The U.S. Men's National Team last faced Canada in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but it's been more than 13 years since the teams met on Canadian soil. With the U.S. and Canada set to face each other in Toronto at 7 p.m. ET on June 3, we took a look at the history between the sides and found some interesting facts.

Our friends over at New England Soccer Today are once again flexing their muscles and showing off their superior sources, and today's piece does not disappoint. Few people were probably expecting Monsef Zerka to return this season, but most were operating under the assumption that the front office was at least making some attempt to bring him back at a reduced salary.

Monsef Zerka may be the closest the New England Revolution has come to replacing the consistency of Steve Ralston on the wings, but the Moroccan won't be returning to the team in 2012. New England Soccer Today has learned the 30-year-old winger is not in the team's plans this season.

Monsef Zerka tallied two goals and an assist in seven games for the Revs in 2011.

Tyler Polak could fill the Revs need at left back. (Photo Credit: Andy Mead / MLSsoccer.com)

With the 2012 MLS SuperDraft now in the books, the writers at New England Soccer Today handed out their grades for the New England Revolution's 2012 draft performance. The Revs selected UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe with the third overall pick and Creighton defender Tyler Polak with the 22nd overall pick.

With all the MLS SuperDraft chatter that this the next Taylor Twellman and that player being the next Steve Ralston it helps me think about hopeful visions of the future. In sports the Draft, the Minors and Academies give eternal hope that any player can become the next big thing.

With 2012 marking the beginning of the USA's FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and the players here hoping to make a big impression, we decided to look back at the January camp roster from this time in the previous two cycles to see if there is any forecasting to be done on how many players will actually reach the World Cup.

Ho ho ho! Continuing a new tradition started last year, the writers at New England Soccer Today gathered around the fireplace, munched on gingerbread cookies and compiled this Revolution Christmas list with cheer.

A dangerous winger (Brian) The mid-season signing of Monsef Zerka gave New England the cultured winger it lacked since the retirement of Steve Ralston.

Ho ho ho! Continuing a new tradition started last year, the writers at New England Soccer Today gathered around the fireplace, munched on gingerbread cookies and compiled this Revolution Christmas list with cheer.

A dangerous winger (Brian) The mid-season signing of Monsef Zerka gave New England the cultured winger it lacked since the retirement of Steve Ralston.

Apparently, Kofi Sarkodie and Will Bruin are not the only members of the Houston Dynamo across the pond these days. Take a close look at that picture yesterday from Celtic's 1-0 win over Hearts of Midlothian at Celtic Park. Reeeaalllll....Clooooosseeee.

See it? No? Well, then, check out this link right here.

Sorry I went AWOL on everyone (which I'm guessing is about 5 readers at this point in the offseason ;)) for a few days, stomach flu sucks. A couple of interesting news items came out this week.

• Colorado declined the options on Miguel Comminges, Danny Earls, Steven Emory, and Michael Holody.

Holody's 3 years of service means he's eligible to be selected by other MLS teams in next week's re-entry drafts.

First of all, Colin Clarke's name has been floated in some circles as a possible candidate, but he just accepted the Carolina Railhawks job, so we can rule him out.
Today Jeff Plush did an interview with ColoradoRapids.com that lays out what they're looking for in a coaching search, and a bit about what happened with Gary Smith.

As Revolution president Brian Bilello's self-imposed 7 day deadline approaches, we here at The Bent Musket wanted to take a look at a few of the "serious" names on the short list of possible candidates. With Paul Mariner re-upping his contract with Toronto FC (amazingly, Mariner re-signed almost IMMEDIATELY after meeting with the Revs) New England was left with only a few truly solid choices that made sense, followed by quite a few question marks.

As Revolution president Brian Bilello's self-imposed 7 day deadline approaches, we here at The Bent Musket wanted to take a look at a few of the "serious" names on the short list of possible candidates. With Paul Mariner re-upping his contract with Toronto FC (amazingly, Mariner re-signed almost IMMEDIATELY after meeting with the Revs) New England was left with only a few truly solid choices that made sense, followed by quite a few question marks.

Brian Bilello's announced seven-day window from the time of his conference call until the naming of a new head coach is winding to a close, and so far we've learned a few things about the Revolution's quest:

• There were around a dozen candidates identified and interviewed
• Jimmy Conrad announced, to no one in particular, that he was not interested in the job because he hated football lines and had too much respect for Steve Nicol
• Paul Mariner, Steve Ralston, Jay Heaps, and Brian Bliss are definitely among the candidates
• Paul Mariner ruled himself out immediately after interviewing, accepting a 2-year extension with Toronto
• The candidates were gleaned from a diverse array of backgrounds, with MLS and non-MLS experience throughout

It's probably a little late, but I'd like to take this opportunity to put forward my number-one, most prized candidate for the job.

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.

On Monday, the Revolution's Darrius Barnes and Zak Boggs were named as finalists for year-end MLS awards for their efforts on and off the field in 2011.

Barnes is a finalist for the XBOX 360 Fair Play Award, which is given to the MLS player who exemplifies the meaning of sportsmanship. In 2011, the versatile defender, who split time across the backline in 28 games, committed only 14 fouls on the season and was cautioned just once.

Somewhat overlooked in the build-up to tonight's Western Conference semifinal second leg between the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake (10 p.m., ESPN2) is the fact that it could very well be Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller's last game as a professional.

Between the injuries to key players and the size of the deficit, there's plenty of pregame fodder on which to focus, but the fact that Keller's playing career is on the cusp of ending is perhaps the most significant development in play.

Photo: Earl Gardner

Union v Houston playoff watch

So, what time exactly will Sunday's game be kicking off? Marc Narducci reports, "If the Los Angeles Galaxy face the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference semifinal, Sunday's Union game will start at 4. If the Galaxy play the New York Red Bulls or Columbus Crew, game time for the Union will be 5 p.

Former New England Revolution midfielder and University of Rhode Island product Winston Griffiths passed away Sunday night at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica after reportedly being found in poor condition by friends on the side of the road on Saturday. He was 33 years old.

Griffiths' short stint on the Revolution is most memorable for his near miss in the 2002 MLS Cup Final against the Lost Angeles Galaxy.

Finding a replacement to fill the enormous shoes left behind by its most decorated manager in club history will be no easy task for the Revolution front office. That is a given.

But, the organization won't be at loss for possible suitors. Although the Revolution may have posted a franchise-worst five wins in 2011, there's still a number of talented players on the roster that could merge under a new manager.

A month ago I wrote an article on why it would be best if Steve Nicol left New England. The plan was to publish it into the off-season and have the conversations that came with it then. Yesterday, I deleted that article because the Revolution beat me to it. Rightfully so. It was time for Steve Nicol to leave the club he lead for an MLS record ten years.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

With Steve Nicol's tenure on the New England Revolution sideline coming to an end, the search begins to replace a coach who was a fixture with the organization for the last decade.

Former longtime Nicol assistant Paul Mariner has to be on the radar, even though he took a position with Toronto FC as director of player development prior to this season.

One thing is clear, many New England Revolution fans want to see some change this offseason. Big change.

But let's be honest. Bob Kraft isn't going anywhere. Sunil Gulati is probably not going anywhere. (Though I'm not sure anyone would notice a change.) And guessing what happens to Mike Burns or the front office is really only good for setting the #Revs hashtag in Twitter on fire.

One thing is clear, many New England Revolution fans want to see some change this offseason. Big change.

But let's be honest. Bob Kraft isn't going anywhere. Sunil Gulati is probably not going anywhere. (Though I'm not sure anyone would notice a change.) And guessing what happens to Mike Burns or the front office is really only good for setting the #Revs hashtag in Twitter on fire.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Saturday's 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes was just the latest addition to a season of disappointments for the New England Revolution. Unsurprisingly, the mood in the locker room after the game was one of frustration.

Shalrie Joseph aired his frustrations after Saturday's loss to San Jose.

Another summer has come and gone, and as the leaves begin to change into their familiar autumnal hues, the brazen few citizens of Revs Nation once again will be forced to mutter the all-too-familiar statement, "well, maybe NEXT year". It's a statement that is fortified in 16 years of heartache and near-misses, as well as what can also be perceived as organizational apathy.

Last night the Rapids tried out a new lineup but got similar results to what they've been seeing. Giving Cummings some continued rest Folan was put up front with Nyassi as a withdrawn striker underneath him. Early on it paid off, as Kimura launched Mastroeni(?!?!) down the right sideline and Pablo whipped in a perfect cross that Folan headed into the upper corner for the lead.

July saw Kevin Hartman named MLS's MVP of the month. He follows that accolade with an inclusion into our MLS Legends feature. The 37-year old currently leads the league in minutes, and we caught up with Kevin on the way to practice. He told us all about his stock portfolio, and how he's managed to have such a long career.

The New England Revolution were set to take on Manchester United in what might have been one of the biggest mismatches ever between an MLS side and a foreign soccer power. Manchester United came in to start their preseason tour and the Revolution were looking to regroup after a trying first half of the season.

The first time I met Wells Thompson was early in his career. It was at a time when his first professional team was playing in a pre-season friendly. Well's was kind enough to walk over and shake my hand, talk to me about everyday things. Sometimes, that is rare in professional sports. What I found though over the years and throughout this interview, was a very humble and thankful athlete who finds strength in people and in faith.

At the halfway mark, the Philadelphia Union sit alone atop the Eastern Conference with 27 points - just 4 points away from their resting place at the end of the 2010 season. They are one of only 3 teams with more wins than draws, one of 3 teams in the East with a positive goal differential, and one of 3 teams unbeaten at home.

In anticipation of this Saturday's CONCACAF Gold Cup Final which will pin two neighboring rivals, The United States and Mexico, against each other once again, we thought we'd revisit a couple historic US National Team performances again Mexico featuring none other than some former and present New England Revolution greats-just to help you get pumped up.

For the past two years, the New England Revolution has been trying to find a replacement for Taylor Twellman. Searching for a dependable goal scorer, the Revs have tried rookies and European veterans, but have thus far failed to find long-term success with any of the players they've inserted up top.

According to a tweet from Kyle J. McCarthy, MLS has sent out an email confirming that the New England Revolution selected Benny Feilhaber with their spot in the allocation order.

Proponents of #BringBennyToBoston (myself included) are not out of the woods yet, however; several teams are apparently phoning the Revolution FO right now for trade discussions.

Five years ago, the phrase "Revolution attack" elicited vivid images of Clint Dempsey, Taylor Twellman, and Pat Noonan barraging opponents' backlines, breaking ankles, and burying barrels of goals. It was theatre. It was art. And it was breathtaking to behold.

Paul Mariner, who left his position as assistant coach of the Revolution in 2009, is now Director of player development in Toronto.

On Monday, as the New England Revolution opened preseason training at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse, you couldn't help but ask yourself the following: who are these guys?

Sure, there's still Shalrie Joseph. Matt Reis remains the same charismatic keeper. And you could probably spot Kevin Alston's wild mane.

As USL Pro is moving forward with its realignment and scheduling, the NASL has taken some huge step backwards. On Wednesday, A.C. St. Louis announced it was ceasing operations, depriving the fledgling NASL of a critical metropolitan area. But even worse news came right before the weekend, as Inside Minnesota Soccer reported the USSF was unhappy with NASL's progress so far and voted to remove the league's provisional second division status.

Eine traurige Nachricht vorne weg. Das heute ist das letzte Video von U.S.A. Rodriguez zum Thema Torjubel. Die Werbekampagne ist schon lange ausgelaufen und auch sonst ist das Thema Torjubel dank der Isländer durch. Aber was solls, das letzte Video können wir hier auch noch zeigen, auch wenn ich den Sinn nicht ganz so verstanden [.

Although MLS may have stopped providing possession statistics long ago, you don't have to be a math major to notice that the New England Revolution's possession percentage fell well south of 50% for the majority of the 2010 season.

With the worst defense in MLS and the worst offense in team history in 2010, there's plenty of blame to go around for the Revs disappointing year.