New England Soccer Today

Tierney Not Ready to Talk About Future

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Was Sunday’s home finale the last match in front of a friendly crowd for local talent Chris Tierney?

With the Revolution slated for another rebuilding season in 2018, and the uncertainty surrounding the head coaching position, the team’s longest-tenured player said he’ll take hard look at whether he’ll back next year.

“I’m not really ready to comment on it yet,” Tierney told NESoccerToday.com. “I’ve got a lot to think about. I think I can still play at a decent level, but there’s a lot of factors in play here, so I’m not really ready to talk about it.”

The 31-year-old Wellesley, Mass. native kicked off his career in 2008 as a supplemental draft pick. But before long, became mainstay on the Revolution backline, and Sunday’s win over New York City FC was his 239th regular season match – a match in which he fittingly donned the captain’s armband.

But make no mistake: the 2017 season has been a trying one for Tierney. Injuries limited him in the spring, and he was briefly replaced at left back by midfielder Kelyn Rowe, who held onto the job far longer than anyone anticipated.

Another telling development: even with one match remaining, Tierney, who’s accumulated 1,623 minutes over 25 games this season, will still register the fewest of his career since 2009.

Plus, with Jay Heaps, who was one of Tierney’s biggest backers, no longer at the helm, the veteran defender is looking at a prospect of having to prove himself all over again to whomever takes the reins next year. And with a possible roster overhaul on tap, no one’s future is certain at this juncture.

Indeed, Tierney has plenty to ponder once the curtains fall on the 2017 campaign.

“We’ll see,” Tierney said. “We still have a game next week that we have to win. It’d be nice to get our first away win, so that’s all I’m worried about. At the end of the season, we can talk about (the future).”

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