FOXBOUROUGH, Mass. – When the New England Revolution signed Gustavo Bou as a Designated Player from Liga MX side Club Tijuana last week, the Argentine forward knew his goalscoring prowess made him an attractive option for a team that has tallied the fourth-fewest goals in MLS.
“Obviously, they brought me here to score a lot of goals – for the goals I’ve been scoring in Mexico – and I hope to continue doing that here,” Bou said through a translator following Tuesday’s training session.
Bou added his playing style is “not all about the goals,” as he can create goalscoring chances with his passing, possession and movement up front.
“I’m really a player that likes to move in between spaces up front,” said Bou, who was deployed at left wing during the 11-on-11 portion of Tuesday’s training. “I’m the player that likes to be in constant contact with the ball, either making runs or fitting balls through for the runs.”
Teal Bunbury said Bou is “super comfortable” on the ball, especially in tight areas. Sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said that Bou is “another piece of the puzzle that we need.”
“When Bruce originally talked to me, he explained to me what project he is trying to build here – trying to put together a very competitive team, even now midseason, but mainly focused on next year,” Bou said. “He told me he really wanted me to be a part of that project. I felt excited coming here for a new challenge.”
The 29-year-old, who has also played in Argentina and Ecuador during his career, said that making the jump from Liga MX to MLS came with plenty of positive reactions from players he knows in the league.
“In terms of MLS, I have a lot of friends, colleagues, playing here in other teams and have told me great things about the league,” Bou said. “Clearly, MLS is a league that is growing year over year and that’s one of the main reasons I came here.”
Bou said it “certainly helps” that the Revs have a number of Spanish-speaking players from South American and Europe, in addition to others who are bilingual. That all has helped him relax after a few hectic days of moving to a new country, city and league.
Bou is “really eager” to make his debut, which is likely to be Wednesday (7 pm ET | TSN 1/3 — Full TV & streaming info) when the Revs play host to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The home side are unbeaten in their last eight matches (4-0-4) and have climbed into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
“I’m looking forward to helping the team as much as I can,” Bou said. “That’s the reason they brought me here.”
