Adam Buksa proved his doubters wrong with the New England Revolution

Adam Buksa has officially completed his move from Major League Soccer's New England Revolution to Ligue 1 side RC Lens.

The Poland international had moved to Gillette Stadium in 2020 following a 55-game, 22-goal spell with Pogoń Szczecin in his homeland.

Buksa has certainly earned his move back to Europe, too, scoring 31 goals and providing seven assists in 70 combined MLS regular-season and Playoff appearances. As an all-round player, the striker has improved his game tenfold in the United States and his form has been enough to draw a $10m fee from a French top-flight club.

That in itself is evidence enough for Buksa that he's proved the many doubters of his MLS move wrong.

“In the beginning, when I signed for the Revolution, there were many opinions, especially in Europe and in Poland, with people doubting this move, that it doesn’t necessarily have to be the right step for me,” Buksa said while in attendance at the Revs' 1-1 draw with Orlando City on Wednesday.

“I’m happy to prove them wrong because I improved, I developed as a player and I think I also showed that it’s a very good league for young players to develop. I’m pretty sure there will be more transfers coming to MLS from Europe.”

As well as tasting success at club level with the 2021 Supporters' Shield title, Buksa's national team career has flourished, too. The 25-year-old already has five goals in nine caps for Poland and has established himself as the primary back-up to superstar striker Robert Lewandowski.

None of that would be possible had he not developed himself into a 'typical No.9' during his time with the Revolution. As a very basic example, Buksa's goals per 90 minutes have increased to 0.77 in MLS this season, compared to 0.41 during his final half-season in Poland.

“My game, my style has a little bit changed,” Buksa said. “We worked – especially the first year was a tough year, a pandemic year. It was time to adapt, to adjust to the league. We paid a lot of attention to positioning myself on the field. I had to play closer to the goal. I had to become more like a typical No. 9; that was a little bit different than my style that I’ve played in Poland.”

Also departing New England this summer is USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner, who has agreed a move to Premier League giants Arsenal. And before that, Canadian winger Tajon Buchanan sealed a move to Belgian side Club Brugge in January.

Buksa's departure leaves a DP spot open but could be particularly painful given he started the 2022 MLS season with seven goals and two assists in 10 games.

There's a lot of head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena to deal with, but Buksa predicts continued success and even an MLS Cup title for the Revolution - who are currently sixth in the East - in his absence.

“We accomplished great things, especially in the season 2021 when we won the Supporters’ Shield and we broke the [points] record,” Buksa said.

“So I think there is more to come for the team, for me personally as well. Now my new adventure begins in Europe. I’m very happy for that and I’m also very excited to see how [the] Revs win MLS Cup very soon. I’m sure of that.”