By Kevin Koczwara
Last week the New England Revolution traded its captain Shalrie Joseph to Chivas USA. The midfielder hadn’t played for any other team since joining Major League Soccer and it was thought that he’d finish out his career in New England after signing a contract over the winter with the Revolution and became the team’s second Designated Player in team history. This of course was before the former captain’s relationship with the Revolution’s new coach Jay Heaps became “rocky”.
By Kevin Koczwara
New England Revolution fans haven’t had much to cheer about for the last two seasons. Last year the Revs had to watch the MLS Cup from afar for the first time in eight years. Top on the fact that it scored the least amount of goals in a season in club history and its all-time leading goalscorer Taylor Twellman announced his retirement. Things didn’t look much brighter going into 2011 either.
The team struggled to make off-season acquisitions of any real notoriety. There was more news from the preseason about arrests than positive play or developments on the field. If there was an expected turnaround from last year, it didn’t happen.
The Rev’s 3-2 loss to Chivas USA on Saturday showcased the team’s weaknesses: lack of depth, inability to finish chances, no true left back and an inability to hold a lead. But a positive emerged from the loss, which is something that hasn’t happened many times this season, the next generation of players showcased their talents and made an impact on the field. The future belongs to 16-year-old Diego Fagundez and the team’s first Designated Player Milton Caraglio.
From the New England Revolution:
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution and the New England Revolution Charitable Foundation, in conjunction with the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Passback program, will collect donations of new or gently-used soccer equipment at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, August 6, at the Revolution-Chivas USA match.
Fans who make a donation will receive a buy-one, get-one coupon valid for a free ticket to the Revolution’s match against Houston on Wednesday, August 17, with the purchase of one ticket.
Project GOAL, a Providence-based program, will receive the items collected on Saturday, and use the equipment for their soccer-related activities.
The Revolution will be collecting all types of soccer equipment, including uniforms, shin guards, soccer balls, soccer cleats, socks, water bottles and goalie gloves. All donated items should be new or gently-used.
Major League Soccer needs to embrace and promote rivalries for the future of the league.
By Michael King
During the past two weekends of MLS action, we’ve seen the best of what the league offers in terms of rivalries. A match between Chivas USA and the Los Angles Galaxy on Saturday, as well as the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders last weekend, demonstrated the sport’s potential for creating consistently exciting matches between the same two teams.
These games featured an intensity and competitive flair that is not often felt in a typical regular season game. It’s not difficult to reason why ESPN chose these matches to feature in its ‘Game of the Week’ coverage. Clearly these matches were special for both the fans and players.
As Major League Soccer continues to expand and establish itself as a popular sports league, the development of such rivalries is critical to its growth.
The other major American sports thrive on their long-established rivalries through the associated increased media coverage and fan interest. It’s evident that interest peaks in baseball when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees compete, especially in the playoffs.
By Kevin Koczwara
Chivas USA and the Philadelphia Union both passed on signing U.S. Men’s National Team Midfielder Benny Feilhaber in the Allocation Draft because of his league maximum salary of $425,000. The salary cap implications of signing the midfielder were too great for the two teams with the top picks in the draft lottery, so the Brazilian-born American fell to the New England Revolution with the third pick in the draft. The Revs didn’t pass on the chance to see the 26-year-old fall from their grasp; the team drafted him and his league max salary, bolstering its midfield and allowing the team to even shop the player around if it wants.
Feilhaber signed with the MLS from Aarhus GF in Denmark’s Superliga. The MLS paid for his transfer fee from the Danish club. Feilhaber’s contract was due to expire in June of this year. He scored four goals in 18 matches this season for Aarhus GF.
Here are some quick thoughts on the signing of Feilhaber:
Major League Soccer's Western Conference outshone the East last season, look for it to do the same this year as many of the teams only got better. (Courtesy Major League Soccer)
By Kevin Koczwara
There’s no disputing that the Western Conference was the better than the East last year. The two MLS Cup finalist teams, FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids, were both from the West and so was the top two teams in the regular season, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. The West had six of the best eight teams in the league last year. This year looks no different. In fact, many of the teams out west have improved this offseason.
There is a major shake-up in the west though. With the addition of teams in Portland and Vancouver, the Western Conference has a true rivalry in the works in the Northwest and potentially two teams looking to follow the Seattle Sounders’s model and come out swinging from the first whistle, upsetting the established balance.
The Los Angeles Galaxy traded up in Major League Soccer's Re-Entry Draft on Wednesday so the Galaxy could select Former New York Red Bull's forward Juan Pablo Angel. (Courtesy Diego Valenzuela)
By Kevin Koczwara
Despite being a dominant regular-season force the last two seasons, The Los Angeles Galaxy have not been able to claim an MLS Cup in either try. David Beckham, Landon Donovan and company couldn’t get the job done when it came time to buckle down and win in the postseason the last two years. The Galaxy may have solved some of its problems yesterday when it made some bold moves during the MLS Re-Entry Draft.
Los Angeles traded up to the fifth pick (the Houston Dynamo’s pick) in the draft to select former New York Red Bull forward and designated player Juan Pablo Angel. The Red Bull’s all-time leading goalscorer did not have his option picked up by New York at the end of the season because the club had signed two other designated players from Barcelona, Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez.
The Galaxy’s pursuit of Angel shows the league that the club isn’t giving up hope on winning an MLS Cup with Deavid Beckham, and have to be heavy favorites going into next year. Angel scored 61 goals in four seasons with New York, including playoffs, and he will add to the Galaxy’s already potent attack.
Revolution defender Seth Sinovic had his hands full on Saturday night trying to defend Colorado midfielder Brian Mullen Courtesy Revolutionsoccer.net
By Kevin Koczwara
The Colorado Rapids continued their home dominance with a 3-0 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night, the Rapids have won three straight games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 3-0.
It didn’t take long for the Rapids (10-7-7, 34 points) to put New England (7-14-3, 24 points) in a deep hole. Omar Cummings scored his team-leading 10th goal in the fifth minute after a missed clearance by Revolution defender Emmanuel Osei.
Cummings goal marked the second time in two games that the Revolution had given up a goal in the first 10 minutes. It was a major blow for the Revs as they tried to recover after last weekend’s loss to Chivas USA in Los Angeles, and the team tries to make a push for a playoff spot.
“This is a hard enough place to come anyways, without giving them goals, but it is basic stuff,” said Revolution manager Steve Nicol. “It is not rocket science why we have lost tonight. We made too many basic errors, which just encourages the opposition to come after us.”
It has been a great year for 23 year old Justin Braun. He has scored nine goals for Chivas USA and his manager thinks it is time for the youngster to get his international career underway. Courtesy chivasblog.com
The Guardian — Nelson Valdez hails a ‘dream come true’ as Hércules shock Barcelona – by Sid Lowe
The most improbable of wins, La Liga new comers Hércules defeats Barcelona at the Camp Nou, the Catalan’s home and a place that teams not wearing the Barca shirt lose. Barceloan just doesn’t lose at home. It doesn’t happen. Never mind to a team that was just promoted and by two goals. They don’t lose by two goals either, but it happened. And Nelson Valdez’s two goals are the reason, and he earned those two goals over his long journey from homeless child to international soccer player.
Kevin Alston's (right) long throw-ins came in handy against Seattle. In the second half his throw-in was flicked on by Shalrie Joseph to Chris Tierney who headed the ball into the net to tie the game. Courtesy Revolutionsoccer.net
By Kevin Koczwara
Major League Soccer doesn’t just crown a champion at the end of the season if the team is at the top of the MLS standings. No, the regular season allows teams to qualify for the MLS cup playoffs. Teams have to finish in the top half of the league to qualify for the end of the season tournament in the hopes of being crowned kings of American soccer.
Currently, the New England Revolution are on the outside looking in at the playoff crowd in 12th position with eight games left to play. Of the eight games remaining on the Revolution’s schedule, three are at home and five are away.
The Revs have a horrid away record this season, and they will need to improve on it quickly if they want to make any sort of push toward a playoff spot. The Revolution is 1-8-1 on the road this season, the one win was a 2-0 victory over last place D.C. United in the second game of the year back on April 3.
