The New England Revolution, currently in ninth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference, have traded its captain Shalrie Joseph to Chivas USA in exchange for midfielder Blair Gavin, a 2013 draft pick and and allocation money.

Joseph, 34, has played for the Revs since 2002 and lead's the club in appearances (261) and minutes played (22,867).

"Trading Shalrie was a not a decision we made easily,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a statement. “Shalrie has been one of the faces of the club for a decade, but we had to take a hard look at our roster and decide where we needed to be as we look toward the future.

“With this trade, we gain a significant amount of roster flexibility and add a player in Blair Gavin who has great potential, an additional draft pick next year, plus allocation money – all of which provides us options to improve the team."