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.

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.

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.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Did Saturday night's home finale signal the end of an era?

With the contracts of longtime manager Steve Nicol and skipper Shalrie Joseph set to expire in the offseason, last weekend's match may have marked the last time both walked off the pitch as members of the Revolution.

Having taken half a day and a poor night's sleep to deliberate and pacify the murderous, emotionally-based reactions within, it is time now to think clearly and analytically about what went on last night. Not a reaction to the whole game, mind you - CMajor should be along for that sometime today - but a reaction to the undeniable and no-longer-ignorable conclusion that is being drawn across the board in New England Revolution fan circles and maybe, just maybe, to those less passionate about the team.

Mais um jogo da Copa Ouro, foi realizado no dia 13/06/2011, na cidade de Foxboro-USA, no Gillette Stadium, onde jogaram as seleções de Honduras (43º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção da Jamaica (55º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Eliminatórias Copa do Mundo
2010Kingston 15/10/2008 JAM1:0 (1:0)HON Third stage2010San Pedro Sula 10/09/2008 HON2:0 (0:0)JAM Third stage2002Tegucigalpa 05/09/2001 HON1:0 (0:0)JAM Final round2002Kingston 25/04/2001 JAM1:1 (0:0)HON Final round2002Tegucigalpa 08/10/2000 HON1:0 (0:0)JAM Semi-finals2002Kingston 23/07/2000 JAM3:1 (1:1)HON Semi-finals1998San Pedro Sula 26/10/1996 HON0:0JAM Semi-finals1998Kingston 15/09/1996 JAM3:0 (2:0)HON Semi-finals1970Tegucigalpa 08/12/1968 JAM0:2 (0:1)HON First stage1970Tegucigalpa 05/12/1968 HON3:1 (2:0)JAM First stage
Copa Ouro
2000Miami 14/02/2000 JAM0:2 (0:0)HON First stage1993Dallas 14/07/1993 HON1:3 (1:1)JAM Group matches1991Los Angeles 30/06/1991 HON5:0 (3:0)JAM Group matches
Amistosos
2005Atlanta 04/06/2005 JAM0:0HON 2004Kingston 31/03/2004 JAM2:2 (1:0)HON 1995Kingston 18/10/1995 JAM1:0 (0:0)HON
O árbitro desse jogo, foi: Joel Aguillar-SLV


O primeiro gol do jogo, foi de Ryan Johnson, aos 36 minutos do primeiro tempo, ele que é jogador do Toronto-CAN, onde ele marcou seu 5º gol pela seleção nacional.

Paul Kennedy of Soccer America writes of the massive crowds that were on hand at matches here in the United States this summer.
Despite tours by such popular clubs as Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid, Mexico's national team remains the biggest draw on the U.S. soccer scene.
The Tri, which faces the USA on Wednesday in Philadelphia, has drawn six of the 15 largest soccer crowds of the year on U.

Time for our weekly roundup of the weekend that was in MLS. In Montreal, the Impact moved one more marketing step closer to their 2012 kick-off, with the unveiling of their new logo. Click here to check out an image. According to the officials involved, the logo has eight distinct elements heavily focused on the history and traditions of Quebec, Montreal and soccer.

Welcome to the New England Revolution vs. DC United live game thread! It's been just three days since the embarrassing 3-0 drubbing the Revs endured against Philadelphia at home on Sunday, and things have gone from bad to worse in Foxboro as a result. There was a fan protest in the Fort that evening and Benny Feilhaber will be suspended from today's game after receiving a red card ejection against the Union.

Are We Seeing a Return to "Drop Deep" Thierry?11 draws in 21 games. It's not normally the kind of form that wins a team a championship. But then again this isn't just any league - it's MLS, where more than half the teams make the playoffs and the biggest trophy is mostly a crapshoot. In fact, the playoff system itself may go a long way toward explaining the explosion in ties this season.

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Coming off a midweek friendly and missing their most only influential player, the New England Revolution were in the strange position of playing for a tie at home.

Even stranger, the Union were in no mood to give it to them. Carlos Ruiz got his sixth while Carlos Valdes and Sheanon Williams each got the first of their careers as the Union dismissed the last place Revolution 3-0.

Mais um jogo amistoso, foi disputado no dia 04/06/2011, na cidade de Foxboro-USA, no Gillette Stadium, onde jogaram as seleções dos Estados Unidos (22º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção da Espanha (1º no Ranking).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Copa do Mundo
1950Curitiba 25/06/1950 ESP3:1 (0:1)USA Group matches
Copa das Confederações
2009Mangaung/Bloemfontein 24/06/2009 ESP0:2 (0:1)USA Semi-finals
Amistosos
2008Santander 04/06/2008 ESP1:0 (0:0)USA 1992Valladolid 11/03/1992 ESP2:0 (1:0)USA
Mundial Sub-20
1999Port Harcourt 15/04/1999 ESP3:2 (3:0)USA Round of 16
Mundial Sub-17
2009Kano 26/10/2009 ESP2:1 (2:1)USA First stage2003Lahti 20/08/2003 USA0:2 (0:1)ESP Group matches
Olímpiadas
2000Sydney 26/09/2000 ESP3:1 (2:1)USA Semi-finals
O árbitro desse jogo, foi: Roberto Silveira-URU
O primeiro gol do jogo, foi de Santi Cazorla, aos 28 minutos do primeiro tempo, ele que é jogador do Villareal-ESP, que marcou seu terceiro gol pela seleção nacional.

Mais um jogo amistoso, foi disputado no dia 04/06/2011, na cidade de Foxboro-USA, no Gillette Stadium, onde jogaram as seleções dos Estados Unidos (22º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção da Espanha (1º no Ranking).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Copa do Mundo
1950Curitiba 25/06/1950 ESP3:1 (0:1)USA Group matches
Copa das Confederações
2009Mangaung/Bloemfontein 24/06/2009 ESP0:2 (0:1)USA Semi-finals
Amistosos
2008Santander 04/06/2008 ESP1:0 (0:0)USA 1992Valladolid 11/03/1992 ESP2:0 (1:0)USA
Mundial Sub-20
1999Port Harcourt 15/04/1999 ESP3:2 (3:0)USA Round of 16
Mundial Sub-17
2009Kano 26/10/2009 ESP2:1 (2:1)USA First stage2003Lahti 20/08/2003 USA0:2 (0:1)ESP Group matches
Olímpiadas
2000Sydney 26/09/2000 ESP3:1 (2:1)USA Semi-finals
O árbitro desse jogo, foi: Roberto Silveira-URU
O primeiro gol do jogo, foi de Santi Cazorla, aos 28 minutos do primeiro tempo, ele que é jogador do Villareal-ESP, que marcou seu terceiro gol pela seleção nacional.

I attended tonight's meeting between the Revolution front office and the Revolution supporter's groups (really open to any fan that knew of it) as a self-proclaimed "unbiased observer."

I'm "unbiased" in the sense that I'm not a Revolution supporter's group member, I have no capacity with the team, and I was not there on the night that the ruckus began in earnest.

Time for a quick check around Major League soccer to see what types of promotions and ticket offers teams are pushing for the upcoming slate of games. If we miss any, please drop us a line and let us know.

We'll start in Colorado, where the Rapids are looking to capitalize on a visit from David Beckham and Father's Day weekend to ensure a big crowd on Saturday night.

Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo both started and featured prominently in the USA's 2-0 Gold Cup win over rivals Canada last night in Detroit. Unlike Saturday's "warm-up" game against Spain in Foxboro, where he was paired in central defense with a shaky and rusty Oguchi Onyewu, this time Ream was partnered by Clarence Goodson, and the combination seemed to work well.

A few readers beat me about the head a little, through comment or email, for being a little too hard on the U.S. team after Saturday's Foxboro folly, the 4-0 loss to Spain. The prevailing sentiment went like this: It's Spain! They're good. Plus, it was only a friendly.

Generally speaking, I'm the one warning against reading too much into friendlies.

Kinder Surprise! You're moving to mid-Ohio!
When David Beckham made his much bally-hooed, sexy landing in Los Angeles a few years ago, many MLS observers thought it would open a floodgate of European stars heading to North America. As supporters of the league know, the deluge never quite happened.

In an area already rich in history, the U.S. team has added a tiny chapter to the success story here. Since 1990, the USA has posted a combined 16-1-5 record at Foxboro and Gillette stadia. What's more, a total of 15 matches have been in official competitions between World Cup qualifying and the Gold Cup (seven and eight, respectively).

The New England Revolution revealed this afternoon in a press release that captain Shalrie Joseph has changed his mind concerning his call-up to the Grenadian National Football Team for this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup and will be staying in Foxboro with the Revs. The MLS All-Star midfielder was set to miss at least the next two league matches while on international duty.

Much like the British stealing supplies at Fort Oswego (see game preview) the British-led Rapids stole a point from the Revolution in Foxboro on Saturday. An already beat up Colorado side got bad news when Jamie Smith couldn't start, causing the Rapids to set their XI without 5 regular starters and 2 regular backups, which forced them to play 2 more starters out of position.

The New England Revolution will look to exorcise the demons of their humiliating 3-0 loss to Chivas USA Saturday night when they host the Colorado Rapids in Foxboro. The defending MLS Cup champs are coming off a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo, but are still attempting to deal with the loss of experienced winger Brian Mullan for another nine matches to suspension.

I've neglected my little space on the Intertubes here, largely because of Twitter. The instant gratification and dialogue is a lot more satisfying than having to seed this sucker on other blogs. I love writing here, but my Twitter feed http://twitter.com/#!/starting_eleven is a lot more fun. Sorry peeps.

The New England Revolution travel south this weekend to take on historic heartbreakers Houston Dynamo in a match that could have early playoff implications in the Eastern Conference. Or, one or both teams could completely mail it in later this season and this match could mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of the postseason.

Let's talk about MLS 1.0 for a minute. Via Fake Sigi, The Viper's Nest blog puts forward some explanations as to why the Red Bulls haven't lived up to expectations, viz., anyone wanting to see their games. Worrisome stuff.
But it's New England's woes that I find jarring.
Hey, it's early.

The U.S. men's national team will take on Spain on June 4th at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, U.S. Soccer announced on Friday.

The match will be the first meeting between the teams since the United States pulled off the stunning 2-0 upset victory against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.