New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen has signed a contract extension, the team announced Friday.
“Lee is an important member of this Club and we’re pleased we were able to reach a new agreement with him,” Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. “He is a player who has the ability to make players around him better and we’ve all seen his game develop incrementally since he joined us in 2012. We look forward to his continued contributions on the field and have no doubt he will assume an even larger leadership role for New England both on and off the field.”
The attacking midfielder has been one of the team’s best players since joining, notching 34 league goals and 24 assists over five seasons – one of eight players in franchise history to record 20 goals and 20 assists. He scored 18 goals in 2014 and was a key cog in a Revolution side that made it to the MLS Cup before losing 2-1 to the Galaxy.
The campaign earned Nguyen second-place honors in the MLS MVP voting.
A Vietnamese and United States dual national, the McKinney, Texas native has also seen his stock rise with the U.S. national team over the past two years and was praised by U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann for his work in this past January’s camp.
The 29-year-old said he is happy to put the pen to paper and continue with what has been a successful partnership.
“Obviously, since I first started here, (Revolution coach Jay Heaps) and the organization and my teammates, they’ve all helped me grow,” Nguyen said. “A lot of it has to do with being here in this environment. It’s also helped me grow as a player and helped me jump back into that national team radar.”
The midfielder also said he wants to repay the faith the organization has placed in him.
“The Krafts and the organization showed their support and I’m completely honored and I want to show that faith back," he said. "I want to help this team get back to MLS Cup and win it.”
Beyond his on the field success, Nguyen, who spent three years playing in Vietnam then landed with the Vancouver Whitecaps but was waived before making a regular season appearance, is happy to remain in a place where he’s gained stability.
“I’m happy. I’ve planted roots here, and friends and family that came here, they enjoyed it,” Nguyen said. “Now I’ve made a lot of friends and I’ve got a lot of fans. It’s nice to play here now. It feels like my second home, so I’m happy to continue calling it home.”
