I was joking around with Hoover Dam that the Revs will probably be starting Hudahel Izzat.
Well, I wasn’t far from the truth.
As it turns out, three trialists will be available for the team tonight against Portugese champions SL Benfica. I know it’s a friendly, but starting them against one of the better European teams? It almost doesn’t seem fair. Interestingly, the team makes a point of telling anyone that will listen that these players are not here to fill holes in a leaky line-up. It’s all coincidence.
The three players are:
Ivan Gvozdenović
31, Serbia (1 cap for Yugoslavia), Defender
Last Club: FC Kavala (GRE)
Gvozdenović was part of the Club Brugge side that won the Belgian Cup in 2007. He plays left back, but is purported to also be able to play midfield. The Revs connection that makes the press is that he played for Red Star Belgrade with Marko Perović. More interesting to me is that he played for former Revs ‘keeper and coach Walter Zenga not once but twice. He played for FC Dinamo Bucureşti, and was cut shortly after Zenga left the team, and also played for Red Star during Zenga’s tenure.
Jean-Baptiste Fritzson
24, Haiti (15 caps), Forward
Last Club: Aigle Noir AC (HAI)
He had a trial for the New York Red Bulls in 2009 back when they were deperate, as well as for the second flight Montreal Impact. Both teams passed on him, which doesn’t leave me with any reason to think that Fritzson won’t be another colorfully named “Hatian Sensation” that goes bust. Eh, who knows?
Jason Griffiths
23, England (0 caps), Midfield
Last Club: University of Kentucky (USA)
Finally a Wildcat in MLS! Oh, wait, never mind.
Griffiths played in 64 games during his time at Kentucky, and scored 12 goals and earned 10 assists. This doesn’t make him Shalrie Joseph, but it helps.
