Revolution sign midfielder Ian Harkes

The 28-year-old is the son of former Revolution midfielder John Harkes.

Ian Harkes (right), battles with Celtic's Tom Rogic (center), alongside fellow Dundee United teammate Jeando Fuchs (left) during a Scottish Premiership game in Sept. 2021. Jane Barlow/PA via AP

By Hayden Bird

July 5, 2023

After Bruce Arena recently alluded to the arrival of midseason acquisitions, the Revolution have added a player with a familiar last name.

Ian Harkes, son of former U.S. international John Harkes, has signed with Revolution through the 2023 season (the deal includes club options in 2024 and 2025). The deal was first reported by Steven Goff of The Washington Post.

The 28-year-old central midfielder, who featured for Scottish side Dundee United over the past four seasons, was a free agent.

New England acquired Harkes’s MLS rights in a trade with D.C. United, sending a second-round pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft and a conditional $50,000 in General Allocation Money in 2025 in return.

On paper, the Revolution have a range of central midfield options, though injuries have taken a toll. Matt Polster and Latif Blessing have been mainstays in the middle of the field for Arena this season. Noel Buck, an 18-year-old from Arlington who progressed through the club’s academy, has also become a trusted option, though he’s been recently ruled out with an injury.

Other potential choices — veteran Tommy McNamara and 23-year-old Brazilian holding midfielder Maciel — have both not played at all in 2023, also due to injuries. This has increasingly left Arena with a limited number of available players in a crucial part of the field where having depth is vital.

This could create opportunity for Harkes, who played over 1,800 minutes in the Scottish Premiership this past season.

Harkes will become the second generation of his family to play for Arena, as well as the Revolution. Harkes’s father, who was the first American to ever play in the English Premier League — and who logged 90 caps for the U.S. national team — played under Arena both in college (at Virginia) and in MLS (in the first two seasons of the league with DC). John also played in New England from 1999 through 2001.

The midseason MLS transfer window opened on Wednesday, allowing teams to make further acquisitions until Aug. 2. Additional moves are allowed until the league’s official “Roster Freeze” on Sept. 13.