Members of the Rebellion and the Midnight Riders - the Fort's finest - will be converging on Foxboro tonight as the New England Revolution hold their annual Supporters' Summit at Gillette Stadium. Fans and representatives from the two groups will get a rare chance to sit in front of Revolution executives and fire off essentially any questions they have, with the ostensible expectation of straight, honest answers.
The Revolution will open preseason camp on January 17 in Foxboro. (Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com)
Although the calendar may havejust flipped to December, springtime isonly sixweeks away. Well, at least for areasoccer fans.
On Monday, the New England Revolution released their five-and-a-half week preseason schedule, with players reporting to camp at Gillette Stadium on Jan.
Don't we get a break? The regular season's over, the New England Revolution didn't make the playoffs, and the SuperDraft isn't for another month or so. We're still four or five months removed from the start of the 2013 MLS season, for Pete's sake! What on Earth could there be to talk about?!
Well, contracts, for one.
The 2002 Revolution squad march out for their first home game at cmgi Field, which would be re-named Gillette Stadium before the end of the season. (Photo: Sean Donahue)
Funny how an idea can quickly take on a life of its own.
A little overa monthago, Sean Donahue and I were bantering about former Revolution players as we fired up the laptops, flipped through game notes and set up shopcover thecurrent crop players, who were getting set to face Chivas USA at Gillette Stadium.
Doesn't it just feel good to get a win again? The Columbus Crew were probably the hottest team
in MLS going into Wednesday night's clash in Foxboro; but they were exhausted and far from home,
and the New England Revolution took advantage. It was a trap game for the Crew and a much-needed
vote of confidence for the Revs.
The Philadelphia Union entered this game having not picked up a win in five games. The New
England Revolution entered this game having not picked up a win in nine games. It felt like
something had to give tonight in Foxboro. Only it didn't, and both teams' winless streak
continued.
In the first half, the Philadelphia Union played a strong possession game, and while they succeeded
in limiting New England Revolution to chances, the Union did little to generate chances
themselves.
Hey there and welcome to the New England Revolution vs. Chivas USA live game thread! Let's get
down to the nitty gritty here: this is a match that even the struggling Revolution should win.
Chivas can't score - like, literally can't buy a bucket - and in the last three games
they've conceded a whopping eleven goals.
Shalrie Joseph will be back in Foxboro on Wednesday but as a member of Chivas USA. (Photo: Kari
Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)
Get ready for all sorts of weird on Wednesday.
Less than a month after he was traded to Chivas USA, former club captain Shalrie Joseph makes
his return to Gillette Stadium as a member of the Rojiblancos.
When both Chivas USA and the Philadelphia Union inexplicably decided to pass on Benny Feilhaber
in the allocation order last year, things seemed to be lining up for the New England Revolution.
Benny was, after all, a World Cup veteran, a creatively skillful midfielder and someone who could
be very marketable to the general public.
One of the more disappointing circumstances of Shalrie Joseph's trade was that we as fans never
really got a chance to give him the send-off he deserved. He never got the press conference or the
testimonial match, the victory lap, or anything of the kind; one day he was a New England
Revolution player, the next he was gone.
"I play for the Revolution."
Pride is a funny thing. Everyone is repeatedly told while growing up that you should have pride
in your work, pride in your appearance, pride in your family and pride in who you are. Alternately,
pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Too much pride, we are also told, is a bad thing.
The New England Revolution have traded club captain and longtime loyal soldier Shalrie Joseph to
Chivas USA in exchange for Blair Gavin, the Goats' natural second-round pick in the 2013
SuperDraft, and allocation money. Joseph, one of the Revs' two designated players, leaves New
England for the first time since his professional career began.
Old habits die hard indeed.
In game they could have won, the Revolution fell into their usual routines of poor finishing and
tentative defending to hand over a 2-1 win to the Union on Sunday.
To their credit, they didn't back down. Not after the penalty, not after the Union threw numbers
forward, and not even after Jack McInerney beat Matt Reis in the 90th.
The second half of the 2012 MLS Season has really not gotten off to a great start in Foxboro, as
the Revolution dropped a sloppy 2-1 decision in Montreal last night. The loss dropped New England
to 1-7-1 on the road this season, and with the loss came another sobering fact: the Revs have
fallen to seventh in the Eastern Conference.
According to multiple reports, three-time Honduran goalscoring champion Jerry Bengston is on the
verge of signing a four-year deal with the Revolution.
The 25-year-old striker has scored 26 goals in 54 appearances for C.D. Motagua in the last two
seasons. The club's official site reported on Monday that Bengston is scheduled to arrive in
Foxboro on Tuesday for his physical.
Revolution center back A.J. Soares gets ready to challenge Sounders striker Eddie Johnson for a
50/50 ball during Saturday's 2-2 draw. (Photo: Kari Heistad)
A different lineup, a different opponent, and a different venue seemingly should have led to two
very different games for the New England Revolution.
In the six seasons of Toronto's existence, there haven't been many must-see games between the
Reds and Revolution. Correction. There haven't been any must-see matches between the
so-called conference rivals.
Sure, we've seen moments of brilliance unfold. Michael Parkhurst's 55-yard goal in 2007 comes to
mind.
The New England Revolution have made the time-honored trip down the interstate to the Nation's
Capital to take on D.C. United Saturday night at RFK Stadium. The Revs are looking to avenge their
only home loss of the season, which came at the hands of D.C., while United is looking to continue
a recent streak of good form that has propelled them into second place in the Eastern
Conference.
You could say that Revolution fans got their money's worth on Saturday night.
In a display of firepower rarely seen in Foxboro during the last two years, the Revolution
racked up four goals including a SportsCenter Top 10 effort from Lee Nguyen to pound the hapless
Whitecaps 4-1 on Saturday.
It was an eventful weekend in MLS and abroad for Revolution alumni.
Clint Dempsey bagged a brace in Fulham's 3-0 victory over Bolton at Reebok Stadium. The
Revolution's first round pick in 2004 scored in the 30th and 45th minutes and in the processÂ
shattered Louis Saha's single-season goalscoring mark (13) with his 14th and 15th tallies on
Saturday afternoon.
New England's 2012 season began as we all expected. The Rev's lost their two opening road
matches, including a 1-0 loss at San Jose and a whopping 3-0 spanking by Sporting. Things turned
around only narrowly with the club's home opener, as the club rode past the absences of Darrius
Barnes, John Lozano, Stephen McCarthy, and Benny Feilhaber to find a 1-0 win over Portland.
The New England Revolution now have a roster of 28 since signing Bjorn Runstrom yesterday.
Elsewhere in soccer, Toronto drew Santos in the CCL last night, Football at Fenway was announced,
and MLS has decided to join other premier world leagues in an initiative to promote cooperation.
Read about all that and a UK Boy Band wearing Revs gear in today's Musket Rounds.
After a wait that's lasted nearly seven weeks, Jose Moreno is expected to report to theÂ
Revolution on Thursday and participate in Friday's training, according to the team's staff
writer.
On Wednesday, Revolution staff writer/online host Jeff Lemieux tweeted that Moreno, who was
announced as the team's new number 9 on Feb.
The latest chapter of the Jose Moreno Saga unfolded on Thursday when Revolution general manager
Michael Burns admitted that the Colombian striker would not arrive by the anticipated Mar. 1
deadline.
Speaking with the media via teleconference in Tucson, Ariz., where the Revolution is preparing
for Saturday's championship game of the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup tournament, Burns said that
Moreno is on his way, but could not specify when the striker would arrive.
Preseason? We're talking about preseason here? Yes we are. After all, only so much can be taken
away from a 2-1 win over a fourth division side. And while beating Boston College a few times is
nice, it is still only beating a college team. The beginning of the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup is
the first opportunity to see the Revolution compete against MLS competition.
So much for the new number 9.
Less than a week after the Revolution announced the signing of Colombian striker Jose "Pepe"
Moreno their biggest offseason signing so far - it appears that the 30-year-old has cold feet
about coming to MLS.
Citing his desire to play alongside recent Once Caldas signing Dayro Moreno and displaying a
renewed sense of appreciation for the Manizales-based side, the 6-0 striker has reportedly
reneged on playing in Foxboro, at least for the time being.
Two months after he was taken by the Revolution in the first stage of the Re-entry Draft, it
appears that left back Danleigh Borman won't be in Foxboro in 2012.
According to a report, the 27-year-old is close to returning to his native South Africa to play
for Pretoria-based SuperSport United.
Rajko Lekic scored the the game-winner in a memorable match against Sporting K.C. on April 23rd
(Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com).
Let's face it: 2011 wasn't particularly kind to the New England Revolution. And that's probably
putting it lightly.
Nevertheless, the year wasn't entirely devoid of hope or optimism.
A day after the Revolution declined the options on seven players, the team opened its wallet for
long-tenured goalkeeper Matt Reis by signing him to deal that will keep in Foxboro for his 10th
consecutive season. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, per MLS policy.
In 2011, Reis made 27 starts, recorded five shutouts and posted a 1.
When the New England Revolution announced that they were "parting ways" with Steve Nicol a
couple weeks back, speculation on his impending replacement began almost immediately. The
organization assured the public that the search was going to start right away, and by all accounts
it has. Names have been tossed around, rumors have swirled, but at the end of the day, we still
aren't sure.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Whenever a popular coach departs, the accompanying emotions felt by his
former charges are usually sadness, disappointment, and empathy. And that has certainly been the
case with the Revolution in the immediate aftermath of Steve Nicol's exit earlier this week.
But, with a new coaching regime all but certain to bring about more change, another emotion is
beginning to creep into minds of the very same players the former gaffer personally selected over
the years: anxiety.
Yesterday, it was announced Steve Nicol would no longer be the head coach of the New England
Revolution. The decision was made after a meeting between the inimitable Scot and the Revolution's
investor/operators (read: owners), Jonathan and Robert Kraft, and was described as a "mutual
parting of ways.
FOXBOROOUGH, Mass. Less than 72 hours after his team finished the season with the fewest wins in
team history, Steve Nicol parted ways with the Revolution on Monday.
Nicol, who guided the club to a 112-108-81 record in his 10 seasons with the club, led the
Revolution to a disappointing 5-16-13 (28 pts.
The New England Revolution are gearing up to close out the worst season in their history against
Toronto FC at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon. It will be a rare early game for the Revs with
kickoff slated for 12:30 PM. Having already assured themselves of the lowest win total in franchise
history, New England will really just be looking to end on a high note before they put the 2011
season to rest for good.
Road trips are one of the more difficult things that coaching staffs have to deal with in
soccer, especially ones that require you to play 3 matches in 8 days (it's 4 matches in two weeks
really, if you go back to NYRB) so Saturday night's result in Kansas City shouldn't be glossed over
by any stretch of the imagination.
It's the Tuesday before a weekend off, and we all know what that means: news is sloooooooooooow.
This week especially I'll probably be drawing heavily on news from outside Foxboro and New England
just to fill the Rounds and make sure you guys stay captivated and informed. In other news, today's
my birthday!
The USWNT will play two home games in the Spring/Summer on the East Coast. Red Bull Arena and Gillette were announced as the venues. There was a some dispute about the selection of a turf venue for the matches, but for the first time in a while, Foxboro will play host a US International.
On to attendance, where the week started with a Wednesday night match featuring New England and Portland.
(Foto: Walter Silva)
Perante a maior assistençia da temporada muito perto do 25 mil espetadores, o Revolution defrontou aquele que é o maior rival deste campeonato do MLS.
Só isto em si era atraente para aqueles que continuam a acompalhar esta equipa comandada por Jay Heaps, e tambem para veram a ultima aquisição do Revolution que fazia a sua estreia em Foxboro, Juan Toja.
Yesterday, an email from an anonymous "senior staff member at Kraft Sports Group" was re-posted
on The Drug Is Football. The message purported to bring some damning facts about the state of
ownership in Foxboro to light, and basically let everyone know that Robert Kraft is disappointed,
and wants to move the team.
I'm certainly not the first one to look at possible replacements for Steve Nicol since his
departure two days ago. Several of our fellow Revs outlets (most of which are listed on our
blogroll to the left) have already put some names out there, some good, some bad, and some
baffling.
I'll get to that.
