FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - With MLS taking a two-week break for the start of Copa America, one player Revolution coach Jay Heaps planned to watch on the international stage was star midfielder Lee Nguyen. At least initially.
Despite earning a spot on the preliminary United States roster, Nguyen ultimately failed make the final cut for the historic tournament. Even so, Heaps believes the snub may fuel the midfielder's fire at the club level.
Evidence of that was seen in last weekend's win over Seattle, a game in which Nguyen scored from the spot and connected on a team-high 92.3 percent of his passes. Not bad for a player who U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann probably could've used during his squad's tournament-opening 2-0 loss to Colombia on Friday.
"It's always disappointing," Heaps said about the Nguyen's omission from the U.S. roster. "We had a long conversation with him about not being selected, and how he can use this for the positive. I think he's a real player with motivation and when he plays well, we play well."
Nguyen, who was named to the provisional roster last month, received word that he wouldn't be partaking in the tournament only days before the Seattle game. Instead of stewing over the news, Nguyen re-focused his efforts with the Revolution - and that approach actually paid dividends even before hitting the pitch.
After speaking to Nguyen about the snub, and watching the way in which he handled the disappointment, Heaps tabbed the midfielder as captain for the Seattle match. It was Nguyen's first appointment as skipper during his five seasons in Foxboro.
"He not a big, loud, go get 'em, rah rah guy," Heaps said. "But, he's having the individual conversations. He's having real dialogue with players on an individual level and I really like seeing that and his growth overall."
No doubt the Revolution are banking on Nguyen's overall growth. In April, the Revolution rewarded Nguyen with a rich contract extension, erasing any ideas that the creative midfielder would entertain a move back to Vietnam, where he established himself as one of the V. League's best players before joining MLS in 2012.
Although the 29-year-old midfielder started 2016 slowly, his recent set of performances indicates that he's turned the corner. The win over Seattle marked the third straight game in which he both scored and assisted, the longest such streak of his MLS career.
Sure, Heaps would've liked to have seen Nguyen get a chance to suit up for the U.S. against Colombia - the same team Nguyen played well against off the bench in an international friendly back in 2014. But Nguyen's reaction to being left behind may yet bode well for the Revolution this summer, a time that's proven unkind for the locals in recent years.
"I'm excited that he did not take it the wrong the way," Heaps said. "He took the news and he said, 'Alright, I'm going to go for it.' He's also been wearing the captain's arm band, and I think that's just for what he does on the field for our guys."