Revs Re-Sign Three; Castro Suspended

Couple of quick hits:

• The Revs have resigned Kenny Mansally, Sainey Nyassi, and Kheli Dube.  No word on contract terms.
• Midfielder Mauricio Castro has been suspended for the first two games of the 2010 season for kicking a ball into the stands in the season finale against Chicago.  You may remember that Castro blasted a ball into the Toyota Park seats after being taken hard into the sign boards by a Fire player.  The sign boards had intentionally close to the field by the home team to limit the effectiveness of Darrius Barnes’ long throws.  Castro cut his hand on the play; the offending Fire player was not even whistled for a foul.
• Midfielder Mike Videira has had offseason hernia surgery that will keep him sidelined 6-8 weeks.

From the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department

Taylor Twellman, Cosmo Model.

I can’t even add anything to this.

Emergency Update: It just keeps getting better.

Twellman, who split last year from wife Lindsay, reveals in his Cosmo Q&A that he hates talking to women about his job (“I’m looking for a girl who’s about being with me, not about being with a soccer player,” he says), and that he’s into ladies who wear white tops with jeans and high heels. Good to know.

Ralston Done for the Year

I had a feeling when he left the field on Saturday night that it would be the last time we saw Steve Ralston this year.

Looks like I was right.

Ralston suffers season-ending knee injury
Revs captain tore the ACL in his right knee on Saturday against Seattle

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution captain Steve Ralston suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Saturday, Sept. 26, in the Revs’ match against Seattle, and will miss the remainder of the 2009 season. Surgery to repair the injury will be scheduled for a later date.

I hate to say it, but at 35-years of age, even if Ralston is willing and able to make a comeback, might the Revs be at the point where they should say, “Thanks, but no thanks”?  And if he still wants to play, deal him to whatever team he’d like to go to – Kansas City, perhaps?

At this point in his career, I just don’t like the odds of him playing as many minutes as the Revs need him to play.  Cut the cord, wish Rally all the best, and move on.

Twellman Will Live!!!

Kyle McCarthy finally solves the mystery of what the Hell is wrong with Taylor Twellman.  Of course, he may be forced to go into hiding after uncovering Top Secret information that may put the entire Revolution franchise in jeopardy.  It’s a small price to pay.

What’s up with Taylor Twellman?

For the first time ever, I am seriously contemplating the Revolution’s future minus Taylor Twellman.  This after the team admits he won’t be traveling to North Carolina because of neck pain.

Chronic neck pain, as enterprising Revs fans have already discovered, is a symptom of post-concussion syndrome.  If you recall, Twellman suffered a concussion last August against Los Angeles and missed a few games.  He came back a couple of weeks later, but then sat out the playoff series against Chicago due the after effects of his concussion.

So, here we are five months later, and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer is sitting out of contact drills and can’t even train with the team because of bad neck pain.  This is not good.

I’m sorry, but when you hear about stuff like this, it’s hard not think of guys like Ted Johnson, Brett Lindros, Pat LaFontaine, Paul Kariya, and many others who had their career ended or changed dramatically by a severe concussion.

Edit: Evan Whitney has reminded us that last August’s concussion is actually #5 for Taylor…

September 13, 1999: Twellman suffers a concussion while playing against the University of Virginia.

January 2003: Twellman suffers two mild concussions in the span of one week while training with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

August 23, 2003: Twellman suffered broken cheekbones, a broken nose, and a Grade 2 concussion after being kicked in the face by Danny Califf.