A VIEW FROM THE FORT: Fixing The Present, Forecasting The Future, 401K’s, and an Interview With Jay Heaps

By Jim Dow

And now the Revs head south, not to hostile crowds and bottled water in places like Cancun but to the heart of the BBQ belt, both in Texas and North Carolina, to train in peace, play some games on grass against tolerable opposition and set the squad for the coming nine month slog across America, hopefully with a couple of new Ecuadorians or Ghanaians in tow, to put some bite in the backline and flash up front.

Revs Links: February 19th, 2009

Just trying to catch up…

Anyone who hasn’t checked out RevsTV from the team’s official web site is really missing out.  Be sure to check out the latest installment in which Steve Nicol returns from a scouting trip in Ecuador, only to find his cleats suspended in green Jello.  Matt Reis remains the primary suspect.

Why the Revs Won’t Win MLS Cup… Again (Play at Home Edition)

That’s right, I’m calling it now.  The 2009 edition of the New England Revolution will prove again to be not good enough to raise the Whatever We’re Calling It This Year Trophy that Columbus won last November.

And when the Revs are eliminated, it will have nothing to do with injuries, schedule congestion, or any of the myriad of excuses that are regularly trotted out when the club fails to clear the final hurdle.  Instead, the Revs will fall short for the most basic of reasons – they don’t have enough good players.

Here’s a little homework assignment – divide this team’s roster into Elite Players, Star Players, Above Average MLS Players, Average MLS Players, Backup or Below Average MLS Players, and Players who are tough to categorize  because it’s too early in their careers.

A VIEW FROM THE FORT: The MLS Middle-Class Squeeze; What Is A Footballer To Do? Plus An Interview with Paul Mariner

By Jim Dow

Among a wide variety of endangered groups that occupy our planet, the current climate seems ever more threatening to that constantly shrinking species, the middle-class. While the media caterwauls constantly as the market plunges and the situation is surely no laughing matter, it is interesting to analyze the task facing Major League Soccer in this regard as the league begins its’ fourteenth season with fifteen entries, including a brand-new, deep pockets club in Seattle that just may up the ante for everyone.

Revs Offer Contracts to Two Ghanian Players

Both the Globe and the Herald quote Steve Nicol as having offered contracts to a young forward and young defender from Ghana.  Obviously, Nicol doesn’t give too much away beyond that…

“They’re young guys,” Nicol said. “They’re only offers. They might take them, they might not.”

Taking public speaking lessons from Captain Obvious, eh Steve?

Not much to work with, but that won’t stop us from making an educated guess about the identity of one of the players in question…

Revs sign Simmons, promote Knighton, Tierney

In what appears to be a stroke of good fortune, the Revs have signed former UMass All-American goalkeeper Zack Simmons as an undrafted free agent.  Simmons will be a part of the Revolution’s developmental roster.  To make room on the Developmental Roster for Simmons and Generation Adidas defender Kevin Alston, the team has also promoted goalkeeper Brad Knighton and defender Chris Tierney to the senior roster.