Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese has paid his dues. (Joy Rubenstein/FrontRowSoccer Photo)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

The New England Revolution is looking for a new head coach in wake of its reported sacking of Jay Heaps Monday night.

Well, before Revs owner Robert Kraft and his staff start making a list of possible successors, I have one candidate who impeccable credentials who has never coached in Major League Soccer:

Giovanni Savarese.

Robert, you might have heard of him. Heck you should have because the former Venezuelan international striker did score 10 goals in 27 matches during the 1999 season before taking a stab at European soccer.

While Savarese was a goal-scoring machine in an 19-year career, most recently he has made a name for himself as the Cosmos head coach over the past five seasons since the club returned to competitive soccer in the North American Soccer League in 2013.

In his first four seasons as head coach, Savarese has guided the team into the playoffs every year, winning three Soccer Bowl titles (2013, 2015 and 2016). The jury is still out on this year’s team. The Cosmos, who are struggling to win home games, are still in the running for a postseason berth.

Regarless how the Cosmos finish, Savarese deserves a shot at MLS. He certainly has earned it.

There definitely has been interest from MLS. The expansion Minnesota United wanted to talk to Savarese last year, but the Cosmos refused to allow it as Gio had one more year left on his contract.

Beyond being a winning coach, the 46-year-old Savarese also has forged a reputation as being a players’ coach. His players actually love playing for him because he actually cares about them.

During the fall and rise of the Cosmos during the winter of 2016-2017, Savarese did everything in his power to find his players new teams when the world thought the team was on its death bed. When the team was revived by new owner Rocco Commisso, Savarese did an abrupt about-face and started coaxing players to return to the team.

Only one person could have made the Cosmos a competitive side in such a short period of time.

Savarese has paid his dues and then some. He deserves a chance.

Come on, Robert Kraft, take a chance with a winner.

If you don’t perhaps another MLS club will.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.