NE Revs take a home win

Saturday evening caught the New England Revolution at home against the Toronto FC. The first meeting, actually the home opener for the Revs was a 4-0 win. This was supposed to be a little tougher as Toronto had pretty much changed their line-up and gone on a win streak on their home field. Not to be this time. The Revs controlled from the opening and won easily 3-0. The offense played persistent and well. The defense was ever present. Toronto had some opportunities but the Revs bent but did not break. A worthy win! That earned Steve Nicol the honor of coaching the All-star MLS team when they play against Celtic FC in July. Steve is a good coach and the honor is well deserved.

MLS: Revolution vs. Crew

MLS: Revolution vs. Crew Originally uploaded by shersteve Game three of the triple header Saturday saw the NE Revolution hang on barely for a 3-3 tie with the Columbus Crew. The Crew started the scoring but the Revs played well in the first half to lead 3-1 before giving up a goal just before the half ended at 3-2. They did not play as well in the second half and the Crew came back to tie.

GoldCup: USA vs. Panama

GoldCup: USA vs. Panama Originally uploaded by shersteve Game two of the triple header Saturday saw a tight game with the USA prevailing 2-1 over Panama.

GoldCup: Guatemala vs. Canada

GoldCup: Guatemala vs. Canada Originally uploaded by shersteve Game one of the triple header Saturday. Guatemala was ineffective in the midfield and lost to a solid Canadian team, 3-0.

Ireland vs. Bolivia; 5/26/07

Ireland vs. Bolivia; 5/26/07 Originally uploaded by shersteve The first game Saturday at Gillette Stadium was an international friendly featuring Ireland vs. Bolivia. Two goals were scored in the first 14 minutes and that was the way it ended. A 1 to 1 tie. The second game featured the Revolution vs. the Kansas City Wizards. The Revs ended up on the short end of that result 4-3.

Wizards 4, Revs 3

Yes, lots of goals at Gillette tonight but the Revs were on the short end. It started well. Ralston followed up on his own shot that Kevin Hartman couldn't hold on to and the second time found the net. In the 23rd minute, Taylor made it 2-0 with a sweet finish. Unfortunately within two minutes, it was tied at 2-2. Eddie Johnson and Davy Arnaud finding some gaps in the defense and ultimately hit the net. Then in the 38th minute Eddie Johnson found the net for the second time to give the Wizards the lead going into the half, 3-2. The Revs subbed for Dorman (should have done so for Khano Smith but... ) to move Ralston inside and Wells Thompson took Ralston wide spot. This added some spark to the attack and eventually lead to a handball by the Wizards in the box to give the Revs the penalty shot which Shalrie made sure of. This tied the game but not for long. Eddie Johnson hit for the hat trick in the 82 minutes to give the lead back to the Wizards were it finished 4-3. Now historically, the Revs don't do well against the Wizards but they really play a very similar game. Tough midfield play springs action on the wings to cross into the box. The Wizards were more successful tonight with their crosses from closer to the midfield line putting the pressure on isolated defenders. The Revs tended to bring their crosses in from inside the 18. By that time, the defense tends to be pretty ready for them. The Revs will need to adjust to be successful.

Revs Win!

It was a glorious Sunday. I had a good recording session at the track preparing for Passionate Runner. Had a good run with the Pacers. A good long walk with Dolores. The Revolution played at home and won a good TEAM game, 3 different players scored goals and another 3 players got involved with assists as the beat Chicago 3-1. Well done Revs!

Revs LineUp

Revs_LineUp_1 Originally uploaded by shersteve. Part of the team is shown here as they lined up during the introductions during the recent "Meet the Revs" event. Shalrie Joseph, white shirt, baseball cap on backwards in the center of the photo is one of the key players for the Revs. He plays the middle of the middle five in their 3-5-2 formation. He is the defensive general, the playmaker. As he goes, so goes the team. Yet he is not alone, the other ten on the field need to be in synch with him. They need to understand each other, which way to pass, when not to. What about your line up? Who is your playmaker? Who is your 'go to' person when the going gets tough?

Beckham fever

In case you missed it, David Beckham (yes, he is the one referenced in the movie "Bend it like Beckham") has signed a contract with the LA Galaxy and is coming to the USA to play soccer this summer. The MLS schedule was just announced and Becks will be making an appearance at Gillette Stadium to play our NE Revolution on August 12th. Apparently, the Revolution ticket office is deciding to NOT make single game tickets available to the public, period. Any ticket for this game must be part of a group purchase or part of a package. I know why they are doing this. They have a chance to sell more tickets to other games. But if they really wanted to sell tickets, they would reduce the hurdles required to get to the game. For that soccer fan who has stayed on the sidelines thus far, make it easy for them to get to the game. You assume that once there, they'll will like what they see and come back for more. If you create this hurdle of having to buy tickets to other games to get to this ONE, only those who can afford the tickets will come and you will have missed an opportunity to really maximize the population for the game. Disclosure: I do have two season tickets and based upon the poor experience buying them last season (our first as season ticket holders), I almost did not return to the fold this season. That is another story for another time.