United to leave DC????

Believe it or not - this may happen. If DC United does not get a new soccer stadium in the near future then MLS may move the team.

Jason Davis over at Match Fit USA has started a campaign that all supporters of Major League Soccer should support.

Despite the animosity that often comes with our club allegiances, there remains a certain amount of solidarity across the MLS spectrum. The league is young, the margins small, and to an extent, we're all in this together.

No mater how much you might hate United and their fans (I'm looking at you Red Bull), it would be impossible to argue that a relocated United would be a good thing. Who would New York fans have to hate if DC moved to say, St. Louis? It's just not the way things should be.

So why not make May 9th "Keep United in DC" Day across the league?

I know, I know. Who cares about DC United?

Well YOU should - and here's why.

DC United with all of its early success brought credibility to this league when it was just starting out. It quickly became the blueprint of what every MLS team wanted to be - a winning team with a passionate fan base.

The fact that MLS is even considering moving this team is discouraging... if they move DC United, what's to stop them from moving YOUR team?

You may think New England is safe, especially with all the money that the Krafts have sunk into Patriot Place. But the Revs have notoriously low attendance records despite all of their recent success. And even if they don't pay rent at Gillette, MLS still wants every team to have its own ground. (Hence the research into a SSS in Somerville, and the rumors of a move to Hartford area that circulated late last year).

Teams like DC United and Houston Dynamo are low hanging fruit for MLS because they pay rent... but once those cherries are picked - MLS will turn its gaze to New England.

The Midnight Ride Begins anew...

With the launch of the first ever episode of the Midnight Ride Podcast!

CLICK HERE

This is my first ever attempt at doing something like this solo so I apologize if it stumbles along.  It was definitely a lot more work than I thought it would be!

Fans of CSRN be sure to listen for a little "wayback machine" in the middle of the podcast.

Please let me know what you think!

Episode 1 Show Notes

L.E. Eisenmenger

http://www.examiner.com/x-4128-New-England-Revolution-Examiner
http://twitter.com/madisonroad

Twiggster
Glory Glory Leeds!
http://www.csrnusa.com/glorygloryleeds/
podcast:
http://www.csrnusa.com/glorygloryleeds/glory-glory-leeds-show/

http://www.csrnusa.com

http://www.matchfitusa.com

http://www.gingetalksthefooty.com

http://www.winninguglyradio.com

Another Brilliant Marketing Idea

Except this one might actually work...just not on me.

So while the Revs are on the road, the newest guerilla marketing arm of the Kraft Soccer corporation will be giving out free giveaways at a hip sports bar downtown. I was very tempted to go - just so I could see the Rev Girls in action... but then I realized that the pub is down the street from Fenway, and the Red Sox are on at the same time.

While I think it is a good idea for the Rev Girls to get in the faces of some die hard sox fans, I just can't get motivated to go all the way into Boston (just "1200 steps from Fenway park") to watch this game, for one good reason: I want to actually WATCH the game. I mean it's a Bawstin spawts bah for christsake, and the Sawx are on!!! Not only that the bar is named after "'Nuff Said" McGreevy, for crying out loud, the legendary leader of the "Royal Rooters" (the original Red Sox Nation). I can't imagine that there will be more than one TV devoted to the Revolution while the Sox are playing. Then add the thousands of people in Boston who don't have tickets to the game at Fenway, and the revs fans are going to have a real hard time seeing or even hearing anything on the game.

So good luck Rev Girls - I hope the patrons of McGreevy's have a good time and that you can convince some of Red Sox Nation to come out and support the Revs, but you will have to count me out. I'll be enjoying the game from the comforts of home.

Match Preview: DC United

Tonight the Revs are on the road again for the third time this season, and having played only four games.  This week, the Revs are up against DC United and I am a bit tentative when I say that I like our chances.

 

The main reason is DC United have not been playing lights out defense this year, and as such are giving up a lot of late goals.  In the four matches they have played this season, they have scored the first goal, but yet have only one win to show for it (and that was against Houston, who are still struggling to find their offense).  I am also not a big fan of goalkeeper Louis Crayton, who I feel is a bit suspect and a big liability for DC.  On the plus side they have Luciano Emilio who, having looked way out of shape last season, seems to have regained his fitness from two years ago; but, so far he has been the only consistent scorer for DC.

 

For the Revs it is a question of injuries.  If Larentowicz (questionable) is not able to go tonight, Pat Phelan will get the start.  This will put more defensive responsibility on Shalrie which will limit his ability to effectively distribute the ball.  The Revs will have to look to Steve Ralston to set up the offense, if not provide it entirely.

 

That being said, I do not predict a high scoring game.  Although I am hoping for a win for the Revs, I am going to call this game a draw: 1-1.  Emilio scores for DC, with Ralston scoring the equalizer. 

 

 

 

Thank you GINGE!

My very good friend and colleague GINGE (aka Zach Woosley) helped clean up my blog by completely renovating the layout... I think it's a lot cleaner and much easier to read.  Make sure you visit gingetalksthefooty.com and pay your respects.

Revs waive Argenis Fernandez

The long expected roster move has finally come and gone. The New England Revolution announced earlier this week that Costa Rican forward Argenis Fernandez was cut in order to make room for Ghanaian defender Emmanuel Osei.

However the death nell for Fernandez, was not the signing of Osei, but rather the signing of Cameroonian Stephane Assengue, who is also a forward.

Fernandez, who was signed in February 2008, saw very little time on the field for the Revolution, and obvioulsy failed to impress. He made just two substitute appearances for the Revs before going out on loan.

Looking at the transaction, Fernandez had to be the logical choice. First and foremost the Revolution were out of international roster spots. The team only had seven spots to begin with because it traded one of its spots to Toronto for defender Pat Phelan, and used their last remaining spot to sign Assengue.

The remaining 5 spots are occupied by Badilla, Castro, Dube, Mansally, and Nyassi.

Shalrie Joseph does not occupy an international spot on the roster.

USL Team faces tough competition in Semi Final

A great article in New York Times today... a true success story for one of the so called "minor league" teams.

USL is anything but Minor League. Sure they don't have the marketing engine behind them that MLS has in SUM, but what it does have is quality.

I'll try and write more on this later....

Click here for article