Revs Stay Active Before New Year

Will the Revs seal the deal with veteran center-back Jose Goncalves?

As the final days of 2012 tick away, the New England Revolution have not let the holidays and vacations slow them down. The Revs have been extremely active the last few weeks, not only with the re-entry process, but in completing new signings and finding talents all over the football world to fit their needs. With all this activity before the MLS SuperDraft, New England fans must be pleased with the aggressive moves in the front office.

José Gonçalves

Rumor has it Swiss Super League center-back Jose Goncalves is close to a deal with the Revolution, making him a perfect fit for what the club has been searching for in a defensive position. His experience with other European clubs and the UEFA Champions League is valuable, and continues the trend of bringing veteran overseas players to Major League Soccer. New England did manage to pick up a few players in the re-entry process, but none as appealing as Gonçalves. Although no official news has broke, keep an eye out for the Portugal native. The Revs won’t count on him for any goals, but his presence on the field will be needed.

Scott Caldwell

The Revs will add their second homegrown player of all-time to their roster this coming season, an Akron midfielder named Scott Caldwell of Braintree, MA. A regular member of the U.S. national teams and former Mid-America Conference player of the year, Caldwell has shined at the college soccer powerhouse, finishing his 66 game career with 20 goals and 22 assists. Although fans have yet to see the true potential of Diego Fagundez, the Revolution have assured everyone they have faith in their youth teams and Caldwell may be the best yet. Scott’s coach at Akron, Caleb Porter, has recently been named new coach of the Portland Timbers and would not mind coaching the star in the MLS himself. Caldwell’s bias decision to stay local and sign with the Revs looks to have big upside in the years to come.

-Matt Bloom

Future Foundation

Photo: David Silverman

Now that the 2012 MLS season has come to an end for the New England Revolution, it is time to look back at the year and assess the team’s progress. From a new coach to many new faces, the season has certainly been comprised of rebuilding for the future of the club.

Rookie & Newcomer Ratings

Let’s first dissect the most important rookie of the team, head coach Jay Heaps. As a former Revs player, Heaps came in to the club with more than enough knowledge of the Kraft organization and the direction the MLS is headed. From the very start, he knew bringing in new stars and goalscorers was a must. The signing of Saer Sene, Lee Nguyen, and Jerry Bengtson all proved to be wise choices upfront, contributing for most of New England’s goal chances all year.  It was a rough 35 points for the Revolution, only claiming 9 wins and finishing 9th in the Eastern Conference. However Heaps has not shown any quit, always positive in interviews and determined to take his team to the next level. It felt like some bad luck and poor referee calls may have altered a few games as well, but regardless, Heaps knows his strengths and weaknesses.

Draft picks such as Kelyn Rowe have also looked promising for the future. Coach Heaps took Rowe 3rd overall in the MLS SuperDraft, and his vision and work ethic have earned him 25 appearances on the year. Coming off a fantastic senior season with the UCLA Bruins, Rowe has played equally competitive with the veterans in the MLS, scoring 3 of goals of his own and tacking on 5 assists. There is no doubt he looks to start at midfield next season.

Before their injuries, Saer Sene and Lee Nguyen lead the team with a combined 16 goals, nearly 32% of all Revolution scoring this season. Nguyen has been particularly tricky for a defense to handle, showing off agility and dribbling skills to find more open net chances you could imagine. His talent earned him this year’s MVP of the New England Revolution, yet Sene would not fall too far behind. Sene’s skill and stamina won him the most starts by a Revs player before his leg injury in late August. Hardly taken out of the game, the Frenchman looked dangerous when communicating with teammates and deadly on breakaways. As good as he was throughout the season, many goals could have came sooner if Saer was less patient with the ball and more accurate with both feet.

Good Problems To Have

Looking towards next year, Jay Heaps may find himself with many tough decisions of who to start with his roster, but this is a great problem to have. With Nguyen and Sene to return early next season, the question arises of how players such as Diego Fagundez and Juan Toja will get into the mix. It is hard to sit high-caliber stars in Jerry Bengtson and Benny Feilhaber, but the two just haven’t cut it the past few months. If upper management is worried about sales, Heaps may have to give in to pressure to make bold lineup moves.

Veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis should also feel some pressure. His backup Bobby Shuttleworth has proved trustworthy and agile behind the net. Bobby recorded a career-high 7 saves in New England’s win over Montreal, but more importantly finished with a 3-3-1 overall record and a 0.71 goals against average as a backup. Not to jump to conclusions, but Heaps could save some dough on the salary cap by naming Shuttleworth the club’s top keeper next season.

New Stadium In The Works

The best problem the Revolution have this off-season is not one regarding the players, but where they will play. As many areas of Boston are now attempting to welcome the Revs to  a new home, Robert Kraft will ultimately be the one in command. Although no comment yet from the owner, do not expect Kraft to move the team so quickly with 2013 tickets already on sale. The move will most likely be a long and drawn out process, but one can dream as Revs fan of that beautiful new soccer specific stadium standing strong in the heart of Boston.

– Matt Bloom

Fagundez, Barnes Shine at Home

Darrius Barnes (New England) heads in the 95th minute goal to equalize and force a 1-1 draw against New York.
Photo by Keith Nordstrom

In the last 15 meetings between the Revolution and Red Bulls at Gillette Stadium, New England holds a 11-0-4 record. The always eventful east rivalry continued Saturday night, bringing in a season high attendance while extending the streak to 16 games.

Stoppage Time Goals

The two sides traded shots all night, although the height of the action would not come until regulation time ran out. Just one minute into stoppage time, Joel Lindpere (New York) would find the back of the net as Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth collided with multiple players on a Red Bull corner kick. Shortly after, a long Revolution cross over the box found Darrius Barnes, heading the ball over a pack of Red Bull defenders and equalizing the match at 1-1 just before full time.

Darrius Barnes

Barnes’ goal marks the first of his MLS career, but more importantly proves his importance to a struggling New England squad. Darrius played a nearly flawless game in the backfield, holding the third place Red Bulls to no goals for an entire 90 minutes and constantly knocking the ball out of danger. Aside from the game-tying goal, Barnes has looked strong in most of his starts these past few months. The 25 year old stands at 6’1” and has effectively used his height and speed to make an impact game after game.

Diego Fagundez

The 17-year-old star was granted another consecutive start for the Revolution, showing confidence in his play and keeping Red Bull keeper Bill Gaudette on his toes. Diego rightfully kept the pressure on in the opening minutes of the game, and did not let up after nearly scoring in the 16th minute. Fagundez has developed some chemistry with Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen. The three all played into the eastern conference rivalry, contesting every play to the end and receiving a few cautions for rough play. Their early persistance nearly paid off with plentiful scoring chances in the first half.

The Match Ahead

It may not have come until second to last home game of the year, but attendance reached a season high Saturday night at 24,364. Granted plenty of loud and proud New York fans made the trip to Foxboro, attendance is typically around 12,000 for a Revs home game this season. New England now sits 9th in the Eastern Conference, while New York stays at a dangerous 3rd in a tight playoff race. The Revs will next take on the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday, September 29th.

Matt Bloom