Revolution trade former captain Franchino

Joe Franchino is going back home to Los Angeles, where his soccer career began. (File/ROBERT E. KLEIN/FOR THE GLOBE)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Former captain Joe Franchino was traded yesterday by the Revolution to the Los Angeles Galaxy for a second-round pick in next year's Major League Soccer draft. Franchino, 31, had been the longest-serving member of the team, but was limited to four games total this season and last because of injuries.

"Joey wanted to play," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said after the team arrived here in preparation for tonight's game against the New York Red Bulls. "He knew what was happening here; he would be a backup for Jeff [Larentowicz] and Shalrie [Joseph]. At this stage of his career, he has to be playing. Training and reserve games are not enough."

Franchino, who was born in Fontana, Calif., joined the Revolution after being claimed in a dispersal draft from the Galaxy in 2000.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 165-pound Franchino earned a reputation as a battler/technical player on the field and was involved in at least two brawls with teammates at practices. Last year, Franchino took a leave of absence for personal reasons and last week he was ejected from the stands following an incident at Fenway Park.

"This is something the coaching staff had been discussing with Joey," said Revolution director of soccer Mike Burns. "It's something that was in the works and it was an opportunity for him to make a move that was good for him and for us to make a move that was good for us. He is a longstanding member of the team and he deserves the opportunity to play.

"Both sides think this is a good deal and we wish nothing but the best for Joey. We didn't look at this as a move for New York [tonight] but rather an opportunity to get a second-round pick in the draft, and gives us more flexibility to do things with the roster."

Asked if the deal was made because of Franchino's involvement in the Fenway Park incident, Burns said:

"The timing is not related to anything. This could have happened last week, next week, or it may not have happened. The timing is irrelevant. Even if that perception is out there, I feel comfortable saying that's not the case. This didn't happen just today. Trades very rarely happen that quickly."

When Nicol was named coach in May 2002, among his first moves was to appoint Franchino captain. Franchino, whose daughter, Kaitryn, was born in 2004, went through a divorce, then resigned his captaincy as he left the team last year. Franchino played in three games last season, then underwent surgery for a peroneal tendon injury to his right foot.

The confrontation that led to the injury symbolized Franchino's persistence and spirit. He believed he had only sprained an ankle during a clash with Chicago's Nate Jaqua, a 6-3 forward who was cautioned on the play, during a playoff match Oct. 28, 2006. Franchino started the next week in the Eastern Conference title game, and then the MLS Cup, but has not been at full speed since.

Franchino made his Revolution debut in a 1-0 win at Chicago May 20, 2000, the only player in that New England starting lineup still playing professionally. He made his 162d regular-season appearance, second to Jay Heaps (192) on the team's all-time list, in the final minutes of a 3-1 win at Kansas City April 9.

"It's purely coincidental," Nicol said of the timing of the deal. "Joey spoke to me on the way home from Kansas City. He had been injured and unable to play for so long, and when he stepped on the field he realized what he wanted to do - he wanted to be on the field. No. 1, he wanted a chance to play, and in LA he will play pretty quickly. No. 2, he is going home and going to a solid situation.

"We're all the same. There are lots of things we would prefer, but staying here and being miserable, if you're miserable, it affects everything you do."

Franchino is known as one of the strongest players in MLS and uses a combination of aggressiveness and skill to shut down opponents as a left back and to create offense as a midfielder and free kick specialist. When Joseph was injured in an off-the-field incident in 2006, Franchino filled in as a defensive midfielder as the Revolution went on a successful late-season run.

"Joey has a great work ethic, he is determined, and he will stand up forever to fight for what he wants," Nicol said. "The team needed that [in 2002] and he was the captain for four or five years."

Said goalkeeper Matt Reis, who played with Franchino in Los Angeles before joining the Revolution in 2003: "We are losing a great player. Joey is a tenacious player. He is getting a chance to go back to where it all started. He wanted a chance to finish his career with a better chance of playing. It shows the kind of person he is, how he battled back from adversity - most people don't come back from that injury. And you could see in a brief five minutes in Kansas City the quality of player he is. We'll miss him, his ability on the field and leadership qualities."

Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.