Tag Archives: #NERevs

Who Would You Want at Your Side for a Bar Fight: Boston Sports Edition

Patriots: Rob Gronkowski -By @Boston_sports18

If I had to pick a Boston athlete to win a bar fight, it’s got to be Gronk. Rob grew up in a house with four brothers, and each has gone pro. They pushed each other every single day, making Rob an absolute beast.

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Gronk’s father had them all on a training regimen at an early age. This eventually led Gronk to become arguably the best TE the NFL has ever seen. He has incredible blocking skills and unmatched work ethic. While running with the ball after the catch, forget about bringing him down without a cheap shot to the knee. He’s known for swatting linebackers and corners off of him like annoying mosquitoes at a BBQ. Gronkowski finished one block to the point he actually threw the defender off of the field into the media section. “I had to throw him out the club,” Gronkowski said after the game. THIS IS THE GUY I WANT.

Keith Bedford Boston Globe

Besides Gronk’s football toughness, I’m pretty sure he can hold his own at the bar. He’s also good friends with WWE star Mojo Rawley, who Gronk has actually been training with. Last year Gronk even stepped into the ring. He got into a three-point stance and clotheslined another wrestler. Real or fake, Gronk is an animal and would be my top choice of Boston athletes to have in a bar fight. Tough, big and known to party. For me, this is an easy choice. It’s Rob Gronkowski.

Bruins: Zdeno Chara -By @TheBigBlue30

If I am picking any Boston sports athlete to win a bar fight, it is without a doubt Boston Bruins defenseman and Captain Zdeno Chara. At 6’9″ and over 250 pounds, Big Z is a physical powerhouse. If you follow him on Instagram, you would know how much of freak of nature the guy really is. His workouts put superheroes to shame, whether he is climbing up a 30-foot rope and back down in the blink of an eye, riding the Tour de France every summer, or shoulder pressing over 400 pounds. Chara is a physical specimen, unlike any other human being. The scary part, however, is that Chara’s physique and fitness are the least of people’s worries. His father is a former Olympic Roman Greco wrestler, which Big Z has been practicing since a young age.

On top of all that the guy is a genius. He earned a financial planning diploma from Algonquin College in Ottawa in 2015, and took classes at the University of Harvard over this past summer. There is a reason why nobody in the NHL fights Zdeno Chara. Just ask former NHL winger David Koci, who Chara beat so bad in a fight you would have thought he was making a blood donation to the Red Cross. In conclusion, if you don’t pick Zdeno Chara for a bar fight, you are just downright stupid.

Celtics: Marcus Smart -By @jackbuffett_

If I’m picking one player from the Celtics to have my back in a bar fight, I have to choose Marcus Smart. No matter what situation I’m getting into, if he’s on my side, he’s going to fight. Doesn’t matter how many guys, how big, how menacing, Smart will challenge each and every one of them. Ever seen an altercation during a Celtics game? Every time, without fail, Smart is either the one causing it or the first one to a teammate’s defense. It also helps that Smart is the most all-out hustle player on the team, so I’d assume he’d take the same attitude in a bar fight. Smart is an incredibly passionate player. Some players on the court are always emotionless- that’s never him. No matter what he’s doing, he’s going to get super into whatever that activity is. It also helps that Smart is built like a tank at 6’4″, 225 pounds, and absolutely ripped. If I get one phone call to fight some guys at a bar, it’s to Marcus Smart.

Red Sox: Joe Kelly -By @_porchie

BOSTON, MA – APRIL 11: Tyler Austin #26 of the New York Yankees fights Joe Kelly #56 of the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Fenway Park on April 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

If I were to pick any Boston Red Sox player to be on my side in a bar fight there would only be one option. Joe Kelly would totally have my back! Did you see not only the way he taunted Tyler Austin, but throw him down and was ready to beat him down. If it wasn’t for Aaron Judge that man would probably not be alive right now! He has the fire and intensity that I would want in my corner 100%. That’s why my pick is Joe Kelly.

Claude Dielna Working Out | Photo Credit | Claude Dielna

Revolution: Claude Dielna -By @Marbies3762

While Claude Dielna is only 6’0″ tall and only weighs 190 pounds, he can pack a punch. Anyone who follows him on Instagram knows when he isn’t at practice he is in the weight room. There are plenty of taller guys on the Revs that could be good picks as well, but none are as good as Claude. He has a much different work mentality than everyone else on the team. When he leaves practice, he trains at home. If he isn’t playing in a game, he is training. When Claude goes to Chipotle, he orders double meat. Every game he plays, he out muscles and throws guys to the ground. In a bar fight, there’s no doubt that Claude would go off. The guy is jacked. Without a doubt, when it comes to bar fights, he’s the guy I want by my side.

Scouting Report and Interview w/ Revs Academy Prospect Nick Woodruff

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Nick Woodruff grew up in Attleboro Massachusetts. He started off his soccer career just as any other kid would. He began playing club soccer around 5 or 6 years old for his local soccer team. After that, Nick played club soccer from age 10 to 13 before joining the Revs academy at 14. Nick made 17 appearances for the U14 team and was eventually named the captain before being called up to the U16s. There, he made 27 appearances and another 35 appearances as the captain. Later that year he would be voted player of the year by his fellow academy players. Between 2015 to 2017 Nick made 51 appearances with the U18 team before ultimately committing to Michigan State.

College (so far)

Nick Woodruff on Defense | Photo Credit: Quinn Bezenah

After redshirting his freshman year, Woodruff has played in all 4 of Michigans State’s games, going the distance in 3 while adding a 110 minute outing vs Tulsa. He takes his soccer career very seriously and expressed his desire to one day sign a professional contract with the MLS. He would be honored to don the Revs jersey and play in front of his friends, family, and New England supporters. Over the summer, Woodruff joined the first team for 4 weeks of training which he said was a great learning experience. There isn’t many things that Nick can’t do on the field. He strives in a variety of different categories, but he and I both agree that passing is his strongest attribute. When I asked him what he thought his weakest attribute was, he gave a very strong and encouraging answer.

“I have made some huge strides on 1v1 defending over the last year but that being said I think I just need to grow in every aspect of my game and strive to get better everyday. I want to keep pushing my limits and each training and game is a new challenge. You can always get better and im very hard on myself. I watch every little detail on film and try to learn.”

His natural position is at center back, but in his younger days he played CDM, which is what plays this year. At 6’2″ Nick is not a small guy. He is always in the box for corners and is a big target. The one goal he scored this year was off of a loose ball corner that found him at the back post. Nick likes to compare himself to Diego Godin, saying that he likes to play with “controlled aggression, patience, and calmness on the ball, & try to be the best leader I can be.”

MSU Pregame Huddle | Photo Credit: Quinn Bezenah

Nick Woodruff’s Scouting Report

One thing to note is that Nick is 19 years old. His passing is amazing. But just how good is it? In the 4 games he has played thus far this year his accuracy hasn’t dropped below 90% in a game. He already has an assist, as well. When he was younger he was called into training centers but says the national team hasn’t called him lately.

“At one point that was a big goal of mine but now im focused here at MSU and I’m hoping to sign a professional contract and then would love to eventually play for the national team. But all in all im committed to the process and just look to take it one day at a time.”

Overall, Nick is a great athlete and has a bright future ahead of him. He’s trained with the academy, he trained with the first team, now it’s his chance to impress at the collegic level. So without further delay, here is my scouting report on Michigan State and former Revs academy Defender, Nick Woodruff.

Passing: A+

Marking: B+

1v1 Defending: C+

Shooting: B

Heading: B

Nick Woodruff Giving Instructions | Photo Credit: Yours truly

Mid-air battles: A-

Communication: A

Pace: A-

Vision: A

Strength: A-

Clearing Ability: A

Defending Set Pieces: B

Overall Grade: B+

New England Stands With #SaveTheCrew

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Times are difficult in Columbus right now. It has been almost a year since the first reports came out that team owner Anthony Precourt intended to move the team to Austin. While the Save The Crew movement is as strong as it ever was, Columbus has been hit with some roadblocks. For people hearing about this for the first time, the Columbus Crew was MLS’s original team. They built the first Soccer dedicated Stadium in MLS and have been there for over 20 years. Team Owner Anthony Precourt doesn’t find that the team is making him enough money, so he wants to relocate the team to Austin. Now you may be wondering “how is this different from a team relocating in say the NFL?” To answer that question and find out why we should #SaveTheCrew, we have to dive in deeper.

The #SaveTheCrew Movement

Photo Credit: SB Nation

To anyone who is new to this movement, it’s not just a hashtag. It’s not a few hundred people tweeting angrily at the ownership. It’s a whole community that involves all the fans from every team. I recently spoke with David Miller, who is spokesperson for the Save The Crew movement. This is what he had to say.

“Save The Crew is a representation of the Columbus community standing up to fight for what’s right. MLS has long said that these teams are part of the community and we are fighting for that. We are showing the soccer world what the sport means for us, and we will Save The Crew.”

The idea of a team in the US relocating due to lack of profit isn’t new. Teams have been doing it for decades now. With soccer, however, this is a brand new concept. Even international football has, for the most part, avoided moving franchises. There is a reason for this. Soccer is a completely different culture than other sports because fans are the most important piece of a club’s identity. When an owner tries to put profits before the fans, it doesn’t go over well. MLS fans were quick to come forward with the statement “if they can do this to Columbus, it can happen to any of us”.

Fan Support Has Been Phenomenal

The Columbus Crew fans have made this into a full-on movement. Together they have gathered up public support, gotten the local government involved who have launched lawsuits, and they now have the entire MLS community behind them. The movement has gotten over 10,000 signatures on a pledge to buy season tickets under new ownership, have acquired 300+ business partners and allies, and most impressively have created their own new stadium rendering. Banners can be found at every stadium pledging support to the movement. There have been protests at other teams’ stadiums, such as the Patriots’ own Gillette. The message is clear- MLS fans want the Crew to survive. Because you can’t hate a team if they don’t exist.

Austin FC

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

On Wednesday, August 22nd, Precourt Sports Ventures unveiled the name and logo of the pending MLS expansion side. In my own personal opinion, I found the logo and name to be rather silly. People were quick to point out similarities between the Austin logo and a Tifo that Crew fans displayed last year. It would seem as if Austin is trying it’s best to troll Crew fans, although that could never be proven. Obviously, anything that can be seen as progress in Austin isn’t good for the Crew, but Columbus officials are still optimistic about keeping the Crew in Columbus. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said it would be more ideal to keep the Crew in Columbus, but has done very little to show that he actually means this. And by very little, I mean nothing.

Like I’ve said, the Crew has been here since day 1. Getting rid of them would not be good for the sport or the identity of MLS. Soccer should not be run with a business mentality, it’s not like other sports. The fans give their all for the club, and it’s up to the owner to give just as much back. If attendance is bad, the owner is not doing something right. It’s up to the owner to fix it, not pack everything up and relocate the team. With that being said, I speak for all of New England and for all of us here at BSE when I say that we stand with you Columbus. You would fight for us, so we fight for you. Together, we’ll #SaveTheCrew

Photo Credit: Doug Buchanan

Photo Credit: @cutlinejoe

Breaking: #NERevs trade Krisztián Németh to Sporting Kansas City

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It was announced at 6:16 PM on Monday night that New England had sent forward Kristian Nemeth To Sporting Kansas City in exchange for $350,000 in allocation money and a 2020 first round super draft pick. So what does this mean for the Revs going forward?

The Good

This deal does a lot of good for the New England. For one thing, they just freed up more than $1 million in salary cap, for a guy who has only made four starts this year. In those starts, Nemeth got two assists and one goal. All together Nemeth started seven times and made 21 appearances for the Revolution and has only scored one goal and registered three assists. To put it simply, Nemeth wasn’t earning his $1,007,666.67 salary. While Nemeth looked decent so far this year, he wasn’t producing results, which, as a striker, he’s paid to do.

The Bad

The Revs traded Nemeth for $250,000 in TAM and $100,000 in GAM. Back in August last year, they gave the Crew $400,000 for Nemeth last year. That’s simple math; the Revs lost money in this deal. When you don’t look at this from a money standpoint, the Revs have also lost a lot of depth. They went from having 1-2 quality strikers on the bench (Agudelo and Nemeth) to having two less than average strikers (Wright and Femi). It seems like Agudelo is becoming a regular starter so they’ve lost his ability to come on as a super-sub.

Trade Score: B+

Despite the bad, this is a good trade for the Revs. With two days left before the trade window closes, the Revs have an opportunity to sign another player. Now, they have $1,000,000 in cap freed up, and another international spot open to do it. All in exchange for a player that wasn’t even playing that much to begin with. Now we’ll find out if the Revs are using their allocation money now, or use it in the winter. In terms of money rankings, Revs are at or very close to the top in terms of allocation money availability.

#NERevs Sign English Defender Michael Mancienne

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It’s the moment Revs fans have been anticipating for weeks. Who will the Revs sign to make a playoff push? Rumors were coming from left and right. There was speculation they were interested in Brazilian Felipe Pires and Nigerian Godfrey Oboabona. The big one that stuck out was Bojan. Rumors came out that the Revs talked to Bojan in the offseason and that talks could still be going on. While the Revs didn’t sign Bojan, yet, they fulfilled another much-needed position in a center back.

Michael Mancienne

While he might not be the man everybody was hoping for, Michael Mancienne is a great player coming from some great teams. Mancienne started his career in the Chelsea youth system back in 2006. The now 30-year0old defender spent 2006-2011 going out on loan to QPR and had a few spells with the Wolves. His time in Chelsea came to an end in 2011 when German team Hamburger SV paid $2.5 million for him, where he went on to make 49 league appearances. From there he went back to England in 2014, joining Nottingham Forrest, where eventually he made his way here with the Revs

With a Market value of $1.5 million, Michael Mancienne comes into the team as the highest valued player on the roster, so the pressure will be on him to live up to his value. The fact that the last few big money signings haven’t lived up to their value (Kouassi, Dielna, Angoua, and Nemeth), it’s easy for fans to be optimistic.

What’s Next for the Revs?

With this signing, Brad Friedel has hopefully fixed their problem at center back, and will hopefully get the back line to be more consistent as well. But, there are still holes to be filled with a need for a playmaker and a left back. While the Revs still have five days left to sign someone else, it likely won’t happen. Brad Freidel has said it’s possible another signing happens, but with the team out of international spots, there most likely won’t be a big name.

It’s important for the Revs to use their new signings and quickly get them into the system to try and put an end to this summer slump. It’s crunch time for New England as they enter the most crucial and most difficult part of the season. The Revs will try to stay in a playoff position and climb the standings.

The #NERevs Should Make Diego Fagundez The Captain

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Ok, here’s a take you probably haven’t heard before. The Revs are struggling and need to look toward their leaders. They need someone to step up as a leader in this crucial part of the season. Diego Fagundez may only be 23 years old, but he’s a club veteran. Whether you want to believe it or not, he is the longest tenured active player on the team. Claude Dielna came into the season as the captain, but it has been shuffled around since. It seems Brad Freidel has finally lost faith in him after he gave the armband to Andrew Farrell instead of Claude against the Redbulls. So why should Diego be the one to take on the role as captain?

Tenureship

(Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While having a long tenureship alone isn’t a reason to be captain, it provides a backbone for leadership. For one thing, Diego played with Shalrie, Reis, Davies, Jones, and others, all of whom have possessed great leadership qualities. Over the years, you have to assume some of their qualities rubbed off on him. Furthermore, Diego is a constant starter on this team who continues to prove himself on and off the field.

Leadership

While Diego has only ever been given the armband once, it was one of his best games of the season. It was on June 13th against the San Jose Earthquakes and he scored a goal of the year candidate. It clearly seems that Diego gets an added confidence when he wears the armband. As he is the Number 10 for the Revs, it’s essential that he is at his best so that he can be the playmaker he needs to be for the rest of the team. We only have a small sample of how he plays with the armband. But, I think it’s worth giving another chance. So far, the Revs have given the armband to seven different players throughout the season. Claude Dielna has underperformed with it, so it’s time to find someone who plays consistently when wearing it.

Familiarity

Coming into the season, Diego had spent at least one full season with 12 of the 26 players on the revs roster. Diego, for the most part, is familiar with the Revs team and is a veteran player. While other players have a similar resume, Diego has the tenureship others do not. While he isn’t the oldest, one might assume that a lot of players in the locker room look up to him and count on him as well.

The #NERevs Tough Road Ahead

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The Revolutions season is now past the halfway mark and they still remain in a playoff position. However, the toughest part of their schedule has yet to come. According to Benjamin Baer of MLSsoccer.com, New England have the hardest schedule in the league for the second have of the season. Eight of their next 13 games will be on the road. While the Revs have only lost four road games this season, they have also only won one. With only five more home games in the regular season, where on the road will they be getting their points?

Source: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Revs Three Point Opportunities

Orlando City: Orlando has been having a tough season. After jumping out to a great offseason, they were expected to go far this year. However, it has been quite the opposite so far. They have only managed to get 22 points through their first 19 games. Not to mention they are tied for 2nd for most home losses in the league this season with four.

D.C. United: D.C. may have a new stadium and may have signed Wayne Rooney, but they’re still D.C. United. Just like how the 49ers signed Garoppolo, they are still the 49ers. For the most part, this team is still weaker than New England. Along with the fact that Revs fans usually travel well to D.C., the team will most likely have the advantage going into D.C.

Toronto FC: Toronto FC is the joke of the league at the moment. They have gone from MLS Cup champions to the bottom of the table. The Revs were able to beat TFC at Gillette, even with Mark Geiger as the ref. So a win in Toronto is definitely possible.

Philadelphia Union: The Revs team is a completely different team that went down to Philly in March. This team now has an identity and a system. The Revs are ranked higher in the standings as well. A major boost the team is getting; as opposed to 72 traveling fans, they will be backed up by about 1,000 fans from around New England.

Revs One Point Opportunities

Real Salt Lake: This game will be a tough one for the Revs. As we speak, RSL has only lost one home game this season. Along with this, they have more points than the Revs, but only by two. Overall, these teams are very even and will definitely be a tough match.

LAFC: LAFC will be another difficult bout for New England, even more difficult than RSL. LAFC has yet to lose a game at home this season. So how can the Revs get a point? It’s the fact that LAFC has five home wins, yet four draws. LAFC is definitely a better team than the Revs, but those four draws are glaring.

Zero Point Outcomes

Photo by Keith Nordstrom

Atlanta United: Do I need to explain? The Revs lost 7-0 to Atlanta last year, and Atlanta is currently atop the East and Supporter shield. Not to mention the Revs couldn’t even beat Atlanta at home and could only muster a draw.

NYCFC: NYCFC are right behind Atlanta in the shield and are having a great season. At home, NYC is undefeated and have only had one draw which came at the hands of Atlanta. The Revs chances in New York don’t look good. But after all, this is MLS. And as we all know, anything can happen.

The Revs will look to end their three game losing streak when they play Orlando on August 4th. With the new signing of Cristhian Machado and possibly more to come, the Revs look will look to get back to their winning ways.

Revs USOC Failure Hits Hard

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The U.S. Open Cup has two purposes in American Soccer. It gives smaller division teams a chance to shine, and for the bigger clubs to earn some spending money. No one ever expects the lower division teams to make it far, and when they do they’re called cupsets. Unfortunately, the Revs found themselves on the wrong side of one on Tuesday.

How Did This Happen?

It’s no secret that whenever MLS clubs play lower division teams they start a weaker lineup. The Revolution were no different, starting what was basically their C team on Tuesday against Louisville City FC. However, the team that took the field was not prepared to play. With lack of a USL affiliate, this was the first game a lot of the players had played since the preseason. The starting lineup used by Brad Freidel featured Zach Herivaux, Brian Wright, Femi, Mark Segbers, and Nick Samoyoa. None of which have started a game for the Revs this season, and only Wright and Herivaux came off the bench.

While there were other MLS teams participating, as of now, the Revs have been the only one to lose in the fourth round to a USL team. 2018 is much different from the Revs’ recent runs, which included a trip to the semi-final last year and a loss in the finals two years ago. The last time the Revs were eliminated in the fourth round was three years ago when they lost to USL side Charlotte Independence.

What Does This Mean?

In all honesty, this could be beneficial to the Revs. A loss means they don’t have to worry about playing an extra game every once in awhile. It allows the team to fully focus on the league and maintain match fitness. While the Revs traveled back home after Tuesday’s loss, they went right back to work for upcoming road games in Chicago and San Jose. This loss will hurt fans because U.S. Open Cup games are always fun to attend.

While Brad Freidel had some choice words for the players who were on the field, it’s up to the players to make sure they come back strong. This is typical for all teams but especially the Revs. A coach says they’ll use something to strengthen the squad, but now the players have to act on it.

The Revs have a challenge on their hands as they go on a road stretch until the end of the month. On Friday afternoon the team will travel to Chicago to play the Fire on Saturday. After that, they will have a Wednesday night game against San Jose. After that, the Revs get two weeks off for the World Cup before returning home. Then they will start the hardest part of their season. Revs will have to take advantage of their home games as they are quickly running out of them. They will also have to rely on their ability to win games on the road. Only time will tell if the Revs are up for the challenge.

Revs Academy Announces Partnership with HUSC/ASC

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The Revolution Academy took a lot of heat early in 2018. After going 0-0-3 in the Premier Division and 0-0-6 in Generation Adidas Qualifying with a -28 goal differential, and losing two games by a seven goal margin, people took notice. Fans took to Twitter to point out all the embarrassment and disuse of the Revolution Academy. This indirectly and directly sparked Team President Brian Bellielo to start the discussion on improving the academy. While we will never be sure if the backlash caused the Revs to make changes, adjustments were made either way.

Revs Making Changes

So far the Revs have taken strides to improve the academy since their devastating results. Part of their work has included a new initiative that’s aimed at preparing the team for the next ten years. The club has also boasted that they spend over a million dollars a year on the academy. However, eight other teams also reported their academy spendings, and to no surprise the Revs were last.

Another new initiative was announced in April between the Revolution Academy and Hampshire United Soccer Club/Amherst Soccer Club. Betsy Hansen, a club representative, said the new partnership will definitely help complement HUSC’s program

“The design is to leverage some of the coaches from the New England Revolution program to complement and accent our current program offering. We have been very excited to add one of their coaches to our system this year. We have added Revs coaching at the U13 level to start, and are pleased with how the Revs coaching is augmenting our other professional coaches at the older ages.”

Why HUSC and ASC?

A big reason for the creating of the partnership had to do with a similar philosophy as the Revolution Academy. Betsy added, “One of the primary reasons we partnered with the Revolution Academy is because of the likeness in our philosophy. We focus on development first and foremost and want to offer the players a local place to play and build their skill sets to help them develop at the individual level as well as the team level as they age.” As Brad Freidel noted earlier this year, he and the Revs want to focus on younger talent.

As of late, the Academy has surged on most levels, winning a handful of games for each team. While HUSC/ASC doesn’t have any players the Revs are targeting, adding partners that occupy ages 9-19, talent will increase. The Revs providing resources will only help speed up the process and increase the talent coming out of New Hampshire. While HUSC/ASC isn’t a free program, it still maintains approximately 450 current players with a large age spectrum. HUSC and ASC will join New England FC (MA), Bayside FC (RI), and Valeo FC (MA) as a Revolution academy partner for the next three years at the minimum.

Current Revs Academy Players

Scott Caldwell, Zachary Herivaux, Isaac Angking and Diego Fagundez are the only academy players on the senior team currently. A partnership like this can be very useful for the Revs who have the benefit of scouting talent in six states. This also helps utilize the state of New Hampshire and make sure talent won’t sneak by them. Up until this point, all four of the Revs’ homegrown players have been from Massachusetts and Rhode Island cities. State integration will significantly help expand their scouting pool.

As an opposition to other academies having one state to scout, some sharing with other teams, the Revs have an advantage. There has also been a recent talk about Justin Rennicks possibly deciding his future soon. Rennicks scored two goals on Saturday for the USMNT U20 team against Honduras. Rennicks, 19, has been the highlight of the Revs Academy the last few years before he left to pursue college. Since then, fans have been eagerly waiting for the Revs to sign him.

The Academy team has produced 47 goals and 53 assists for the Revs senior team from Diego Fagundez and Scott Caldwell in the MLS. With this partnership, the Revs are hoping they’ll be able to add on to those numbers in the near future.

Getting Caught up with the Revs

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It’s Time to Bring the Revolution to New England’s Attention

The New England Revolution are off to a great start in their 2018 season. Last year the Revs were a heavily criticized team, from the front office to the players, and mostly to the coach. Jay Heaps had been in charge for six years. But after two years in a row of the Revs not making the playoffs, the team decided to part ways. Revs fans were dying to know who the next coach would be, and got their answer in early November, when the team announced the hiring of Brad Freidel.

At the beginning stages, Revs fans were unimpressed that the club hired another coach with no MLS coaching experience. Throughout the offseason and preseason, however, people slowly started changing their attitude. For starters, Freidel used his links through Tottenham, the club he played most of his professional career at, to hire fitness coach Anton McElhone. A big problem for the Revs last year was injuries. They lost Kelyn Rowe, Juan Agudelo, Chris Tierney, Daigo Kobayashi, Krisztián Németh, and Xavier Kouassi for an extended period of time. Brad Freidel insured fans that he would be given the resources to succeed by Robert Kraft. He proved it by signing Gabriel Somi, Wilfried Zahibo, Luis Caicedo, Jalil Anibaba, and the man quickly becoming a new fan favorite, Cristian Penilla.

USA TODAY Sports

Revs off to a Steady Start Under Freidel

So far, we are six weeks into the Brad Freidel era, and the Revs have an impressive 3-1-1 record. This includes their first road win on American soil in over two years after beating Houston. Two major things Freidel stressed the team needed to do better on was defending. The Revs allowed more goals than any other team last year. Freidel also is emphasizing winning games on the road, as the Revs only won one road game last year. The one road game they did manage to win was the last game of the season against Montreal. Both teams were out of the playoffs contention at that point.

Freidel came into this club and almost instantly made a difference. Players say he works them harder than they’ve ever worked before. They also say he has added a real sense of professionalism into the team. After a shaky start defensively, the Revs are starting to get into a groove, having not allowed a goal the last two games. A big talking point is the way Freidel uses his guys in game. The last two games the Revs have left over $2,000,000 in salaries on the bench. That is a lot of money for MLS. Freidel has given this team a lot a depth, something the Revs have really lacked the last few seasons.

The Lee Nguyen Standoff

While on the topic of salaries, it’s important to note Lee Nguyen requested a trade because he didn’t think the $500,000 salary he was earning was enough for him. After the club refused to trade him, he didn’t show up for preseason training, eventually showing up three weeks late.

Because of this, he hasn’t played a single minute or even been included on the bench yet. While coach Freidel has said it is because of better options skill-wise, it’s tough to believe him. Lee has scored 11 goals and recorded 15 assists. For him to drop to the level of one of the best, to not good enough to make the bench is a very controversial statement. Lee has fans split with what the Revs should do with him. Some want him gone, traded, and some want him to play. If you ask Revs fans, three out of four times you’ll get a different answer regarding his fate.

Despite Lee arguably being the team’s best player last year not playing, the Revs have been doing just fine without him. A lot of players have really stepped up this year. Diego Fagundez has stepped in taking over the number 10 position, replacing Lee. Penilla so far doesn’t seem to be able to be stopped. He’s fast, dynamic, and great a scoring and assisting.

Matt Turner Takes Over

The most shocking part of the Revs season came when Matt Turner was announced to be the Opening Day starting goalie, after being the team’s third string goalie for the last two years. Turner started off with a 2-0 defeat against the Philadelphia Union, but has since stood on his head. He made Revs fans fall in love after saving a penalty kick, preserving the Revs 1-0 lead against the Colorado Rapids. Turner has gotten two consecutive shutouts going into Saturday’s game against FC Dallas, a team the Revs lost their last six games against. Hopefully, the Revs will be able to re-write history as they play at Gillette Stadium, a place they have turned into a fortress as of late. They finished last year with a team record-setting 12 wins at home as they went 12-2-3.