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Goal.commentary: The Bad Side of Brotherhood
Teams always want their players to be a tight group that fights for each other - but not to the point where it crosses any lines that will ultimately hurt the team.
Oct 30, 2008 10:15:39 AM
By Andrea Canales
There is a flip side to almost every positive characteristic - which is negative.
In Latin, that thought is expressed as "Quod me nutruit, me destruit" which translates to "That which nourishes me, destroys me".
The strong bond between teammates is often cited as an essential reason for a team's success. It allows players to count on each other, it encourages them to focus and fight on not only to win, but to support those they feel support them.
Probably few teams in the league are as close as the New England Revolution. It's not only that the team has had the same coaching staff for so long that some of the younger players undoubtedly relate to them as father figures. It's not only that the harsh New England winters force the staff to get creative about practice options and offseason conditioning. It's not only that coach Steve Nicol's careful choices have resulted in little player turnover, with personnel that has had years to grow tighter.
At Gillette stadium, the Revs are the "little brother" in the Kraft organization, despite their long history of quality performances. The Patriots garner the lion's share of attention and praise.
More than anything, though, the Revs roster has forged ties in the fire of mutual suffering and triumph. They have battled to the final of Major League Soccer's ultimate prize again and again, and again, and again. In 2007, the players heaved a sigh of relief and vindication when they finally claimed a major title - the U.S. Open Cup - but the bitterness of another MLS Cup loss stung again.
The fact that they're able to return from such disappointment speaks to the leadership of the club both on the sidelines and on the field. No one could exemplify the Revolution ideal of a good soldier who shows up consistently for the good fight more than their captain, Steve Ralston.
Ralston has always been something of an unappreciated player - but one who notably didn't let that stop him from doing his best whenever he could. After he scored the winning goal versus Mexico that sent the U.S. to the 2006 World Cup, he darkly observed that he wasn't at all sure that would assure him a World Cup roster spot. He was right - it didn't.
But if others didn't always value him, inside the Revs tight circle, Ralston was beloved for his heart, calm demeanor, scrappy spirit and classy, quality moves on the field.
In some ways, what showed more more than anything what Ralston meant to his teammates was how they lost their heads a bit when they lost him for the season to a broken leg.
It was Herculez Gomez of the Kansas City Wizards who inflicted the injury on October 12 with a tackle most described as clumsy.
"I'd never go in intentionally and try to hurt a player," Gomez protested. "Tackles happen all the time in soccer. I went in and the foul was called. I went over immediately to see if Ralston was ok. Their other players on their team started joking with me. No one thought there was any malice in it. I saw him at halftime, on a stretcher. I went over there and told him how terrible I felt to be involved in that play with him that it resulted in an injury for him. I spoke to Nicol after that game and he told me that Ralston might have a broken fibula. I told him, 'That wasn't my intention' and Nicol looked me straight in the face and said, 'I know, I know.'"
The bad news about Ralston just added to the Revs' woes, which also includes the season-ending loss of their leading scorer last year, Taylor Twellman. This might have added to a "the world is against us" feeling among Revs players. In any case, when the Revs met the Wizards again, they weren't in the mood to forgive or forget. From the start of the match, it seemed players were targeting Gomez with a ferocity that startled his coach, Curt Onalfo.
"I was totally caught off guard," said Onalfo. "The last thing on our mind was that their game plan would be to hurt Herculez. That to me was disappointing."
Onalfo pulled Gomez from the game at halftime. By that point, Revolution player Khano Smith had already drawn a red card for hard tackle on Gomez.
After reviewing the play, the Disciplinary Committe added a fine of $1000 and two extra games of suspension to the standard $250 that a red card merits in MLS.
Midfielder Shalrie Joseph added to the controversy with a quote to the Boston Globe about the situation with Gomez.
"We definitely wanted to give him payback and make him know we didn't appreciate what he did to Ralston, our teammate."
Joseph later apologized for the statement.
The Wizard's Jimmy Conrad was sympathetic.
"Clint Dempsey broke my jaw a few years ago," said Conrad. "I said some things like Shalrie did and I regretted it, on a radio station. I felt, if you heard the interview, my context was in jest. I said something like if I had the chance when was healthy, I'd give him a good shot and let him know that I was back. It got taken way out of context, I think, by the New England people and the fans. I understood that. I went in and told the players, "Look, I'm not going to do that." I mean, I play with the guy, he's my teammate [U.S. National Team]. So things can get twisted. Emotions can run high. Steve Ralston was a guy who they counted on heavily and now that he's hurt, they just seem frustrated out there. They can't do the things that they know they can do."
The Revs can do even less of what they want to do now that Smith is suspended. If his tackle on Gomez was meant as any sort of payback, it has backfired on his own team as they face giant odds to advance in the playoffs.
A "band of brothers" mentality can be a blessing to a team, but the sort of loyalty that blinds someone to the bigger picture can be fatal.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com USA
There is a flip side to almost every positive characteristic - which is negative.
In Latin, that thought is expressed as "Quod me nutruit, me destruit" which translates to "That which nourishes me, destroys me".
The strong bond between teammates is often cited as an essential reason for a team's success. It allows players to count on each other, it encourages them to focus and fight on not only to win, but to support those they feel support them.
Probably few teams in the league are as close as the New England Revolution. It's not only that the team has had the same coaching staff for so long that some of the younger players undoubtedly relate to them as father figures. It's not only that the harsh New England winters force the staff to get creative about practice options and offseason conditioning. It's not only that coach Steve Nicol's careful choices have resulted in little player turnover, with personnel that has had years to grow tighter.
At Gillette stadium, the Revs are the "little brother" in the Kraft organization, despite their long history of quality performances. The Patriots garner the lion's share of attention and praise.
More than anything, though, the Revs roster has forged ties in the fire of mutual suffering and triumph. They have battled to the final of Major League Soccer's ultimate prize again and again, and again, and again. In 2007, the players heaved a sigh of relief and vindication when they finally claimed a major title - the U.S. Open Cup - but the bitterness of another MLS Cup loss stung again.
The fact that they're able to return from such disappointment speaks to the leadership of the club both on the sidelines and on the field. No one could exemplify the Revolution ideal of a good soldier who shows up consistently for the good fight more than their captain, Steve Ralston.
Ralston has always been something of an unappreciated player - but one who notably didn't let that stop him from doing his best whenever he could. After he scored the winning goal versus Mexico that sent the U.S. to the 2006 World Cup, he darkly observed that he wasn't at all sure that would assure him a World Cup roster spot. He was right - it didn't.
But if others didn't always value him, inside the Revs tight circle, Ralston was beloved for his heart, calm demeanor, scrappy spirit and classy, quality moves on the field.
In some ways, what showed more more than anything what Ralston meant to his teammates was how they lost their heads a bit when they lost him for the season to a broken leg.
It was Herculez Gomez of the Kansas City Wizards who inflicted the injury on October 12 with a tackle most described as clumsy.
"I'd never go in intentionally and try to hurt a player," Gomez protested. "Tackles happen all the time in soccer. I went in and the foul was called. I went over immediately to see if Ralston was ok. Their other players on their team started joking with me. No one thought there was any malice in it. I saw him at halftime, on a stretcher. I went over there and told him how terrible I felt to be involved in that play with him that it resulted in an injury for him. I spoke to Nicol after that game and he told me that Ralston might have a broken fibula. I told him, 'That wasn't my intention' and Nicol looked me straight in the face and said, 'I know, I know.'"
The bad news about Ralston just added to the Revs' woes, which also includes the season-ending loss of their leading scorer last year, Taylor Twellman. This might have added to a "the world is against us" feeling among Revs players. In any case, when the Revs met the Wizards again, they weren't in the mood to forgive or forget. From the start of the match, it seemed players were targeting Gomez with a ferocity that startled his coach, Curt Onalfo.
"I was totally caught off guard," said Onalfo. "The last thing on our mind was that their game plan would be to hurt Herculez. That to me was disappointing."
Onalfo pulled Gomez from the game at halftime. By that point, Revolution player Khano Smith had already drawn a red card for hard tackle on Gomez.
After reviewing the play, the Disciplinary Committe added a fine of $1000 and two extra games of suspension to the standard $250 that a red card merits in MLS.
Midfielder Shalrie Joseph added to the controversy with a quote to the Boston Globe about the situation with Gomez.
"We definitely wanted to give him payback and make him know we didn't appreciate what he did to Ralston, our teammate."
Joseph later apologized for the statement.
The Wizard's Jimmy Conrad was sympathetic.
"Clint Dempsey broke my jaw a few years ago," said Conrad. "I said some things like Shalrie did and I regretted it, on a radio station. I felt, if you heard the interview, my context was in jest. I said something like if I had the chance when was healthy, I'd give him a good shot and let him know that I was back. It got taken way out of context, I think, by the New England people and the fans. I understood that. I went in and told the players, "Look, I'm not going to do that." I mean, I play with the guy, he's my teammate [U.S. National Team]. So things can get twisted. Emotions can run high. Steve Ralston was a guy who they counted on heavily and now that he's hurt, they just seem frustrated out there. They can't do the things that they know they can do."
The Revs can do even less of what they want to do now that Smith is suspended. If his tackle on Gomez was meant as any sort of payback, it has backfired on his own team as they face giant odds to advance in the playoffs.
A "band of brothers" mentality can be a blessing to a team, but the sort of loyalty that blinds someone to the bigger picture can be fatal.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com USA
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