||||Revspress

Steve Nicol will not be coaching the New England Revolution in 2012, the club announced today. Nicol, one of MLS’ most winningness head coaches, spent a league record ten seasons as coach of the Revolution. Nicol was originally tabbed as an interim coach in 1999 but was officially named head coach 2002, where he revamped the Revolution and led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances, four MLS Cup finals, two Superliga title games, and one U.S Open Cup title.

Nicol did in fact bring fresh air to the Revolution. But the successful trend ended recently. With the Revolution unable to replace former stars like Clint Dempsey, Taylor Twellman, Michael Parkhurst, and Pat Noonan, or be able to compete in an evolving league, Nicol came short of making the postseason for two straight years.

In 2002, Nicol changed the Revolution’s dynamic with player trades. He continued to start Taylor Twellman, the league’s breakout forward sensation, and brought in talent like Brian Kamler, Alex Pineda Chacon, and Daniel Hernandez. The Revolution, who were out of the playoffs when Nicol took over in 2002, won out the rest of the season and fought their way through the postseason, eventually losing in overtime 1-0 to the Galaxy in the Cup Final at Gillette Stadium.

But Nicol would build on the Revolution’s success from 2002 and create a team nucleus, supplementing key players like Twellman, Steve Ralston, Jay Heaps, and Joe Franchino with additional signings. Nicol added former English world cup star Paul Mariner as his assistant coach in 2004, Mariner helping Nicol scout new players and train the team’s strike force.

The Nicol-Mariner combination worked smoothly, with both discovering players who are among  the generation’s best. The Revolution drafted Clint Dempsey and Andy Dorman in 2004 and Michael Parkhurst, Jeff Larentowicz, and James Riley in 2005, all of whom have now gone on to successful careers elsewhere. But while they were with the Revolution, the team was humming. The defense was sharp, the attack was scoring, and games were being won.

Nicol, once a star defender for Liverpool and the Scottish national team, balanced the team’s tactic by using a 3-5-2 formation that relied heavily on a strong possession game and defense. Parkhurst was reliable in central defense, while a midfield force of Ralston, Dorman, Dempsey, and Shalrie Joseph kept possession and served the ball up to Twellman and Noonan; both of whom are still regarded as one of the best offensive tandems in league history.

But once stars aged and the Revolution failed to replenish the pond, plus with the departure of Mariner after 2009, the Revolution’s success dwindled. The league was also evolving, bringing in more big name players for overseas, plus exciting their fan base by building soccer-only stadiums. The Revolution have gone after foreign players, though they haven’t been as successful as teams like Los Angeles or Seattle. And, while only rumors continue about building a soccer-only stadium in Boston, other teams across the league celebrate having a stadium of their own.

It remains to be seen whether the decision to cut ties with Nicol will bring back the team’s former success. Management has more decisions to make soon, including the status of key Revolution player Shalrie Joseph, who has said that he only wants to stay in New England if Nicol is the coach. Joseph has also called for management to improve the team’s personnel over the off-season to improve the team’s performance.

“Robert [Kraft] and I met with Stevie today and we had a productive discussion about this past season and the direction the club needs to go in the future,” said Revolution co-investor/operator Jonathan Kraft in a press release.

“We all agreed a change of direction was needed to reverse the trend of the past couple of years. Stevie was a successful head coach and a tremendous ambassador for the Revolution for the past decade and set a high standard for success, leading us to four conference titles in six years. We thank him for all of his contributions.”

Though Nicol was unable to bring an MLS Cup to Boston, he is still regarded as one of the most successful coaches in league history. And, finding a credible replacement for Nicol, a search which starts immediately, will be a difficult task.

“I’m very thankful to the Krafts for giving me the opportunity to be their head coach,” Nicol said in the release. “I’ve had some great times and been involved with some great players and great people. My family will always remain part of the Kraft family.”

photo credit to revolutionsoccer.net

Foxboro, MA- With just one game remaining in their season, the New England Revolution are currently ranked the worst team in Major League Soccer. And after failing to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season, the team looks like it will shake up its management and roster during the off-season. But left back Chris Tierney, a Wellesley, MA native, is hoping to stay.

“I’m a home town kid,” explained Tierney following Saturday night’s loss to the Columbus Crew at Gillette Stadium. “This is the club I want to be at. I can’t see myself wearing another jersey.”

Tierney joined the Revolution in 2008 after being drafted in the third round of the Supplemental Draft from the University of Virginia. He registered his first appearance with the Revolution that July in a U.S. Open Cup victory over the Richmond Kickers where he notched two assists. Tierney eventually worked his way into the starting lineup, earning whatever minutes he could in Superliga matches or coming on as a substitute.

Tierney has become one of the Revolution’s main set piece takers, his two goals this season coming off of freekicks. But Tierney is perhaps best known for his versatility, often playing as a left back to aid the Revolution defense.

Last night’s 3-0 loss concluded the Revolution’s home slate of the 2011 season, capping off a lackluster campaign. Tierney is looking forward to lengthy off-season after the Revolution’s worst season since 2001.

“We need some time to recharge the batteries and assess individually. I think we are looking forward to having some time off and being able to look at the things we need to improve on and hopefully get to work.”

“As long as I can be a part of this club and help this club, I’ll be here.”

Revolution announce team awards

Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis was named the team’s 2011 team MVP. A.J Soares earned the team’s Defender of the year Award while Reis and Zak Boggs shared Humanitarian of the Year honors.

Foxboro, MA- The New England Revolution were punished again for poor defending on Saturday night. The Columbus Crew dismantled the Revolution’s backline and collected a 3-0 victory en route to clinching a playoff berth. The loss, which was in the Revolution’s final home game, confirmed that the team would set a club record for least amount of wins in a season, breaking a record set in 2001 (7).

Columbus weathered an early run of possession by the Revolution before turning up the pressure. Bobby Shuttleworth made his second consecutive start in goal for Matt Reis (hamstring) and did his best to block Columbus’ three goals, though the Revolution backline was mostly to blame for the goals.

Andres Mendoza scored midway through the first half after capitalizing on a defensive error by Darrius Barnes. Dilly Duka doubled the lead in the 60^th minute off another Barnes mistake, scoring his first career goal. Mendoza added another just three minutes after Duka’s goal, his thirteenth goal of the season and the 56^th allowed by the Revolution.

“We weren’t good enough on either side of the ball,” said Chris Tierney. “We made some poor mistakes. It’s the same things that have hurt us all year, some silly mistakes that have cost us. We haven’t been fully focused and haven’t been for long stretches this year.”

“Story of our season, just mental mistakes, little mistakes,” added captain Shalrie Joseph. “Defensively, we’re just not solid enough. You have to be able to clear the ball and clear your lines and we weren’t able to do that [last] night and we got punished. Mentally we aren’t sharp enough to focus for 90 minutes and you can’t do that in this league, too many mistakes, too many mental errors. Tonight we paid for it by giving up goals.”

“In the last home game it doesn’t feel good leaving fans with just a sour note that we couldn’t pull out a victory. Even though we are out of the playoffs we should have done better and should have gotten something, but we were unable to do that.”

16,825 fans were in attendance at Gillette Stadium and were sparked by early chances from Monsef Zerka and Diego Fagundez. But Columbus countered. In the 25^th minute, a header from Emilio Renteria deflected off the back of Darrius Barnes and into the path of Mendoza, who side volleyed the ball past Shuttleworth for the opening score.

Dilly Duka converted his first career goal in the 60^th minute, taking control of possession at the edge of the penalty area after Barnes misdirected a long kick from Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer. Duka went around Alston before firing a low drive into the net. Mendoza added another goal three minutes later, finishing feed from the right flank for his 13^th goal of the season, again off a Renteria pass.

“They’re a good team all around, they’ve got some solid players,” added Joseph. “Their strike force is fast. [On the first goal] the ball took a funny bounce and they go up one-nothing which was definitely hard to come back from. Then we allowed them too much time and too much space to play on the ball.”

The Revolution have just one game remaining this season, Saturday Oct. 22 at Toronto. Coach Steve Nicol is unsure whether or not he will experiment with younger, less experienced players for the match. The Revolution won’t play another competitive game at Gillette Stadium again until the next season starts in March.

Foxboro, MA- the New England Revolution isn’t the same team when Shalrie Joseph isn’t on the field. Since the departure of key players, the Revolution have staked too much in their reliance of Joseph. That overreliance is now taking its toll on Joseph, 33, who might sign elsewhere once his contract with the Revolution expires at the end of this year.

Joseph addressed the media last night following the Revolution’s fifteenth loss of the season, a 2-1 decision to the San Jose Earthquakes at Gillette Stadium.

“This is a championship town and if we can’t be one of those teams people talk about, there’s no point for me to be here. I don’t want to be here. I’m the team leader, I’m the team captain, and it’s frustrating. People look upon me and I like that leadership role. I need to get the team into better shape and creating more chances, just being overall a better team.’’

Shalrie Joseph has played through injuries in the past in order to keep contributing to the team. The very few times Joseph has been out of the starting lineup has been due to suspension. And on the rare occasion that Joseph doesn’t play, the Revolution’s possession game is chaotic and the team struggles to create scoring chances.

And this is because Joseph, who has been with the Revolution since 2003, has undergone a role change. Until recently, Joseph was merely another piece of the formula; the Revolution had a nucleus of players they could rely on which led them to three consecutive Cup finals, a Superliga title, and a U.S. Open Cup title. But recently, that nucleus has dissolved through retirements and player movement and Joseph has been forced multitask.

Joseph arguably runs more throughout the game than any other player. He frequently makes fifty yard runs to help out the forwards, midfielders, and defenders. As a forward, he has led the team with eight goals this season. In the middle, he has been the team’s engine alongside Benny Feilhaber. And in defense, he is a presence, mostly because of his height and pace. But Joseph knows that the reason he is forced to take on so many roles is caused by the team’s youth and inexperience.

“We’ve got a lot of immaturity, we’ve got a lot of inexperienced guys and at the end of the day we’re just not good enough to be one of those teams that people talk about,” said Joseph. “We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror, make the changes necessary in the offseason and come back and turn things around.”

“My first couple years here, we got to the finals so many times, and it was sweet,’’ Joseph said. “It was hard work, we definitely got rewarded.”

In the past, offseason additions paid off smoothly for the Revolution. Coach Steve Nicol grabbed many promising players like Taylor Twellman, Clint Dempsey, Pat Noonan, Jeff Larentowicz, and Michael Parkhurst from the draft. He then supplemented the team with foreign prowess like Avery John and Jose Cancela. That core group of players had an identity and each member of the team had a role. Joseph was merely another piece of the puzzle. And until the Revolution begins replacing the talent that has left them since their last MLS Cup run in 2007, Joseph won’t be able to play his proper role.

“Hopefully, next year, we bring in a good bit of personnel,’’ Joseph said. “Everybody needs to get on board and start working hard and start realizing this is something we desperately need.”

Other MLS teams have been successful by mixing foreign experience with domestic talent. But the Revolution haven’t followed this model, relying too much on younger players. And while teams with noted foreigners like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Alvaro Fernandez experience success both on the field and in filling up their stadiums, the Revolution are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and have one of the worst attendances in the league.

“Right now we’re just not that team people want to talk about, people want to watch,’’ Joseph said. “Fans don’t come out and support, which is our fault. We don’t produce enough players out there that are exciting, that are good enough for them to come out and support.”

Last night, the Revolution played the Earthquakes in front of 9,111 fans. It was unusual to have such a low turnout given that the weather had cooperated and that, aside from the Bruins, the Revolution were the only Boston-based sports team playing a game. Even the Fort, the Revolution’s hard-core, stand-alone and cheer zone, was noticeably depleted.

“You can hear a pin drop [last] night and it’s frustrating playing in front of a dead stadium, playing in front of people not supporting you,” finished Joseph. “It takes a toll, it’s definitely frustrating being out there, another loss at home. I mean, what can I say? It’s just frustrating being a part of this right now.’’

“This franchise deserves better, these fans deserve better than what we give them [last] night. We’ve given them something this season that’s lackluster and they don’t deserve that.’’

Foxboro, MA- The New England Revolution are struggling to end the season with positive closure. After being eliminated from playoff contention last week, the Revolution returned to action on Saturday night only to be defeated 2-1 by the San Jose Earthquakes.

“It’s kind of been the same story most of the season,” noted coach Steve Nicol in a press conference after the game.

“We make chances, don’t take them, and we give up bad goals. We’ve seen it too many times before.”

The Revolution (5-15-12, 27 points) held their own for most of the match despite being without starters Matt Reis (hamstring), AJ Soares (surgery), and Rajko Lekic (ankle). They actually had more possession and had more shots than the Earthquakes (7-11-14, 35 points ), who took advantage of lax Revolution defending.

In the 10^th minute, San Jose goalkeeper David Bingham punted a 70-yard pass upfield toward Chris Wondolowski. Ryan Cochrane, who was left alone to defend the play, lost track of Wondolowski, who controlled Bingham’s long pass in the penalty area and fired a low drive past Bobby Shuttleworth for his 13^th goal of the season.

“We didn’t make a ton of mistakes in the back,” explained Shuttleworth, who started in place of Reis. “Their first goal is just a direct ball. That should never happen, we should never give up a long ball like that to a player. It’s extremely frustrating.”

The Revolution were able to regroup and come out of halftime looking sharper. Chris Tierney forced a save out of Bingham off a freekick in the 49^th minute before setting up the tying goal moments later. Tierney blasted a 55^th minute freekick deflected off of San Jose’s wall to Monsef Zerka. Zerka then played Ryan Guy whose shot from outside the penalty area was beaten away by Bingham. Milton Caraglio headed the rebound off the crossbar before Benny Feilhaber finally collected the ball in the six-yard box and volleyed home the equalizer.

But the Earthquakes kept the Revolution from getting the go-ahead goal. San Jose weathered several minutes of Revolution pressure and possession before finally deciding to make a late push for the victory.

In the 82^nd minute, Sam Cronin sent a cross to the back post looking for Wondolowski. Wondolowski rose above Kevin Alston and powered a header past Shuttleworth at the near post to give the Earthquakes the lead. Wondolowski’s goal, his fourteenth of the season, tied him for the league lead with Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan. Cronin was given too much time on the ball to cross, which helped set up the decisive Wondolowski strike.

“You can’t disguise the fact that we made too many mistakes too often defensively and it’s cost us games,” lamented Nicol. “We gave them three chances and they put two in the net. You keep doing that, you’re going to lose games.”

The Revolution’s defense started the season in reasonably good form, but injuries and suspensions have undermined the consistency and familiarity of the backline as of late. And while the effort has been there all season, the team has been victimized by mental lapses. With just two games remaining in the season, Saturday against Columbus and away at Toronto on October 22, the Revolution are on pace to tie their record for least wins in a season (5), which occurred in 2001.

“Guys are giving one hundred percent all the time and the passion is there,” finished Shuttleworth. “It’s mental lapses at important times that have really killed us this year and that’s what we have to focus on in the last two games; not giving up any mental errors that cost us goals that we end up losing the game on.”