FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Cody Cropper spent his first two months with the New England Revolution largely in the background.
The 23-year-old former U.S. youth international joined the Revolution’s crowded goalkeeping corps in mid-August and took up a spot behind the established duo of Brad Knighton and Bobby Shuttleworth, completing the club’s quartet of netminders along with rookie Matt Turner.
While Knighton and Shuttleworth battled for starting minutes, Cropper went about the task of settling into his new surroundings after spending four years in England. He set up a new life in Massachusetts, worked to weave himself into the fabric of the locker room, and trained hard every day as he completed his recovery from major shoulder surgery.