Revolution Return to Arizona with Roster Taking Shape

In early January, before the MLS SuperDraft, we knew of some of the changes and renewals that New England had made in hopes of improving in 2012. Clearest, however, was that many questions remained unanswered. It is now late February and the Revolution will soon return to Arizona for the second time this preseason to (finally) play some MLS teams in the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. Let’s recap the state of the Revs’ roster to see how many players we have now who will likely play in our first game in San Jose on March 10 and where we need to add depth or starters.

Inevitably, after 2011 and under a reorganized front office, including a new head coach, some players were going to depart. The new brain trust quickly waived rookies and reserve team players Andrew Sousa, Otto Loew, and Alan Koger in November. In the re-entry draft Kheli Dube was picked up and signed with the Chicago Fire. I wish him well against everyone but our Revs. Ryan Cochrane was not picked in the re-entry draft and returned to Texas to sign with the NASL San Antonio Scorpions. Nate Jaqua and Danliegh Borman had their rights picked up by Revs but moved on from MLS rather than play for us. A trio of late-2011 international players who started for the Revs had their options declined by the team in hopes they would renegotiate for less costly contracts. Of the three: Rajko Lekic, Milton Caraglio, and Monsef Zerka, none will return in 2012. If we fail to score goals during the start of the season, these negotiations will be brought up as possible missteps by our new front office.

Just ahead of their December unveiling of the 2012 New England Revolution uniform – complete with New England flag embroidered below the back neckline – the Revs announced new contracts for team leaders Matt Reis and Shalrie Joseph. That was a relief given rumors that our Captain, Shalrie, would consider signing elsewhere. In the re-entry draft we did see Jaqua and Borman walk, however, Clyde Simms did sign with us.  I will speculate, based on comments by Shalire and coach Heaps, that Clyde is the reason Steven McCarthy has been asked to add to our depth at center back. Just ahead of the MLS SuperDraft the Revs also announced two signings from Columbia, John Lozano and Fernando Cardenas. John Lozano, the older of the two, is likely to start alongside AJ Soares at center back. We picked up creative mid Kelyn Rowe and left back Tyler Polak in the draft. Both certainly add talent to our roster, though it remains to be seen how much they’ll contribute in 2012. After last season it is likely they will get some opportunities. The players picked in the supplemental draft do not receive contracts automatically, so, I’ll discuss those whove stuck around next. Most recently, French striker, Saer Sene, from Bayern Munich II has signed and is looking to show his talent in MLS. He is certainly not the only forward in camp, though he might be the most highly skilled forward the Revs have signed this off season. He certainly qualifies as the only forward signed this off-season who wants to play for us.

If you want to hear the stupid and as-yet-unresolved saga of the New England Revolution and Columbian striker Jose ‘Pepe’ Moreno, please go elsewhere. I don’t want to talk about Pepe Moreno. You can, however, listen to my friend Josh and I talk Revs topics galore by listening to The Rebel Alliance Podcast. Search for us in iTunes or visit us here.

We can practically chisel the names of some starters into stone while other positions would be better written in pencil. Reis in goal will back up Kevin Alston on the right and AJ Soares joined by Lozano at center back. Will Chris Tierney or rookie Tyler Polak earn more minutes at left back this season? Tierney or another more experienced defender is likely to start on March 10. Shalrie Joseph and Benny Feilhaber are the figurative and literal centers of this team and will continue to influence games with their skill and talent. I project rookie Kelyn Rowe and Ryan Guy as starting wingers. I also will not be at all surprised to see a new signing or another player from the roster beat out one or both for starting spots. Up at the sharp end of the attack, Saer Sene looks likely to start. Whether he partners with Schilawski, Mansally, Nyassi, Cardenas, Fagundez, one of the trialists, or a player we have not yet met, who knows? We’ll find out more and see Sene play in the coming days as preseason continues.

The Revolution’s second trip to Arizona this preseason brings us our first games against MLS teams in the FC Tuscon Desert Diamond Cup. We will play the Los Angeles Galaxy on February 22. On The Rebel Alliance Podcast we check in with Johnathon Sykes about the Galaxy and how they compare to our beloved Revs. We will also face new York Red Bull and Real Salt Lake in Arizona. Several unsigned players will travel with the team. Jeremiah White, returning from playing in lower European divisons, will have a second trial this preseason. Supplemental draft picks and MLS waived players Alec Purdie, Mike Roach, Blake Bretttschnieder, Gabe Mercier, Blake Wagner, and Dwayne ‘Rick’ Smith are all vying for roster spots. Out of that group I think Brettschnieder as a forward and Wagner as a left back might have the best shot at contracts due to their experience in MLS. Mike Roach and Alec Purdie, though, have both contributed to goals this preseason, so, we’ll see. MLS teams have to announce their rosters on March 1st so we will know more soon. The Revolution’s roster is taking shape but has not been finalized, yet.

(image courtesy of NERevolution on Flickr)