The next foreign acquisition for the Revolution is likely to come from Argentina, where coach Steve Nicol and assistant Paul Mariner spent nearly two weeks seeking an impact player for next season.
But rather than a big-name, high-priced player, Nicol is interested in young, inexpensive talent.
"It was a fantastic place, it lives and breathes football," Nicol said. "It was great to be amongst that. Obviously, there are some great players there but the high-end ones would clearly be impossible for us to try and get. The top teams in Europe are taking all those players and the ones just below there.
"Then, you have guys who kind of start coming into our financial range. It's all about the right player, the right situation, the right time in his contract. We've come back with a list of players we like and ones we think would make the team better, and they are ones we realistically think we can get."
Revolution coaches met with agents and attended several first- and second-division matches. Their focus was less on performers such as Juan Sebastian Veron, who has returned to Estudiantes de la Plata after a long career in Europe, and more on overlooked youngsters in the mold of Juan Carlos Toja, a Colombian midfielder who went from River Plate to FC Dallas last season.
"I'm guessing Veron [who has been negotiating with D.C. United] would cost $4 million a year," Nicol said. "We're looking to find players underneath there that are going to better us within the constraints of the salary cap. It is like a jigsaw puzzle, a lot of things come into play.
"For Toja to come here and find the right place at the right time, on a $100,000 salary, you can tell nobody at River Plate or anywhere in Argentina wanted to keep him. Sometimes you find the right place, the right niche, and that's part of the game. There are intangibles. A player can't get the engine started someplace and he can someplace else."
The Revolution's top priority is defense, especially left back. Avery John could be leaving (Crystal Palace has expressed interest), and Marshall Leonard (waived) and James Riley (San Jose) are gone.
"Any rational person looking at us would see we need to sign a defender," Nicol said. "Certainly, we are hoping to get an experienced one, but a collegiate defender wouldn't be out of the question. We are looking for someone to step right in.
"But for high-profile guys at any position, you are talking millions of dollars. We haven't approached any clubs with any offers. It's a cat-and-mouse game. They are trying to figure out what they can get out of you and we are trying to figure out what we can get away with.
"Ideally, we want a younger guy with an upside rather than an older guy on the way down. Maybe we can spot something they haven't spotted and it's the right situation, where the player wants to come here."
Nicol, who has an option year left on his contract, plans to stay with most of the lineup that has taken the Revolution to three successive MLS Cups.
"The plan is to always look for something better," Nicol said. "If we find something better than what we have, we have a better chance of winning things. We've always been trying to get the best we can. We're not desperately trying to find someone and it's no different than what we've previously done. But a lot of it is timing."
Nicol has also scouted local colleges and will attend the College Cup in Cary, N.C., Friday and Sunday.
Amassing talent
Most professional coaches attending collegiate soccer's final four will expect to find prospects from Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, who will meet in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday. But University of Massachusetts players are getting into the picture after the Minutemen advanced to the semifinals for the first time.
Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerway and Colorado Rapids assistant coach John Murphy were among the crowd as UMass took a 2-1 win over Illinois-Chicago at Rudd Field in Amherst Sunday. Most of the scouting attention focused on the Flames' Serbian midfielder, Pavle Dundjer, and Chicago-born Cesar Zambrano, who are seniors.
UIC coach John Trask, a former assistant with Miami and D.C. United in MLS, was impressed with UMass forwards Mark DeSantis and Bryan Hogan.
"They are as good as we've seen all year," Trask said.
UMass is the only unseeded team in the NCAA men's semis. New England schools have won titles in Division 2 (Franklin Pierce) and Division 3 (Middlebury) this year. In the women's tournaments, New England representatives have reached the quarterfinals in Division 1 (UConn), the finals in Division 2 (Franklin Pierce), and the semifinals in Division 3 (Western Connecticut State).
New Bull in charge
The New York Red Bulls' persistence has paid off, as they are on the verge of announcing the signing of Juan Carlos Osorio as head coach. Osorio, hired by Chicago in July, left the Fire for "personal and family reasons." The Red Bulls, who are paying off $1.4 million worth of Bruce Arena's salary, will give the Fire "draft picks, salary cap allocation, and cash" for the right to sign Osorio. The Red Bulls also considered former D.C. United coach Peter Nowak (now coaching the US Olympic team) and Chivas USA's Preki after firing Arena last month . . . Former Chelsea and Porto coach Jose Mourinho has taken himself out of the running for the manager's job for England's national team. The top candidate is Martin O'Neill, who is coaching Aston Villa. FA chief executive Brian Barwick and former player Trevor Brooking are expected to make a recommendation by the time of the Dec. 19 FA board meeting. Also in contention are Italians Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi and former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann . . . US midfielder DaMarcus Beasley will be sidelined 4-6 months following surgery on his right knee. The 25-year-old was hurt while playing for Scotland's Glasgow Rangers in a European Champions League game against Stuttgart Nov. 27.Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.
