Revs latest news

[Frank Cunha]

Revs Re-Sign Nicol 16/01/04

by Michael Preston

New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol has been rewarded for guiding the club to a franchise best record in 2003 and the MLS playoff semi finals with a contract extension.

Nicol, whose tenure was briefly called into question when the Revs suffered a nine-game winless streak at midseason, will now stay at Gillette Stadium through the 2005 season.

The 42-year-old former Liverpool and Scotland defender has a 23-18-10 career regular season record at the helm of the Revolution and is 4-3-3 in the playoffs.

Following an illustrious 13-season career in England Nicol moved to the United States to pursue a coaching career. He took over as interim head coach in New England in May 2002 and led the Revs to within an overtime goal of the MLS title. That season he was named MLS Coach of the Year Award.

Once the head-coaching job was a permanent position, Nicol led the Revs to within an overtime goal of a repeat trip to the MLS Cup final, losing out to Chicago at the final hurdle.

"Kraft Soccer is very happy to be able to reward Steve for the job he has done coaching the Revolution," said Sunil Gulati, Managing Director of Kraft Soccer. "He has the team pointed in the right direction and this contract extension is a reflection of that."

Nicol celebrated the news his job is secure for another two seasons by inking defender Jay Heaps and goal-scoring midfielder Chris Brown to new undisclosed deals.

Now in his fourth season with the Revolution, Heaps cemented his claim to the right fullback position in Nicol's flat back four defensive system. The native New Englander was the MLS Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 while with the Miami Fusion.

Brown fired a hat trick in his first start in a Revs uniform, during a 5-1 destruction of the Chicago Fire. The Revs acquired Brown from the Kansas City Wizards in a 2003 trade deadline deal that sent Wolde Harris and Jorge Vázquez to the Wizards in exchange for Brown and Dario Fabbro and a conditional SuperDraft pick. He missed much of the 2003 campaign with a stress fracture in his left foot.

[revolutionfan]

I interviewed former Revs assitant coach John Murphy, here's what he said about the Revs draft:
Revs draft offense in SuperDraft
http://www.angelfire.com/ma2/nerevs/2004gamestories/1_17_04.html

[Frank Cunha]

We're a very fan- and family-friendly operation. We felt we wanted to have a $10 seat for the betterment of everyone. We want to see the place filled up and fans get an affordable ticket."
-- Paul Andrews, senior vice president of ticket sales and operations for Kroenke Sports Enterprises, which purchased the Colorado Rapids from Anschutz Entertainment Group in September, upon lowering the price of the Rapids' cheapest ticket. Children under 5 will be admitted free. (Rocky Mountain News)
2004

[Frank Cunha]

Battery Signs Nick Downing 29/01/04

The Charleston Battery has agreed to terms with defender Nick Downing for the 2004 Season. Downing spent the 2003 season with the A-League Portland Timbers, on-loan from Major League Soccer's New England Revolution.

"Nick is a player who has had MLS experience but more importantly, played a whole season in the A-League with the Portland Timbers," Charleston Battery Head Coach Chris Ramsey said. "We feel he's a solid addition to the squad."

Nick Downing, 5'9'', 155 lbs., 23 yrs. played 26 games and logged 2,228 minutes for the Timbers in 2003.

Downing began his professional career in 2001 as the first round draft pick of the New England Revolution, where he played two seasons. He was also a member of the Nike Project-40 Select team alongside current Charleston Battery player, Michael Green.

A native of Redmond, WA, Downing was a three-year starter at the University of Maryland and a 1999 Hermann Trophy and Missouri Athletic Club award finalist. Downing scored one goal in 22 appearances for the United States Under-20 National Team, including three caps in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Charleston Battery players under contract for 2004: Chris Bagley, Ted Chronopoulos, Paul Conway, Linval Dixon, Chris Doyle, Justin Evans, Chris Goos, Michael Green, Josh Henderson, Dusty Hudock, Kevin Jackson, Steve Klein and Mark Watson

[revolutionfan]

Half the Battery played on the Revs at some point.

[revolutionfan]

Revs Sign Irish Midfielder Richie Baker
Former Irish Youth International and Shelbourne FC star headed to New England.
by Mike Marshall · January 30, 2004

The Revolution ended weeks of speculation on Thursday by acquiring former Irish Youth International Richie Baker on a free transfer from Shelbourne FC of the Irish Eircom League, RevsNet has learned. In keeping with league policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed

http://revsnet.matchnight.com/rnindex.cfm?page=ARTICLE&show=201

[revolutionfan]

Staff Shake-Up Continues

Driver, Capobianco set to follow Murphy out the door.

Mike Marshall· January 29, 2004


While this off-season has brought little in terms of player transactions, dramatic changes continue to alter the Revolution’s front office and coaching staffs.* Thursday’s Boston Globe reported that Assistant Coach Matt Driver has left the club to take an executive position at the Atlantic City Tropicana Hotel and Casino, and will also return to the Head Coaching position with the PDL’s South Jersey Barons.
*
In addition to Driver’s departure, RevsNet has learned that Director of Soccer Operations Renato Capobianco is also “likely” to leave the organization, according to sources with the team and with the league.* At this time, the reasons for Capobianco’s departure remain unclear.
*
With the opening of training camp just days away, Head Coach Steve Nicol is now faced with replacing both of his assistant coaches.* Goalkeeping coach John Murphy left the organization last week in order to take a position with the Columbus Crew.* Sources tell RevsNet that former Revolution assistant Peter Simonini is among the candidates to replace Murphy.* Simonini served as the team’s Goalkeeping coach under Walter Zenga in 1999, and was an Assistant Coach under Nicol when both were with the Boston Bulldogs.
*
Equipment manager Ryan Maxfield has left the team to take a similar position with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

[Frank Cunha]

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Training:
Feb. 18-Feb. 28: Boston
March 2-19: Ponta Delgada, Portugal (Azore Islands)
March 21- March 28: New Orleans

Matches:
TBD

Opening Day:
April 3 at Los Angeles Galaxy

[Frank Cunha]

"I'm 33 and if I have a season like I went through last year when it was hard for me to stay on the field and play at the level that I want to play, I'm not so sure I'm going to want to continue. It's been too long a break for me. I've played about two games in the last eight months."
-- Revolution forward Joe-Max Moore (Boston Herald)

[Frank Cunha]

"Santa Clara [of Portugal] has good players and they play in one of the best leagues in the world. ... But we are at different stages. Santa Clara is near the end of their season and [we] had only been training in the gym before we came to the island. But despite having players out, we showed we have a strong team."
-- New England defender Carlos Llamosa, after the Revolution lost to the
Portugese club, 4-2. (Boston Globe

[Frank Cunha]

1. REAL DEAL: Pending approval of schedule changes and signing of contracts, Real Madrid will meet a team of MLS all-stars in this year's All-Star Game.

As reported in the Confidential several months ago, Real officials had expressed misgivings about playing on July 24, the original All-Star date, which initiated efforts by MLS to move the date of the game.

MLS has reportedly reached an agreement with Real to play in Gillette Stadium July 31, which would necessitate shifting the All-Star Game to that date and staging the scheduled July 31 league matches a week earlier.

AEG president Tim Lieweke semi-officially spilled the beans last month when he told Galaxy season-ticket holders about a proposed Real Madrid game against the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl. A date for that game has yet to be set.

One joke going around league offices speculated on whether Real being upset in the Champions League quarterfinals would lower its appearance fee or prompt the club to ask for more money to make up for the millions it lost by losing to Monaco.

Real could net more than $2 million for its U.S. appearances, including guaranteed money, a share of ticket sales and other game-related revenues, sales of club merchandise, and revenues stemming from match broadcasts.

[Frank Cunha]

2. TRADE WINDOW: Do trades between MLS teams violate FIFA regulations that state contracted players cannot change clubs outside of transfer windows?

Technically, they probably do, but nothing prevented the Revs from trading Chris Brown to the Quakes earlier this month even though that transaction was conducted after the window closed.

According to an e-mail communique sent from FIFA, all player transactions must comply with FIFA regulations and the transfer windows in force. When a player moves between associations of different countries, which might have different transfer windows, the deal must comply with the window of the country to which he is going.

MLS has adopted Jan. 1-March 31 and Aug. 15-Sept. 15 as its 2004 transfer windows.

Transfer windows only apply to players under contract, so free agents who have played out their contracts and players released by their clubs can move at any time.

The windows apply to domestic transactions. FIFA statues stipulate regulations for registration and transfer of players ".... are also binding at national level."

[revolutionfan]

Real Madrid Close To Deal With MLS
Thursday, April 22, 2004; Page D02

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32294-2004Apr21.html

"Real Madrid, the most successful team in European soccer history, has tentatively agreed to play a squad of MLS players in the league's All-Star Game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., this summer, sources familiar with the negotiations said yesterday..."

[Frank Cunha]

should be a soldout game, hope MLS can make some money with the deal

[revolutionfan]

Originally posted by Frank Cunha
should be a soldout game, hope MLS can make some money with the deal

Any team with Luis Figo would sell out in Foxboro.