FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The stakes are rising for the Revolution when they host Mexican team Puebla on Wednesday night in the semifinal of the SuperLiga, an eight-team two-nation tournament the Revolution won in 1998. The Revolution, who were 3-0 in first-round play, could get a boost unveiling one of their two recent signings.

Roberto Linck (Betu), a midfielder/forward who most recently played with Romania’s CSM Rmnicu Vlcea, is expected to be available as a substitute for coach Steve Nicol.

“He won’t start,’’ said Nicol. “But he’s on the bench. He’s available. Obviously he came out and trained with us. He’s got a nice touch. He looks as though he enjoys playing. I think he’ll be a good addition wide. We’ll see what happens in the game. I’m pretty confident he’ll do well.’’

Linck, who came through the youth academy of Brazilian team Gremio, one of the country’s most successful clubs from the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, has lived in Utah and studied and played at California’s Irvine Valley College. He said he has been waiting for his chance to play in MLS since playing indoor soccer last year in Chicago.

“I went to Europe for six months but I wanted to get back to the United States,’’ he said following Tuesday’s practice. "That’s where my parents live. I wanted to be closer to them and closer to my close friends. I was in Chicago for two weeks but I had nothing planned to be with the Chicago Fire or anything like that. I was just there with my friends. I was just getting prepared. I know a coach there that was helping me get prepared. But everything here was kind of a done deal for me.’’

Linck, who previously played with the Chicago Storm of the U.S. (Indoor) Xtreme Soccer League, said he remembers watching Brazilian star Ronaldinho Gaucho, who also came through the Gremio system before moving onto Europe and superstardom.

“When I grew up I always watched him since he was like 16 years old because we were in the same academy,’’ he said. “Once he became professional it was the same thing. I always talked to him and followed him and tried to get advice from him. He was my hero.’’

The Revolution also signed 31-year-old Serbian forward Ilija Stolica, who is awaiting the granting of a visa before he can play with the team.

Linck, who played recently in Romania, said that league along with NCAA soccer has gotten him used to the physical and fast-moving style of soccer played in MLS that contrasts with the game played in Brazil.

“College soccer was a different thing because you are studying and playing soccer and you have a full schedule,’’ he said. “It is different. Every country has their own style. In college everybody’s very big and very physical, athletic players who run fast. In Brazil, it’s like the opposite. Everybody’s skinny and very slow. So it’s very different.

“Romania helped me to mark, play more aggressive,’’ he said. “Football in Romania is good. I was very shocked when I got there. It was very technical but it was definitely very physical too, so it helped me to play there.’’

Nicol said that while he has preliminary ideas on Linck, he will give the player time to fit in and see where he belongs.

“We think he will help us wide but we are not going to pigeonhole him,’’ he said. “We’ll see what happens. If we get the chance then we’ll try him up top or wherever. He has good ability and a nice touch. Obviously, we want some quality as well and we think he’s got some of that.’’

With victories over UNAM Pumas and Morelia, the Revolution will play their third Mexican team in this tournament in hopes of gaining a trip to the finals. Nicol said he’s not expecting much of a stylistic departure in Puebla.

“There’s not a great deal of difference between them,’’ he said. “They all set up and try to do similar things. But we are expecting pretty much what we’ve seen so far, individuals are carrying their own ability. But as a team we are pretty sure what they are going to be doing.’’

As for Linck, he said he is following his dream to play in MLS since coming to the United States seven years ago.

“I played my youth soccer with Gremio,’’ he said. “Then my mom came here to do journalism in [college]. My parents thought it would be a good idea for me to come here and get a better education. That was my intention to come here and go to college first. I was 14 years old when I came here.’’

Now he’s hoping he has what it takes to be able to stick in MLS and to carve out his own reputation.

“A lot of friends and family always named me [Brazilian players] Kaka and Nilmar,’’ he said. “I had my hair kind of long and looked like him but everybody has their own characteristics and I hope once I start playing they will say [these are] Betu’s characteristics. My game is [to] take players one-on-one and try and get there and have a shot on goal and try to do something creative. But that’s the characteristic of many players out there.’’