Revolution interested in Arreaga; Romney reportedly up for sale

FOXBOROUGH, MA– The New England Revolution are reportedly interested in defender Xavier Arreaga. Furthermore, Defender Dave Romney is reportedly up for sale after a fall-out with head coach Caleb Porter.

Xavier Arreaga is a 29-year-old, 6’0, 165lb defender from Guayaquil, Ecuador.

At the club level, Arreaga has played 223 career games (17,611 minutes) across Ecuador & the United States. He began his career with Halley (2012). He then left Halley for Manta F.C. (2012-15). Upon completion of the 2015 season, Arreaga left Manta for Barcelona S.C. (2016-19). He then joined the Seattle Sounders (2019-Present).

Internationally, Arreaga has made 20 appearances for the Ecuador National Team.

In career numbers, the defender has contributed 12 career goals, 3 assists, along with 53 yellow cards and 2 red cards.

New England is reportedly one of three clubs interested in the defender. One team in the Western Conference (likely Austin FC) and another in the Eastern Conference.

His salary was last updated by the MLSPA on September 15th, 2023, where he was listed as making $750,000 in Guaranteed Compensation.

Dave Romney & Caleb Porter. Images Courtesy of New England Revolution.

Furthermore, according to reports by Tom Bogert of The Athletic, Defender Dave Romney has reportedly had a falling-out with head coach Caleb Porter.

Romney, a 30-year-old defender, joined New England via trade from Nashville for $525,000 GAM in early January of the 2023 offseason. Former coach Bruce Arena is quoted in saying, “Dave Romney is a reliable and quality defender in our league. He will be a great addition to our roster”.

Less than two weeks later, the Revolution announced that Romney would sign a two-year contract through the 2024 season with additional one-year club option for 2025 using Targeted Allocation Money.

His salary was last updated by the MLSPA on September 15th, 2023, where he was listed as making $671,667 in Guaranteed Compensation.

Since his arrival in New England, Romney has been an ironman. He is the second player in Revolution history to play every single minute of a 34-game season, joining José Gonçalves. He registered 3,647 minutes across 42 appearances (40 starts) in 2023. He also provided 2 goals and 1 assist with 1 yellow card.

In 2024, Romney has 1,035 minutes across 13 appearances (11 starts). He has zero goals, zero assists, and zero cards.

According to Bogert, Romney has been made available, but no agreement is imminent with another club.

New England Revolution logo. Image Courtesy of Major League Soccer.

(Editor’s Note: For more of Burt Granofsky’s photos, click on the link)

Caleb Porter and the New England Revolution (1-1-6, 4 pts.) return home to New England to face Eastern Conference leaders Inter Miami (5-3-2, 18 pts.). The match will kick off at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 27th. For more MLS NEXT Pro content, you can find it on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.