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MLS 2009 Team Preview: New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is looking to rebound after a down year in 2008.
Mar 18, 2009 4:44:39 PM
By the standards of the New England Revolution 2008 has to be considered a bit of a down year. After three straight trips to the MLS Cup Finals, New England was bounced in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Chicago Fire.
The early playoff exit and loss of a few key players seems to have lowered expectations for the 2009 season among pundits, but New England may be better in the end than they look on paper.
Last Season: A fast start to 2008 was quieted midseason when injuries and a congested schedule left the Revolution in a tailspin headed down the stretch and into the playoffs. Goal scoring ace Taylor Twellman, midfield maestro Steve Ralston, and forward Adam Cristman all missed significant time during the 2008 campaign and a lack of goal scoring soon followed.
After winning the 2008 SuperLiga title in a shootout against Houston on August fifth, New England managed only two victories in all competitions. Only twice in that span did the Revs manage more than one goal, something they had accomplished ten times in the first half of the season.
The early playoff exit was no shock. New England entered the tie with Chicago incredibly short handed. The injuries to Twellman, Cristman, and Ralston were compounded by suspensions for midfielder Khano Smith and defender Gabriel Badilla stemming from red cards received in the final regular season match.
Dearly Departed: Gone from New England are Smith, Cristman and defender Michael Parkhurst.
Cristman was traded to Kansas City for allocation money and a draft pick. Smith was taken by Seattle in the expansion draft and quickly moved to the New York Red Bulls.
The biggest loss was the move of Michael Parkhurst to Denmark and F.C. Nordsjaelland. Parkhurst was a key cog in Steve Nicol’s three-man backline and his move could hasten a switch to a more conventional four-back system. Parkhurst was widely considered one of the best defenders in the league. While losing Smith and Cristman will be hard on the depth of the Revs roster, losing Parkhurst raises major concerns on the defensive end.
New Faces: As always the Revs will bring in new players and expect some immediate contributions.
Most notably Kevin Alston, the Revs first selection in the 2009 SuperDraft, should be fighting for a starting job on the left side of the defense.
The Revolution midfield should be boosted by the addition of Michael Videira. The Duke University product was drafted by New England in 2008, but chose to try his hand in Scotland before returning to Major League Soccer for the 2009 season.
Speaking of Duke, Darrius Barnes, New England’s third round SuperDraft selection, and another Blue Devil, seems to be making an impression in the preseason and could add some depth in the center of the defense.
Season Storylines: The big story in New England is the projected switch in systems. The Revs’ trademark 3-5-2 alignment seems to be on its way out the window in favor of a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 setup.
The change could mean any number of things as far as playing time and positions are concerned, but the key will be New England figuring out how to create chances on the offensive end.
Another big thing to watch in New England is the health of Taylor Twellman. The Revs’ goal scoring ace seems to still be suffering from nagging injuries as the preseason winds down. Without a fit Twellman, New England’s chances for success go down drastically.
Predicted Placement: The 2009 version of the Revs may very well be the weakest New England team in years, at least on paper, but they will still be in the hunt for a playoff spot come the end of the season. Look for the Revolution to slide into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the third or fourth seed.
Allen Ramsey, Goal.com
The early playoff exit and loss of a few key players seems to have lowered expectations for the 2009 season among pundits, but New England may be better in the end than they look on paper.
Last Season: A fast start to 2008 was quieted midseason when injuries and a congested schedule left the Revolution in a tailspin headed down the stretch and into the playoffs. Goal scoring ace Taylor Twellman, midfield maestro Steve Ralston, and forward Adam Cristman all missed significant time during the 2008 campaign and a lack of goal scoring soon followed.
After winning the 2008 SuperLiga title in a shootout against Houston on August fifth, New England managed only two victories in all competitions. Only twice in that span did the Revs manage more than one goal, something they had accomplished ten times in the first half of the season.
The early playoff exit was no shock. New England entered the tie with Chicago incredibly short handed. The injuries to Twellman, Cristman, and Ralston were compounded by suspensions for midfielder Khano Smith and defender Gabriel Badilla stemming from red cards received in the final regular season match.
Dearly Departed: Gone from New England are Smith, Cristman and defender Michael Parkhurst.
Cristman was traded to Kansas City for allocation money and a draft pick. Smith was taken by Seattle in the expansion draft and quickly moved to the New York Red Bulls.
The biggest loss was the move of Michael Parkhurst to Denmark and F.C. Nordsjaelland. Parkhurst was a key cog in Steve Nicol’s three-man backline and his move could hasten a switch to a more conventional four-back system. Parkhurst was widely considered one of the best defenders in the league. While losing Smith and Cristman will be hard on the depth of the Revs roster, losing Parkhurst raises major concerns on the defensive end.
New Faces: As always the Revs will bring in new players and expect some immediate contributions.
Most notably Kevin Alston, the Revs first selection in the 2009 SuperDraft, should be fighting for a starting job on the left side of the defense.
The Revolution midfield should be boosted by the addition of Michael Videira. The Duke University product was drafted by New England in 2008, but chose to try his hand in Scotland before returning to Major League Soccer for the 2009 season.
Speaking of Duke, Darrius Barnes, New England’s third round SuperDraft selection, and another Blue Devil, seems to be making an impression in the preseason and could add some depth in the center of the defense.
Season Storylines: The big story in New England is the projected switch in systems. The Revs’ trademark 3-5-2 alignment seems to be on its way out the window in favor of a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 setup.
The change could mean any number of things as far as playing time and positions are concerned, but the key will be New England figuring out how to create chances on the offensive end.
Another big thing to watch in New England is the health of Taylor Twellman. The Revs’ goal scoring ace seems to still be suffering from nagging injuries as the preseason winds down. Without a fit Twellman, New England’s chances for success go down drastically.
Predicted Placement: The 2009 version of the Revs may very well be the weakest New England team in years, at least on paper, but they will still be in the hunt for a playoff spot come the end of the season. Look for the Revolution to slide into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the third or fourth seed.
Allen Ramsey, Goal.com
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