Davis already occupy spots in the midfield.

Last year, two of Mario Pereira’s boys were taken by MLS clubs during SuperDraft. Midfielder Nico Colaluca (Virginia) was taken sixth overall by Colorado, while striker Jeffrey Gonsalves (University of Rhode Island) was taken in the fourth round (40th overall) by Toronto FC. Colaluca went on to see the bulk of his action with the reserve club, though he saw action in four first team matches. Gonsalves, snakebitten by injury throughout the 2007 preseason, was let go by Toronto prior to the regular season, never given the chance to don the red and white kit for the expansion side. In an attempt to catch the attention of nearby scouts, he landed back on his feet with the Stingrays in 2007, where went on to lead the club with ten goals on the season.

The 2008 MLS Supplemental draft will take place via conference call on Thursday, January 24th. Among the hopefuls is another former Stingray – Lukasz Tumicz (University of Rhode Island), who was invited to the MLS Combine in January.

SuperDraft Surpise: Revolution acquire Albright, select five others

Well, that was interesting.

Instead of the standard wheeling and dealing of picks, cash, and local delicacies (perhaps), New England drastically altered its typical pre-SuperDraft course this year by making an immediate splash. With their selection at the 13th slot of Friday afternoon’s draft about an hour away, the club traded for – get this - an actual tangible player by acquiring Los Angeles Galaxy fullback Chris Albright for some allocation money.

What’s next – an announcement on a Revolution Soccer Specific Stadium?

Naturally, the player acquisitions didn’t end with Albright. After all, the Revolution still had some business to attend to by selecting this year’s incoming freshman class.

However, the surprises didn’t end with the Albright acquisition. While manager Steve Nicol has never made a secret of his affinity for ACC talent, he certainly went about stocking the cupboards differently this year. For the first time in recent memory, the program du jour wasn’t Wake Forest University. Rather, it was Duke University that Nicol & Co. looked at, scouted, then plundered for a total of three players, while selecting two others from opposite ends of the country.

The first pick (13th overall) for the Revolution came in the form of University of San Francisco defender Rob Valentino. The tall defender (6-3) instantly gives the club the height it’s been lacking on the backline in recent years, and could eventually become Michael Parkhurst's successor at centerback. Though Valentino missed the entire 2007 campaign due to a preseason left knee injury, he did find himself on both the US MNT U-23 side and the 2007 Hermann Trophy watch list prior to his absentee season. No doubt that Nicol, after watching Houston exploit the club’s undersized backs for two consecutive MLS Cups, had no problem utilizing his first selection on a big defender to tower over the likes of Dwayne DeRosario, Brian Ching and Joseph Ngwenya.

To address the depth (or lack thereof) in the midfield, Nicol plucked two midfielders from Duke for the next two selections. The first one, selected at 18th overall slot in the second round, was local product Michael Videira, another tall (6-1) player added to the roster. The kid from Milford, MA was senior captain last year, and in his four years in Durham, tallied 17 goals and 38 assists for the Blue Devils. He was named a Hermann Trophy finalist twice (2005 and 2006), and his presence will certainly help alleviate the concerns in the middle for the Revolution this season - that is, should he sign with the club. Though the club owns his "rights", there has been speculation that Videira is keener on European football than American soccer, and may defer to a European club before stepping onto the synthetic pitch at Gillette.

Next up was Videira’s Blue Devil teammate Joe Germanese, who was also taken in the second round (27th overall). Germanese is playmaker that should bolster a New England midfield that stagnated down the stretch last season. Heralded as a player unafraid to go forward, he scored three goals and chipped in seven assists in 2007, and finished his collegiate career with 18 goals and 22 assists. Moreover, he gives his new club a player that won’t be shy in putting the ball on net after putting 16 shots on net for the Dukies last season.

In the third round, Nicol returned to the backline by selecting Brown University back Matthew Britner. Surely taken on some insightful advice of Brown head coach Mike Noonan, a regular at New England’s reserve matches, Nicol added another tall (6-1) defender to help patrol the rear. Britner, who’s played the past four years on Noonan’s remarkably technical squad, may be a dark horse to land a starting role with the first team before long.

To wrap things up, the club focused itself up front. With the recent news of the club’s decision to decline the contract option on forward Pat Noonan, Nicol addressed a potential hole by selecting his final Blue Devil of the day: Spencer Wadsworth in the fourth round (55th overall). The diminutive forward (5-8) wasn’t a regular starter in 2007, but had an impressive cumulative body of work comprised of 25 career goals and 34 assists in his four years at Duke. His 2006 campaign was by far his best, when he led the NCAA in assists (14) while scoring eight goals, tying him for 2nd-best (with – who else- the aforementioned Vadeira) on the club. Given Wadsworth’s apparent inclination to design rather than score, don’t be surprised to see Nicol utilize him in the midfield, should the need arise.

There you have it. With the eyebrows returning to their original positions, scarves handed out, and press photos taken, it’s back to Foxboro for Nicol, Mariner & Burns. For greater insight into the Revs SuperDraft, read Mike Marshall's Draft Recap. On Wednesday, it’ll be more talent evaluation to come, when the club holds its annual tryouts that evening at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse.

Before you know it, that little thing Revs fans have waited for since the evening of November 18th – the 2008 season - will soon be upon us.

Three former Stingrays among MLS Combine participants

Major League Soccer announced its 2008 Player Combine Invitation List last month, and among the players selected to participate in this week’s combine are three former Rhode Island Stingrays. Matthew Britner (Brown University), Geoffrey Cameron (University of Rhode Island) and Lukasz Tumicz (University of Rhode Island) have all made the cut for the league’s annual showcase of college talent.


All three players certainly made an impact during their stays with the ‘Rays. Britner, who played for the Stingrays in 2006, was a solid defender during his time with the squad, where he played in all of the club’s 16 matches and recorded an assist. He was the anchor of a defending corps that finished third in the Northeast Division of the Premier Development League in goals allowed (29).


Cameron starred for the Stingrays for three seasons, beginning in 2005. In his first year with the club, he recorded four goals and an assist in 13 games. Although his stats were nearly identical in 2006 (4 goals, 1 assist in 16 games), he looked primed to have a breakout year in 2007. Unfortunately, injuries hampered him for the better part of the season, and limited him to only four games all season.


Tumicz was also felled by injuries in 2007, yet still managed to get on the scoresheet twice with the blue and gold by adding a pair of goals in five matches. The year before, in his first season with the club, the Rhody Ram displayed the goalscorer’s touch by blasting four goals in four games with the Stingrays in 2006.


The Stingrays have an impressive history of former players making the grade in MLS. During the 2007 MLS SuperDraft alone, two former Stingrays were selected: Nico Colaluca (6th overall, by Colorado) and Jeffrey Gonsalves (40th overall, by Toronto). Additionally, midfielder Rui Fortes, who was discovered during an open tryout with the Los Angeles Galaxy last February, accompanied the club during the 2007 preseason before failing to make the final cut just before the start of the regular season.