Jaqua, 30, has been a Revolution rival since starting his career with Chicago in 2003. Jaqua has performed for Los Angeles, Houston, and Seattle, with a stint at Rheindorf Altach in Austria in 2008. Jaqua was in the Houston starting lineup when the Dynamo defeated the Revolution, 2-1, in the 2007 MLS Cup final.
Heaps fought many battles against Jaqua as a Revolution defender from 2001-09.
“I was looking for a forward who could give us a different dynamic up front,’’ Heaps said. “Nate can hold the ball and he can bang and there are only a handful of guys in the league who can do that. I appreciate him as a player. Playing against him, he was a handful. He was banging away and knocking you to the ground right to the end.’’
Jaqua, whose father, Jon, played for the Washington Redskins, seemed to have settled down, playing the last three seasons in Seattle, near his Eugene, Ore., home. A move to Boston would be another long-distance relocation.
“I’ve had good conversations with him but there are a lot of little things,’’ Heaps said. “The process of the re-entry is brand new. It’s a different format and everyone is trying to figure it out in terms of contracts.
“We are taking a lot into consideration. We want players who want to be here - not just in the re-entry draft. We want guys who make our team better. In the case of Clyde Simms and Nate Jaqua, I’m not sure why their options weren’t picked up. But we are looking at where they could help us, and [they] would upgrade our team instantly.’’
The re-entry draft, instituted last year, provides an avenue of limited free agency within the league. The Revolution took Borman, a four-year MLS veteran, in the first round Dec. 5. The former University of Rhode Island standout played three-plus seasons with the Red Bulls before being traded to Toronto FC last season.
