Revs re-sign defender Darrius Barnes

The New England Revolution announced today that defender Darrius Barnes has re-signed with Major League Soccer to play for the Revs. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Barnes, 23, is in his second season with the Revolution. One of the league’s top first-year players in 2009, Barnes became just the second rookie in league history to play every minute of every game, and he was the only field player to do so last year. Drafted in the third round (40th overall) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, Barnes was one of the Revolution’s starting central defenders in his first season.

In addition to his 30 starts in MLS regular-season action, Barnes also started all seven of the Revolution’s outside matches, including U.S. Open Cup, SuperLiga and MLS Cup Playoffs.

“Darrius had a tremendous rookie season last year,” Revolution Vice President of Player Personnel Michael Burns said. “It’s a great compliment to his abilities that he was able to come into MLS and play every minute of every game. It’s a difficult enough feat for established players, let alone first-year players.”

The Revolution is scheduled to open the 2010 season on the road against the LA Galaxy on Saturday, March 27, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The Revs are set to open their 2010 home slate on Saturday, April 10, when they host Toronto FC. Visit revolutionsoccer.net for more information.