by DAVE MARTINEZ

Christmas may come a bit early for longtime fans of the New England Revolution.

EoS has learned that former New York Cosmos assistant coach Carlos Llamosa is close to signing with his former club — this time, as an assistant coach.

Llamosa, 47, has spent the last four seasons as the assistant coach of Giovanni Savarese at the New York Cosmos, where he helped lead the team to an outstanding three NASL Soccer Bowl titles in four seasons. He was previously the assistant coach of Chivas USA for three years following his playing career.

As a player, Llamosa was selected by the Revolution as part of the 2002 Allocation Draft, following the closure of the Miami Fusion. He went on to play an integral part in the team’s 2002 MLS Cup run and 2003 season before injury took him from the club, ruling him out of competition in 2004. He began his stint in MLS in 1997 with DC United, helping them to an MLS Cup victory in his first year. He also appeared in 29 games with the U.S. National Team, including appearances in the 1999 Confederations Cup and 2002 World Cup.

The announcement of his acquisition could happen as early as this week.