FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—With Friday's acquisition of Portuguese center back Sambinha, after nearly two years of growth, the New England Revolution's relationship with Sporting Clube de Portugal has begun to bear fruit.
The Revs and Sporting announced their multi-year strategic partnership in October of 2014, but New England’s run to the MLS Cup Final that year and short offseason did not afford an opportunity for the two clubs to get down to business.
This past offseason provided a greater opportunity for the sides to delve a little deeper into things and the Revs jumped at the opportunity to visit Lisbon, which included sending head coach Jay Heaps and general manager Michael Burns for a trip during a a three-week (Nov.