New England Revolution Outlast Sporting Kansas City

By Kevin Koczwara

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Revolution stopped its two-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City. A late goal from Rajko Lekic sealed the win for the Revolution after Kansas City (1-3-1, 4 pts) went down to 10 men in the 76th minute when Aurelian Collin was sent off with a straight red card.

New England ( 2-2-3, 9 pts) took an early lead in the 12th minute when Marko Perovic scored from outside the 18-yard-box with well placed shot. The Revs’s latest signing Benny Feilhaber laid off a pass to the Serbian forward in traffic. Perovic beat KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, who had no chance of stopping the shot.

Emptying out the top-drawer; thoughts on soccer world March 2011

By Kevin Koczwara

This will be a monthly column, I hope, where I dump out the random thoughts I have accrued over the last month. These thoughts are the ones I’ve tried to write columns about and have failed to materialize into anything tangible or readable.

Let’s begin with Arsenal.

Arsenal boggle the mind. The Gunners lose to Birmingham City in the League Cup final on one of the year’s most laughable goals. Then they go on and smash Leyton Orient in what should have been an unneeded FA Cup replay, 5-0, and Nicklas Bendtner scores a hat-trick. Why is the thrashing of Orient a surprise? Well, Bendtner scored a hat-trick. That’s why. It’s an absolute shock he can put together three goals in one game at times. He fumbles over his feet, misplaces passes more often Jake Delhomme, and he isn’t very good int he air despite his height.

What the Revs Could Do Right in the Offseason

Marko Perovic was a standout signing for the New England Revolution last year. Revs fans named him MVP for a disappointing 2010 season. (Courtesy Keith Nordstrom/Revolutionsoccer.net)

 By Ryan Fleming

The MLS season has been over for about a month now. League Champions, the Colorado Rapids, are surely still celebrating somewhere in Colorado, even though most of the Midwest is lost, packed beneath feet of snow.

Here, in Massachusetts, the snow hasn’t quite reached us, but for the New England Revolution, the snow could have came months ago and it wouldn’t have mattered.

The Revs flopped this season, aided by some bad luck and were, for all intents and purposes, out of the playoffs a couple months before the playoff seeds were slated.

Amongst the Revolution supporters, there were cries for a designated player that were unheard all season. There were rumors thrown about about a possible link to a player or two, but this is soccer, rumors manifest and live here.

Longtime fans are looking for Mike Burns, Revolution Vice President, Player Personnel and manager Steve Nicol to make their dreams a reality.

Revs and Quakes Play to Stalemate

Courtesy Revolutionsoccer.net

By Kevin Koczwara

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Revolution stayed winless in May, but do get an important point as they drew level with the San Jose Earthquakes, 0-0, in Foxborough. The tie is the second in the month of May for the Revs (2-5-2, 8 pts.), they tied FC Dallas, 1-1, earlier this month, and was much needed as they have lost four in a row recently in all competitions.

Though the game was up and down throughout, either team could maintain pressure in the final third of the field.

Revs Shorthand Against Red Bulls in Open Cup

Courtesy Revolutionsoccer.net

By Kevin Koczwara

The New England Revolution face the New York Red Bulls tomorrow in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game at 8 p.m. at Red Bull Arena. The Revolution and the Red Bulls are both recovering from tough weekend defeats — the Red Bulls lost, 4-0, to the San Jose Earthquakes and the Revs lost, 3-2, to the Columbus Crew on a heartbreaking stoppage time goal — and looking to rebound in the mid-week.

The Revolution will be shorthanded when they make the trip to New York tomorrow. They will bring 14 players with them including two goalies – that makes only 12 field players and only three substitutes on the bench including a back-up goalkeeper. New England has been forced to fight off injuries all season, but at this tough stretch of games, which includes five more games in May, the Revolution are really starting to fight a war of attrition.