American Revolution: A New England Revolution (MLS) Story

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January 1, 2012 - ESPN Soccernet reports that the New England Revolution have reached a deal with 25 year old Shylo Elliott to become their head coach. Elliott is a largely unknown commodity within American soccer circles, he played for the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders men's soccer team, but has no managerial experience. Word from sources said that the Revolution didn't expect to hire Elliott but were impressed with his interview, and wanted to go with an outside-the-box hire.

Introductory Press Conference

(J - Journalist; SE - Shylo Elliott)

J: Congratulations on becoming the head coach of the New England Revolution! Is it a dream come true for you?

SE: It is, definitely! It would be a dream to coach any team, considering my experience. I'm just glad the Revolution gave me a chance to show what I can do.

J: Have you taken a look at the squad yet? What do you think?

SE: I've only taken a cursory glance at my team. I believe I can win with anyone I put out onto the field, but in time, I do want to make this my own team.

J: Do you plan to hire your own staff?

SE: We don't have much time in the offseason until friendlies start, so for now, I will be retaining everyone. My staff will be evaluated in the offseason and I will hire and fire as necessary.

J: What kind of soccer do you plan on playing?

SE: They hired me to play attacking soccer, and that's what we'll do. I want a healthy mix of keeping the ball on the ground and making entertaining and effective plays in the final third. I want to pass opponents into the ground. The best defense is a good offense. If we're not scoring goals, they are. If we're not possessing the ball, they are. Ball control is very important to me. That said, defense will not be optional, either. I expect my team to win every ball in the air. I expect my defense to act as a shield for my goalkeeper. If my goalkeeper has to make saves, we've failed.

J: What formation do you plan on utilizing?

SE: My favorite formation and the one I wish to install is a 4-3-3 played with 4-5-1 personnel. I like having attacking midfielders on the wings and a strong central defensive midfielder setup. I feel like only one striker is necessary in the modern game, midfielders are a jack of all trades, and you only need one guy to score a goal. Even my defenders will come up and score a few goals, that's the kind of soccer I want us to play.

J: You have five strikers on your squad, though. How will you deal with that?

SE: In time, this will be my roster. Until then, I will adapt, I will consider rotating strikers in as attacking midfielders.

J: Who is your model manager?

SE: I have two models. My first is Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal. He subscribes to a philosophy of attacking soccer, as well as building a club cheaply through youth. It's even more important in MLS since we have a salary cap. My second model is Bill Belichick, the football coach of the New England Patriots. The NFL also has a salary cap, and Belichick has managed to win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years despite the presence of the cap. I want to make the Revolution a soccer power in the same vein, and become as respected as a tactical genius as Belichick is.


J: Thank you for coming out for this press conference!

Looking forward to this story, first one in the MLS for Fm13

Team Report:

January 2012 Update

Transfers Out:
Saer Sene (ST) loaned to RC Lens for seasoning
Darrius Barnes (D (C)) traded to Sporting Kansas City for 2013 Superdraft 2nd round pick and 2013 Supplemental Draft 1st round pick
Tim Murray (GK) loaned to Pittsburgh Riverhounds for seasoning

Comments: Barnes was only a 2 star rated player for MLS, and we gave up a 3rd round pick for him, so to get those two picks is a pretty nice deal.

Games:



1.24.2012 - New England Revolution 2 @ Minnesota Stars 0
- 7': Kaliman goal for Stars disallowed due to foul
- 82': Juan Carlos Toja goal for Revolution
- 85': Juan Carlos Toja goal for Revolution

Manager's Comments: This was a dull game for 80 minutes, and until the 2nd half, the Stars dominated possession. Thankfully, they were wasteful of their chances, and we got some good ones in late in the game to not be embarrassed.



1.26.2012 - New England Revolution 0 @ San Antonio Scorpions 1
- 4': Cochrane goal for Scorpions

Manager's Comments: This was a terrible game for us, we didn't have the ball, and when we did we didn't make anything out of it.



1.28.2012 - New England Revolution 2 @ Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2
- 6': Anderson goal for Strikers disallowed due to offside
- 11': Chris Tierney injured and has to leave the game
- 20': Strikers' Lance Laing yellow carded
- 35': Benny Feilhaber goal for Revolution
- 45+1': Mark Anderson goal for Strikers
- 47': Leopoldo Morales goal for Strikers
- 52': Tyler Polak injured and has to leave the game
- 62': Juan Carlos Toja goal for Revolution
- 90+5': Strikers' Toni Stahl yellow carded

Manager's Comments: Thankfully the injuries weren't too bad. I really like Toja's playmaking ability, I just need to get the defense playing well.



1.31.2012 - New England Revolution 1 @ Charleston Battery 2
- 5': Lee Nguyen goal for Revolution
- 37': Battery's Nicholas Paterson yellow carded
- 41': Colin Falvey goal for Battery
- 65': Zach Prince goal for Battery

Manager's Comments: We should never have let them make that great counterattack that gave Prince the winning goal. We dominated possession, but we had about as many chances.

Tactics:

I forgot to change pressing to tighter pressing until the 4th match. I'm thinking about changing to a more direct and longer shot style, just to take advantage of our poachers, plus our movement isn't as good.

Finally an MLS story, brilliant.

The MLS has very complex rules and it's a pain to manage in. But finally someone has take up the challenge. Good luck with New England. Feilhaber is the only player I recognize from your team

February 2012 Update:

Transfers:
- Andrew Ramirez (regen) signed on a Senior Entry Level contract for $44,500 per year
- Shad Brown (regen) signed on a Senior Entry Level contract for $44,500 per year
- Participated in the Weighted Lottery for Jason Patiño, results unknown as of the end of February





Ramirez and Brown are callups from the Revolution Academy. They're raw, but they have great potential, I need center backs, and I have no issue playing kids. Also, from what I just learned of the Weighted Lottery, teams can only get one player on Weighted Lottery transfer per year, but it doesn't seem to hurt to participate, and even though Patino hasn't been scouted, he seems reasonable to me.

Staff Transactions:
- Fitness coach Nick Downing agreed to a mutual termination for $95K. I wanted to look in a different direction.
- Physio Rick Guter signed a 5 year, $64,000 per year contract
- Fitness coach Ralf Hennig signed a 2 year, $96,000 per year contract


Tactics:

Trying out a vanilla 4-4-2 formation with more direct play. I hate putting the ball up in the air, but let's face it, we're not a top European side. We won't be that efficient, but we don't need to be. If we can catch defenses on the transition, that will create goals for us.

Games:



2.3.2012 - New England Revolution 3 @ Rochester Rhinos 1
- 1': Jose Moreno goal for Revolution (in 24 seconds!)
- 19': Jerry Bengston goal for Revolution
- 43': Jose Moreno goal for Revolution
- 59': Chris Tierney injured and has to leave the field
- 75': Rhinos awarded penalty after A.J. Soares foul in box
- 75': Tam McManus goal for Rhinos (missed penalty off the woodwork, got the rebound in)
- 83': A.J. Soares yellow carded

Manager's Comments: We didn't play perfectly, but it's hard to find fault with this kind of game.



2.18.2012 - Spartak Moscow 5 @ New England Revolution 1
- 4': Welliton goal for Spartak Moscow
- 10': Welliton goal for Spartak Moscow
- 23': Welliton goal for Spartak Moscow
- 54': McGeady goal for Spartak Moscow
- 77': Jerry Bengston goal for Revolution
- 81': Ari goal for Spartak Moscow
- 85': Juan Carlos Toja yellow carded

Manager's Comments: We expected Spartak Moscow to be very tough opposition, but never makes losing by this margin feel better.



2.25.2012 - New England Revolution 0 @ Charlotte Eagles 0

Manager's Comments: What the average American thinks every soccer match is. No action, no heroics, just 90 minutes of boredom.

Those look like brilliant regens!

Go New England !!!

March 2012 Update

Player Transfers:
- Jose Moreno (ST) signed a 1 year contract extension for $81,000 a year, his contract now expires December 2013
- Chivas USA won the weighted lottery for Jason Patino
- Selected Kei Kamara (ST) with 4th overall pick in MLS Waiver Draft, passed on 2nd round pick
- Claimed Futty Danso (D (C)) on waivers from Portland
- Signed Jorge Gutierrez (GK) from Revolution Academy to developmental contract worth $33,500 per year
- Signed Aaron Cruz (D (LR)) from Revolution Academy to Academy Apprentice contract worth $33,500 per year
- Signed Casey Conrad (D (CR)) from Revolution Academy to Academy Apprentice contract worth $33,500 per year





Always building towards the future, and these are cheap players.

Staff Transfers:
- Former US international Tony Meola signed a 5 year, $94,000 per year contract to act as a Coach.
- Carlos Juarez signed a 2 year, $94,000 per year contract to act as a Coach.
- Carmen D'Onofrio signed a 2 year, $29,000 per year contract to act as a Scout.


Games:



3.3.2012 - New England Revolution 0 @ Antigua Barracuda 1
- 30': Jerry Bengston own goal for Antigua Barracuda
- 85': Kerry Skepple yellow carded

Manager's Comments: We keep dominating possession, but losing on the score sheet. Our finishing is terrible and needs to be improved.

REGULAR SEASON BEGINS (finally!)



3.10.2012 - New England Revolution 0 @ San Jose Earthquakes 4
- 5': Victor Bernardez (San Jose) yellow carded
- 15': Benny Feilhaber (New England) yellow carded
- 20': Fabian Espindola goal for San Jose
- 47': Simon Dawkins goal for San Jose
- 55': Kevin Alston yellow carded
- 67': San Jose penalty given due to Juan Carlos Toja's foul in the box
- 68': Alan Gordon goal for San Jose on penalty
- 88': Simon Dawkins (San Jose) yellow carded
- 90+2': Fabian Espindola goal for San Jose (Neither my defender or the goalkeeper wanted the ball!)

Injury Update: Benny Feilhaber out 5-6 weeks with a twisted ankle and has been placed on the Disabled List

Manager's Comments: This was atrocious. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or if the players are just not quality, but we have lots of room for improvement.



3.17.2012 - New England Revolution 1 @ Sporting Kansas City 0
- 7': Kevin Alston (New England) yellow carded
- 46': Jose Moreno goal for New England
- 16': Chris Tierney (New England) yellow carded
- 84': Roger Espinoza (Kansas City) yellow carded

Injury Report: Blair Gavin out 3 weeks with a gashed leg

Manager's Comments: It was an ugly grinder, but we won, and the post match pep talk helped greatly with morale. I moved back to a shorter passing style with the 4-4-2.



3.24.2012 - Portland Timbers 1 @ New England Revolution 2
- 5': Clyde Simms goal for New England
- 21': Kei Kamara goal for New England
- 47': Jack Jewsbury (Portland) given yellow card for simulation
- 60': Lovel Palmer goal for Portland
- 66': Kris Boyd disallowed goal for Portland (offside)

Manager's Comments: After having a great first half, we tried to do everything possible to blow our lead, then, with about 20 minutes left, we got our second wind, and while we didn't score, we did control the ball and not let Portland have chances.



3.31.2012 - New England Revolution @ Los Angeles Galaxy
- 7': Jose Moreno goal for New England
- 37': Juninho (Los Angeles) yellow carded
- 47': Kevin Alston (New England) yellow carded
- 50': Kevin Alston goal for New England
- 52': Robbie Keane goal for Los Angeles
- 55': David Junior Lopes (Los Angeles) yellow carded
- 68': Clyde Simms goal for New England
- 71': Jerry Bengston goal for New England
- 81': Michael Stephens (Los Angeles) yellow carded

Manager's Comments: A great win! We don't have the big name internationals like Los Angeles has, but we did have the quality today.

good luck man! started a revs story but couldn't keep it going!

April 2012 Update

Player Transfers:
- Participated in the weighted lottery for Dan Law (GK); Portland won the weighted lottery
- Benny Feilhaber removed from Disabled List on 4.14.2012; Florian Lechner waived to create a roster spot for Feilhaber

Staff Transfers:

- Physio Odin Vite signed a 5 year, $39,000 per year deal with the Revolution.

Match Results:



4.5.2012 - New England Revolution 1 @ FC Dallas 0
- 8': Jerry Bengston goal for New England

Manager's Comments: The referee was very lenient, with no cards being given out all game when one or two might have been justified, not that I'm complaining. Both of us were unlucky with our chances, but we were luckier with ours and had the luxury of playing 82 minutes with an outright lead.



4.14.2012 - DC United 0 @ New England Revolution 3
- 9': Jerry Bengston goal for New England
- 16': Jerry Bengston goal for New England
- 58': Jerry Bengston goal for New England

Manager's Comments: I had been dismissive of Jerry Bengston's abilities earlier in the season, even going to the point of picking up Kei Kamara off waivers and starting him over Bengston. I'm very glad to have been proven wrong, and I hope Bengston can keep banging them in!

Injury Report: Juan Carlos Toja out 2 to 3 weeks with a gashed leg. He's been playing great so this will hurt for us, but we shall overcome.

Other News: Jerry Bengston named MLS Player of the Week for his performance; the MLS International Transfer deadline passed on 4.15.2012, I didn't feel like there were any moves to be made, and my roster is already packed.

Injury Report (4.21.2012) - Shad Brown out 2 to 3 weeks with a virus, he has been sent home to recuperate.
Injury Report (4.23.2012) - Alec Purdie out 4 to 5 weeks with a back strain from weight training. He will not be placed on the Disabled List even though he's eligible.



4.28.2012 - New England Revolution 1 @ New York Red Bulls 1
- 24': Fernando Cardenas (New England) yellow carded
- 31': Kevin Alston (New England) red carded for violent conduct
- 67': Tim Cahill (New York) yellow carded
- 84': Lee Nguyen goal for New England
- 90+2': Kenny Cooper goal for New York

Manager's Comments: As disappointed as I am that we let the win slip away at the last moment, a draw is very good considering we were left with 10 men for most of the match.

Disciplinary Note: The New England Revolution have given Kenny Alston an official warning about his on-field conduct, or lack thereof.

This is brilliant. Great job finding some classy regents