Revs Sign UMass Keeper Simmons

New England Also Promotes Tierney, Knighton to Senior Roster

January 31, 2009 - FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution announced Friday that former UMass goalkeeper Zack Simmons has signed a developmental contract with Major League Soccer to play for the Revs, and that the club has elevated keeper Brad Knighton and defender Chris Tierney from the developmental roster to the senior roster. Per team and league policies, terms of the deals were not released.

Zack Simmons holds nearly every goalkeeping record in UMass history. (photo courtesy of UMass Athletics)

The Revolution also announced that the club's athletic training staff has been expanded entering the 2009 season.

Simmons, a 23-year-old native of Durham, N.H., recently completed a decorated four-year career at the University of Massachusetts, where he compiled a 0.97 goals against average in 84 starts. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound keeper left the UMass men's soccer program as the leader in almost every career goalkeeping category, including wins (42), shutouts (30) and saves (386). He also set single-season marks for wins (17), shutouts (10) and goals against average (0.79) in 2007 during his remarkable junior year, in which he led the Minutemen to the NCAA College Cup and became the program's first All-American since 2002.

"We're pleased to add Zack to our roster now that he's joined Major League Soccer," Revolution Vice President of Player Personnel Michael Burns said. "As a local player, we've had the opportunity to follow closely Zack's career at UMass and have seen his progress first-hand during training stints with our club the last two summers."

Simmons, who walked on to the UMass soccer team as a freshman, was the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America of the Year.

Tierney, 23, recorded one assist in six league appearances in 2008, his rookie season after being drafted in the first round (13th overall) of the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft. A native of Wellesley, Mass., Tierney successfully made the transition from midfielder to outside defender last season, starting along the backline in the Revolution's SuperLiga 2008 championship triumph over the Houston Dynamo and the club's opening playoff game against the Chicago Fire.

Knighton, 23, is entering his third year with the Revolution after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in March 2007. Although he has not made a first-team appearance with the Revolution, he did see significant game action in 2008 while on loan with the Portland Timbers of the United Soccer League’s First Division. Knighton appeared in eight games for the Timbers, maintaining a 1.25 goals against average and a record of 1-3-4 as the Timbers scored just five league goals in his eight matches.

"We're pleased to add both Brad and Chris to our senior roster and we believe that both have bright futures with the Revolution," Burns said.

In expanding the athletic training staff, the Revolution has hired Phil Madore as the team's assistant athletic trainer and created a full-time position for Glenn O'Connor, who has been working with the team as its massage therapist on a part-time basis.

Madore, who spent the last three years as the assistant athletic trainer at St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Mass., will assist head athletic trainer Sean Kupiec in all aspects of the team's medical care and sports performance, both in-season and during the offseason. He has also spent time working as a student intern with the Springfield Falcons (American Hockey League) and the Falmouth Commodores (Cape Cod Baseball League).

O'Connor, who has been with the Revolution in a part-time capacity since 2002, will now join the club on a full-time basis for the 2009 season.