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4 things to know about Argentine winger Tomás Chancalay, the Revolution’s latest addition
The skillful 24-year-old Chancalay could help offset the season-ending injury of Dylan Borrero.
After losing a talented winger to injury earlier in 2023, the Revolution may have found a quality replacement.
Tomás Chancalay, a 24-year-old from Viale, Argentine, was announced as New England’s latest signing on Monday. He could help fill the void left by Dylan Borrero, who was ruled out for the season in April with a torn left ACL.
Pending receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate, Chancalay will join the Revolution on loan from Argentine side Racing Club for the remainder of 2023. New England will then have the ability to either extend the loan (through June 2024) or get him on a permanent transfer move.
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Here’s a little more about Chancalay:
Chancalay is a skillful player and could become a dynamic threat in MLS.
With the injury to Borrero, the Revolution lost a valuable attacking force. He provided width and speed, and had shown flashes of being able to cut inside and put shots on goal (scoring twice prior to his injury in April).
Chancalay has the potential to be a like-for-like replacement. While he might not possess Borrero’s straight-line speed (few players do), he may have the edge as both a dribbler and passer.
He also has the capacity to be dangerous from dead-ball situations, such as scoring an “Olimpico” (directly from a corner kick) with Racing in 2021:
He shares a previous club connection with Gustavo Bou.
The last time the Revolution signed an attacking player from Argentina, it worked out well for all parties. New England added Gustavo Bou as a Designated Player shortly after Bruce Arena arrived in 2019, and he promptly tallied nine goals in 14 games.
While it’s unlikely Chancalay will be quite as prolific in front of net, he does have something in common with the 33-year-old Bou.
Both players share a background with Racing, as Bou featured for “La Academia” from 2014-through-2017 (and again on loan in 2018).
Following the news of Chancalay’s signing, Bou posted a welcome message on his Instagram.
He played in the UAE last season.
Though the Revolution’s loan of Chancalay comes from Racing in Argentina, he played the 2022-2023 season with Al-Wasl in the United Arab Emirates Pro League.
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Chancalay joined Al-Wasl on a loan deal that included an option to buy at the end of it, though the UEA club opted to pass.
One reason for why Chancalay went on loan was financial. Racing received a comparatively large sum of money ($1.5 million) for simply loaning him out (and the fee would’ve risen higher had Al-Wasl decided to add him on a permanent transfer).
In addition, Chancalay was sought by his former manager, Juan Antonio Pizzi, who was the Al-Wasl manager at the time of the deal. Chancalay had been a regular starter under Pizzi at Racing but became a more peripheral player under his successor, Fernando Gago.
Though Al-Wasl didn’t choose to make Chancalay’s move permanent, it was not for a lack of production. In 19 appearances, he scored eight goals and logged five assists. Pizzi’s exit as Al-Wasl manager earlier in 2023 probably accounted for the reason the club didn’t sign Chancalay beyond the loan deal.
Where he fits with the Revolution.
As soon as he officially gets his visa status cleared, Chancalay will probably see the field sooner rather than later for New England. The Revolution continue to deal with a number of injuries beyond just Borrero.
In terms of his position, Chancalay will undoubtedly slot in as a winger for Arena. Currently, only Emmanuel Boateng fills the specific role of winger for New England, so the Argentine should be given ample opportunity to shine.
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He has the capacity to play on both wings, and since Boateng generally plays on the left side, Chancalay could pop up on the right.
Of course, exactly which formation Arena opts for — a subject he invariably dislikes discussing — is still unclear. New England has had to juggle so many different lineups this season that it’s difficult to know what the best formation might be.
Yet as Arena showed in 2021 with Tajon Buchanan’s role, he’s willing to insert a winger even in a 4-4-2 diamond. In that, Buchanan played in a wide midfield role, and was given license to roam not only horizontally but also vertically.
Should Chancalay show that he can acclimate to MLS (and stay healthy), he could become a regular starter within a short period of time.
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