Rider Insider

A Manager’s Job Never Stops

It certainly has been way too long since the Revs last played. I actually had to see my family this past weekend. Thankfully, that won’t happen again anytime soon as the Revs are about to embark on an incredible stretch of matches. A portion of the schedule that would put even the deepest European sides in a tough place, never mind a team constrained by the salary cap among many other league mandated roster rulings.

Steve Nicol doesn't rest, he scouts!

The Revs could potentially play 10 matches over the next four weeks. Including, as I wrote a few postings ago, a stretch where they will be in three countries (Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, and the U.S.) within 7 days. Coach Steve Nicol, however, will have one more stamp on his passport than the rest of the squad when this wild ride is all wrapped up. He spent the past weekend in Honduras scouting a potential signing. No word on who or what team he was checking out but the fact that Nicol is still out there scouring the globe for talent is a very promising development.

The easy rumor is that he was out there in some capacity to lure George Welcome back to the Revs who claimed him with a discovery pick. The chances of the Revs signing Welcome, in my opinion, are very slim. With Taylor Twellman and Adam Cristman not too far off from full recovery and the youngsters Kheli Dube and Kenny Mansally already on board, the Revs do not really have a need at forward. Hopefully, Nicol is attempting to sign a defender or two to make up for the loss of Michael Parkhurst to the Olympics. If the player turns out to be Gabriel Badilla I would be very happy. Badilla is the versatile defender the Revs were linked to earlier in the season.

The hole in the back

Parkhurst will be doning a different Red, White, and Blue.

Speaking of Parkhurst, when I wrote a few weeks ago that Nicol wouldn’t allow Parkhurst to leave for Beijing I was not completely wrong. Apparently the USSF made no attempt to reach out to Nicol to request if the club would allow the player to leave for the Olympics. The organization just went ahead and made the announcement which left Nicol and the Revs in a tough situation. If they then decided to block the move it would be a very public affront to one of their star players who is also coming to the end of his deal. If he was not allowed to leave the squad the possibility of Parkhurst signing with the Revs would have taken a severe blow.

I’m still not happy Parkhurst is there but I do wish him the best in Olympics and I hope he shows the world what he can do. In his absence there is really only so much Nicol can do. If he sticks with a 3-5-2, who is the sweeper? I don’t see anyone who can do the job that Parkhurst does. The last time someone else tried to play his role was when James Riley filled in on a few occaisions at the beginning of last season. Those performances were certainly not memorable ones. I also could not see Heaps or Albright stepping into that role. The only person I could envision enjoying any success would be Igwe but he is still to raw and apt to give up a foul.

So with out further ado, let me give my best guess on the line up that will go out against Atlante on Wednesday:

———————Reis——————–

—–Albright—Heaps——Igwe——Tierny—–

—————Joseph–Larentowicz————-
—–Nyassi———Ralston———-Smith—–
——————–Dube——————–

The 4-5-1 is probably a little shocking but I think the more conservative approach is what needs to be taken in a one-leg playoff match up. Tierny played well in his only other match at left back and I feel that he is far more ready to play in such a big game than Valentino or Brill at center back.

This blog entry was God’s will, honest…

And peace be with you, Chase.

This team only needs one man to hand out communion and we all know who that is. Therefore we need to say farewell, Chase Hilgenbrinck. You accounted for yourself well in your brief time in the Revs’ red, white, and blue but now you are off to the clergy. I hope we get some allocation money or at least some cash considerations in return. One thing is certain, Chase, you willl be in my prayers to the Flying Spaghetti Monster in the Sky.

Hilgenbrinck’s departure, all future sainthood aside, appears to be the type of transaction that you find in small print at the end of the sports page. Hilgenbrinck is just a back up after all. A glance at the schedule ahead quickly ratchets up the importance of even the seldom used bench players on the Revs roster. If you thought the Revs faced a fixtures glut at the beginning of the season just wait until you see what is in store in August. Couple this with the news that the Revs could be without Michael Parkhurst due to Olympic team duties and the depth that Hilgenbrinck provides makes his role with team seem even more important.

Parkhurst could potentially miss up to nine matches for the Revs including the Super Liga semifinals and finals, the U.S. Open Cup semifinals and finals, and their first leg against Joe Public FC in the CONCACAF Champions League. Being without Parkhurst for these big matches, potentially some of the biggest of the season could really hurt the Revs chances of earning some silverware this year. Without Hilgenbrinck the Revs are left with only one defender on their bench with real game experience against another first division side (Amaechi Igwe) and as a result, if Parkhurst is lost Shalrie Joseph, Pat Phelan or Jeff Larentowicz will most likely be forced into central defense. Playing one of your more important players like Larentowicz or Joseph out of position is not something that a team that is competing for two international club trophies should need to do. This is why I think (and hope) that Steve Nicol will not allow Parkhurst to travel to the Olympics. One look at the upcoming matches and how important they are should be enough for even Parkhurst to draw that conclusion.

The upcoming schedule is a lot even for Steve Nicol. Nicol spent much of his career globetrotting with the Scottish National team and of course aiding Liverpool in successful quests for European glory. He knows a lot about a busy travel schedule but he has never played in 3 countries in one week, which is what the Revs will do when they take on D.C. United at Gillette Stadium on August 20^th, Toronto F.C. in Canada on August 23^rd and then wrap up their international tour on August 26^th taking on Joe Public FC in Trinidad and Tobago. The wildcard in all of this is the fact that U.S. Open Cup final is also scheduled on the 26^th. I can’t, for the life of me begin to predict which match will take precedent if this occurs but either way it would make for another fixture cluttered week.

Sure, the pressure of all of these extra matches may wind up wearing down the Revs but this year they seem to have the depth to cope, and when you consider the alternative of not playing in any competitions outside of the MLS this seems like a pretty good place to be.

Put the Red, In ‘Red, White, and Blue’

The Face of America!

A case can certainly be made that Jeff Larentowicz is most underrated player in the MLS. His consistency and high work rate have made him a perfect complement to Shalrie Joseph in the center of the Revs’ midfield. This season, however, Larentowicz has turned in some performance that should drag him out from behind Joseph’s impressive shadow. One match in particular, where he dominated current national team member Maurice Edu, gave me reason to believe that Larentowicz should be given a shot to wear the red, white, and blue. He plays a position where many players have been given a shot over the past few years and no one has really stuck. If Ricardo Clark and the aforementioned Edu are given the opportunity there also must be a chance for Larentowicz whose passing and vision this season have really improved greatly. If Bob Bradley wants to give his son some room to roam he should look no further than Larentowicz for protection.

So let the campaign begin, lets not let Jeff join a long line of snubs from the national team!

Of course, let’s just hope he doesn’t have to miss any important mid-season matches to get the respect he deserves.

Upcoming Match

Match day two in the Super Liga for the Revs is fast approaching on Wednesday and I see the same line up making its way onto the field to take on defending Super Liga champions Pachuca CF. There is a prevailing opinion that Pachuca is the best of the bunch in the Revs group which includes Chivas USA and Santos Laguna but this does not give me a reason not pick the Revs here. They played pretty conservative at times against Santos Laguna but I think they got some of the opening tournament jitters out of the way and couple that with a home field advantage I see the Revs clipping this one in a similar fashion to that of Santos Laguna match, 1 – 0.

Revs v. Hoops Preview

Despite what the front office and most of the media want you think, the Revs actually have a match this Friday against FC Dallas. Sure it starts at 6:30 pm and if you’re going straight from work you’ll likely miss more than a few minutes of action but we get to see the mighty Brazil right? Just make sure you save enough money for $40 parking and gas to idle in the parking lot for three hours after the match.

I, for one, will not be attending this match. I find the whole ordeal far too stressful and I would have to adjust my normal game day routine far too much for a team (Brazil) that I really don’t care about. I will be on my couch, with a beer (Coors Light perhaps) relaxing and enjoying what should be a competitive match.

Last time these two clubs met up it was in Frisco, TX and the Revs had reached rock bottom as far as injuries were concerned. They came out in a rare 4-4-2, Khano Smith netted a well-taken goal, and then the patchwork backline and Matt Reis buckled down and held on for the win.

I expect different things from this match with the Revs having almost their entire compliment of players (Taylor Twellman not withstanding) at their disposal. FC Dallas is also in a bit of a slump, only winning one of their last five matches.

I see this as a match where the Revs break out of their home field funk, they are only 2-2-1 in the cavernous Gillette Stadium but are a surprising 4-1-1 on the road. A home and away split like that is a true rarity in the MLS. The Revs will be in their more comfortable 3-5-2 and should be able to dictate the middle of the pitch thanks to Shalrie Joseph. Joseph’s last match against Dallas was one of his best of the season and I don’t see any one player on the Hoops roster that could cause the big man from Grenada any problems.

The only potential issue I see for the Revs is containing Kenny Cooper who will look to use his size and surprising agility to get the better of the Revs defense and the smaller Michael Parkhurst. The size advantage that Parkhurst gives away is always something that people point to as a cause for concern but in his stellar career I can’t think of one time where Parkhurst’s lack of size has hurt the Revs in any way.

BOLD PREDICTION: With Parkhurst shutting down Cooper and Joseph dictating the tempo I am confident in predicting a 2-0 victory for the Revs.

News and Notes

This past weekend, Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner were on hand for Honduras and Venezuela’s 1-1 draw and Panama’s 1-0 defeat over Guatemala at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale. According to a source, the scouting trip unearthed one defender that the Revs were very interested in signing. Unfortunately after a short pursuit of that player he was deemed too pricey for any further negotiations to continue. Georgie Welcome, the U-23 Honduran striker who has been linked to the Revs did not play for the senior team over the weekend.

It is quite clear that a defender has been a priority for Nicol as of late. Just a few days back from this scouting trip he pulled the trigger on a different deal to bring in defender Pat Phelan from Toronto. Before Phalen’s arrival, the first man off the bench, as far as defenders are concerned, was 19 year-old Amaechi Igwe. Igwe has played well in limited time this season but after him the waters are dangerously untested. With our strike force showing surprising depth and our midfield still the strength of our squad I have no problem with Nicol going out and trying to sure up the team. Adding a young untested in rookie Phelan is a good move for the future but if the ever present injury bug strikes again there is no one tested enough to step into the backline and aid in a playoff push that Revs fans have come to expect.

Saturday League News

My Saturday League side, Groton House FC, is in action this Saturday at 10 am in Franklin, Massachusetts at EMC Field. We’re looking to put together back to back wins for the first time this season and continue to distance ourselves from the relegation battle. This is a rebuilding year for us and a mid-table finish would be a fine accomplishment. Come on you Groton Housers! You can follow our progress in Division 2 all season long on bssl.com.

So here I am with a new blog on a site that I have no idea how many people read. I know the subject has to be the New England Revolution but other than that the choice is mine. With no real direction and the knowledge that my writing will be compared with the other bloggers on this site I know that I need to figure out my niche. I had hoped that this would come easy, I would sit down and the idea would just jump into my head. I know I don’t possess the Matt Reis-like wit of Chowda or am as capable of endless; yet entertaining rants like Seamus, but there has to be something that I can bring to the table.

There have been a few ideas on what the focus of this blog should be, most notably the idea tossed around where I blog from the parking lot, completely drunk, during the post-game tailgate, but nothing has given me the inspiration to the point where I feel that this blog must go in one specific direction. So, for now, I’m going to start this journey off the way I start many of my life journeys, with no real plans but the hopes of having a good time. The end result will hopefully be an entertaining and informative day-to-day read from the viewpoint of a diehard Revs fan and not result with me passed out from drinking too much or crying in front of strangers, which is how many of my other life journeys have ended.

So with that said, let’s get down to business. There have been a few items of concern on my mind regarding the Revs and almost none of them have to do with the play on the field. The Revs have been playing above my expectations this year especially considering all the injuries. For the most part, when someone has had to step up, they have. Kheli Dube and Sainey Nyassi have been more than impressive and are a huge part of why we’re sitting atop the table at this point in the season. If I avoid thinking about wasted spots on the roster and allocation money, I can get really positive about where we are as a squad. If Twellman gets healthy we could be peaking at an ideal time, right before the Super Liga.

Now enough of all that positive stuff…

As we all know, when it comes to Revs, things can be peachy on the pitch but it is never paradise. Lately a string of poor treatment from the front office has once again driven many fans to the breaking point. I know there are some Riders out there who disagreed completely with the nature of the protest and there were others who were very quick to say that it wouldn’t change a thing. The fact of the matter is that something needed to give. Either the TIFO displays stop all together or people work together to find a solution to this problem. It seems that collectively the Riders have chosen the latter course and I think it was the right way to go. Clearly, it will take more than that one protest to make a point to the dead-behind-the-eyes front office but it was a positive, unifying, first step to supporting the club the way that they deserve.

The unity was great but there was something that occurred in the Fort last Thursday that I was a little miffed by. The protest required everyone participating to remain seated and completely quite. Yet, just behind the protesting Fort there was a “Stand Up, Speak Up” sign, in response to the now infamous comments heard in a Youtube video from last week’s match in Columbus. Don’t get me wrong, the racist language hurled at my new favorite player Kheli Dube was disgusting, but it is an issue that has been beaten to death and condemned by everyone in the soccer world this side of the Atlantic. The sign undermined the point of the Revs protest against the front office and probably went a long way to confusing other fans and the media. If those with the sign knew what the Fort was planning as far as the protest was concerned they should have left the sign at home or kept it under wraps until the 12 minute mark passed.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say about the protest, my take on a certain banner and what you would like to read about in this and any of the Rider’s blogs.

Next up, a preview of Fridays match and probably a lot of moaning about $40 parking and the pushed up kick-off time.