AC St. Louis will be announcing former New England Revolution midfielder and Captain Steve Ralston as their first signing today. A press conference in St. Louis is scheduled for 2:00 EST.
Ralston, 35 years old and a St. Louis native, rejected an offer from the New England Revolution last week. It was widely speculated that he had received another offer to play elsewhere, as the word 'retirement' was never used. Tim Timerman of the St. Louis Dispatch put two and two together in this post.
Ralston is currently rehabbing from surgery to a torn ACL suffered in a game against Seattle last fall, and would likely not be available to play until June. It was the second year in a row where Ralston's season was cut short by injury (in 2008 Ralston suffered a broken leg vs Kansas City) and many thought this latest injury would be the end of his career.
Further speculation had Ralston stepping into an assistant coach with the Revs', as long time Nicol assistant Paul Mariner left to take over at English Championship side, Plymouth Argyle. Ralston maintained all along however that it was his ambition to return this season as a player.
Ralston, who had been with the Revs since 2002, is a 14 year MLS veteran and leads the league in assists, games played, and minutes played.
WWND - What Will Nicol do?
Looking ahead to the 2010 MLS SuperDraft this Thursday in Philadelphia, one would think that the Revs would go for a top notch striker in the first round, right?
After watching the New England Revolution over the last two seasons, it has become increasingly obvious to even the casual fan that the team needs help up front. And with your top two goal scorers from 2008 starting 2009 on the injured list, you would think that the Revolution would have added some support to the forward line during the off season last year. Well they didn't and they were forced to move Shalrie Joseph into a more attacking role, a move which paid off in terms of goals scored (he led the team with 9) but the midfield suffered as a result.
So you would think that the Revs, learning from the experience of last season, that they need to pick up a goal scorer in the draft, right? Once bitten,twice shy?
Nope. Here's why.
As discussed in depth and ad nauseum on the latest episode of The Midnight Ride Podcast, the Revolution have big gaping holes on the roster, and not just at forward. At Goalkeeper, they have lost Brad Knighton in the expansion draft to the Philadelphia Union, and Matt Reis has undergone rotator cuff surgery. In the back line they have lost a key defenseman in veteran Jay Heaps who has decided to retire. Another cause for concern will be the absence of regular starting midfielders Jeff Larentowicz, who is probably going to leave the team as his contract is up, and Steve Ralston, who is recovering from an ACL injury. Twellman's injury status is still questionable -and when you consider the lack of goals scored by the forwards (10 goals total - not including Twellman's 100th and 101st- a contibution of less than 33% of the team's total), and the likelihood that forward Edgaras Jankauskas is not returning to the team, you have to wonder where the goals are going to come from (the Revs scored only 33 goals last year - second to last in the league).
And while the last point is probably the most critical toward the team's success, it is also the chief reason why the Revolution should NOT draft a forward/striker in the first round this Thursday.
The chief reason is this: The Revs need instant offense. New England can not afford to wait for a goal scorer to develop the way that other teams with deeper forward lines can. And while there is undeniable talent available in the draft at the forward position, history has shown that Forwards taken in the draft have not paid instant dividends and in some cases have not paid off at all.
If you look at last years draft, there were three forwards taken in the first round. Zakuani (4 goals) was taken first by Seattle, a team that had depth at the forward position with Montero and Jaqua. Marosevic (0 goals) was taken by Dallas who started the season with Cooper and Cunningham. O'Brian White (2 Goals) taken by Toronto FC who although they struggled to score goals, on paper they were very deep at Forward. So from the top three picks at the forward position, a grand total of 6 goals over the course of the season.
The prior drafts were not much better. Patrick Nyarko, who appears to be coming into his own with the Chicago Fire, has still only scored 5 goals in his career - 4 of them in his second year. The two forwards picked in first round in 2007 draft are not even in the league. The only forward from the draft that has found success in the league is outlier Robbie Findley, who as a second round pick has 26 goals in three seasons.
So the point I am making in a rather round about way is the best way for the Revs to get offense is to look outside the draft; either by trade, or by free agent acquisition. If they were to pick up someone like Ryan Johnson (11 goals with San Jose), they would be providing Kheli Dube or Twellman (if he's healthy) with a formidable striking partner up front. The Revolution still have a designated player spot available to them as well, which they could use to attract a big name, perhaps from South America or Central America, which could also help fill the seats.
And most importantly, by looking outside the draft for help at forward, The Revs could then focus on other areas of the team where the draft has proven successful for them: Namely, Defense (See Barnes, Alston) and Midfield (Dempsey, Dorman).
After watching the New England Revolution over the last two seasons, it has become increasingly obvious to even the casual fan that the team needs help up front. And with your top two goal scorers from 2008 starting 2009 on the injured list, you would think that the Revolution would have added some support to the forward line during the off season last year. Well they didn't and they were forced to move Shalrie Joseph into a more attacking role, a move which paid off in terms of goals scored (he led the team with 9) but the midfield suffered as a result.
So you would think that the Revs, learning from the experience of last season, that they need to pick up a goal scorer in the draft, right? Once bitten,twice shy?
Nope. Here's why.
As discussed in depth and ad nauseum on the latest episode of The Midnight Ride Podcast, the Revolution have big gaping holes on the roster, and not just at forward. At Goalkeeper, they have lost Brad Knighton in the expansion draft to the Philadelphia Union, and Matt Reis has undergone rotator cuff surgery. In the back line they have lost a key defenseman in veteran Jay Heaps who has decided to retire. Another cause for concern will be the absence of regular starting midfielders Jeff Larentowicz, who is probably going to leave the team as his contract is up, and Steve Ralston, who is recovering from an ACL injury. Twellman's injury status is still questionable -and when you consider the lack of goals scored by the forwards (10 goals total - not including Twellman's 100th and 101st- a contibution of less than 33% of the team's total), and the likelihood that forward Edgaras Jankauskas is not returning to the team, you have to wonder where the goals are going to come from (the Revs scored only 33 goals last year - second to last in the league).
And while the last point is probably the most critical toward the team's success, it is also the chief reason why the Revolution should NOT draft a forward/striker in the first round this Thursday.
The chief reason is this: The Revs need instant offense. New England can not afford to wait for a goal scorer to develop the way that other teams with deeper forward lines can. And while there is undeniable talent available in the draft at the forward position, history has shown that Forwards taken in the draft have not paid instant dividends and in some cases have not paid off at all.
If you look at last years draft, there were three forwards taken in the first round. Zakuani (4 goals) was taken first by Seattle, a team that had depth at the forward position with Montero and Jaqua. Marosevic (0 goals) was taken by Dallas who started the season with Cooper and Cunningham. O'Brian White (2 Goals) taken by Toronto FC who although they struggled to score goals, on paper they were very deep at Forward. So from the top three picks at the forward position, a grand total of 6 goals over the course of the season.
The prior drafts were not much better. Patrick Nyarko, who appears to be coming into his own with the Chicago Fire, has still only scored 5 goals in his career - 4 of them in his second year. The two forwards picked in first round in 2007 draft are not even in the league. The only forward from the draft that has found success in the league is outlier Robbie Findley, who as a second round pick has 26 goals in three seasons.
So the point I am making in a rather round about way is the best way for the Revs to get offense is to look outside the draft; either by trade, or by free agent acquisition. If they were to pick up someone like Ryan Johnson (11 goals with San Jose), they would be providing Kheli Dube or Twellman (if he's healthy) with a formidable striking partner up front. The Revolution still have a designated player spot available to them as well, which they could use to attract a big name, perhaps from South America or Central America, which could also help fill the seats.
And most importantly, by looking outside the draft for help at forward, The Revs could then focus on other areas of the team where the draft has proven successful for them: Namely, Defense (See Barnes, Alston) and Midfield (Dempsey, Dorman).
Episode 12 - The Midnight Ride 2010 MLS SuperDraft Preview show
Now the OFFICIAL podcast of the Midnight Riders!
Hank Alexandre, Sean Donahue, and Brian O'Connell welcome New England Revolution Supporter and Midnight Rider Nathan Gower to the first episode of the new year and the OFFICIAL podcast of the Midnight Riders!
It's a round table discussion centered around the Revs needs going into this week's draft, and the panel quickly discovers that the outlook is a lot worse than anyone realized.
Jay Heaps: One Fan's Perspective
I have been thinking about writing something about the recent retirement of defender Jay Heaps from the New England Revolution for some time. I wasn't sure of the best way to approach the topic, because - believe it or not - I was not always a fan of Jay Heaps.
I have been a fan of the Revs since the inception of the league, but I only started actively "covering" the Revolution in my blog about four years ago, and even then it wasn't very often. I spent most of my time on message boards talking with other fans about the Revs and the recent games, and the angst caused by some of the players. Here are some of my early thoughts about Jay Heaps from way back in 2006.
Later in 2006 I was asked by CSRN to be the New England Revolution correspondent for their new weekly radio show "Around The League", so I started actively watching replays of the games via DVR, paying close attention to the players. It was then that I really started to take notice of Jay Heaps. I grew to respect his aggressive and scrappy style of play, even though parts of his game, like complaining to the Referee or Linesman, still bothered me. But the more I watched, the more I grew to respect his game, especially the way he played some of the tough strikers like Jaime Moreno and Ante Razov. He never shied away from playing those guys tough or mixing it up when the need arose. Despite his reputation as a scrappy player, Heaps only picked up 63 cautions and 4 ejections in his 11 year MLS career. Somehow it seemed like a lot more.
This past season, in my opinion, was Jay's best in his professional career. Playing left back, Jay was able to get forward and get into the attack more often than in previous years when he was playing in the 3-5-2 or at center back, and I got to see first hand what he really brought to the team. He always played his heart out, especially when his team was down, and would dig into the opposing corners, win balls for his team, and then run his tail off to cover on the counter attack. Jay played every game this season as if it was his last game. His hard work and dedication to his club earned him a well deserved call up to the US Men's National Team, an honor which yielded him his only caps for his country (as well as an ejection in the Gold Cup Final - yeah Jay, we noticed).
Recently I have been thinking about the collective age of the core group of veterans in the New England Starting 11 - Ralston, Reis, Joseph, Twellman and Heaps - and came to the conclusion that this core was getting old quick. They are all in their 30's (Twellman, born on February 29th, will be 30 on his next "birthday") and their age is starting to show. Twellman never fully recovered from his head injury last year. Reis was apparently playing with a bad shoulder for most of the season. Shalrie Joseph was banged up for portions of the season, and often played injured. And for a second year in a row, Steve Ralston's season was cut short just before playoffs. You could even throw Chris Albright into the mix as he is still on the roster and well into his 30's and also sat out the entire year. The Revolution were thereby forced to field a much younger team than in the past inluding starting three MLS rookies on the back line.
However, despite all of the injuries and new players, the Revolution were able to count on Jay Heaps. He provided the anchor that the Revs needed in the start of the season when the likes of Ralston and Reis were both sidelined with injury. He provided the leadership they needed at the end of the season, when the playoffs were on the line. He even added a goal and an assist along the way in the "Milestone Game" against the Red Bulls. If not for his call up to the national team, Jay would have started for the Revs every game this season.
Over the last few years, Heaps established himself as one of the key leaders on the Revolution team, both on the field and in the locker room, showing by example what it takes to succeed in this league. He leaves the Revs as the all time leader in starts (238), games (243), and minutes played (21,619). He takes with him 11 years worth of experience soaked in blood, sweat, and even tears. His drive, his grit, and his passion for the game will most certainly be hard to replace.
Jay - if you are reading this - you won me over. I can honestly say I am going to miss watching you play next year. You gave your all to our team, and for that I thank you.
I have been a fan of the Revs since the inception of the league, but I only started actively "covering" the Revolution in my blog about four years ago, and even then it wasn't very often. I spent most of my time on message boards talking with other fans about the Revs and the recent games, and the angst caused by some of the players. Here are some of my early thoughts about Jay Heaps from way back in 2006.
"Heaps is tough, but he whines a bit too much... JUST PLAY, JAY!"
"Heaps bugs me. That was such an obvious swat in the face of Moreno, and the foul could have given United another goal if it was inside the box. Stupid play - I am glad [Heaps] got an elbow in the mouth."
".... still think Larentowicz is the man. Love his style of play .... take notes Jay Heaps!"
Later in 2006 I was asked by CSRN to be the New England Revolution correspondent for their new weekly radio show "Around The League", so I started actively watching replays of the games via DVR, paying close attention to the players. It was then that I really started to take notice of Jay Heaps. I grew to respect his aggressive and scrappy style of play, even though parts of his game, like complaining to the Referee or Linesman, still bothered me. But the more I watched, the more I grew to respect his game, especially the way he played some of the tough strikers like Jaime Moreno and Ante Razov. He never shied away from playing those guys tough or mixing it up when the need arose. Despite his reputation as a scrappy player, Heaps only picked up 63 cautions and 4 ejections in his 11 year MLS career. Somehow it seemed like a lot more.
This past season, in my opinion, was Jay's best in his professional career. Playing left back, Jay was able to get forward and get into the attack more often than in previous years when he was playing in the 3-5-2 or at center back, and I got to see first hand what he really brought to the team. He always played his heart out, especially when his team was down, and would dig into the opposing corners, win balls for his team, and then run his tail off to cover on the counter attack. Jay played every game this season as if it was his last game. His hard work and dedication to his club earned him a well deserved call up to the US Men's National Team, an honor which yielded him his only caps for his country (as well as an ejection in the Gold Cup Final - yeah Jay, we noticed).
Recently I have been thinking about the collective age of the core group of veterans in the New England Starting 11 - Ralston, Reis, Joseph, Twellman and Heaps - and came to the conclusion that this core was getting old quick. They are all in their 30's (Twellman, born on February 29th, will be 30 on his next "birthday") and their age is starting to show. Twellman never fully recovered from his head injury last year. Reis was apparently playing with a bad shoulder for most of the season. Shalrie Joseph was banged up for portions of the season, and often played injured. And for a second year in a row, Steve Ralston's season was cut short just before playoffs. You could even throw Chris Albright into the mix as he is still on the roster and well into his 30's and also sat out the entire year. The Revolution were thereby forced to field a much younger team than in the past inluding starting three MLS rookies on the back line.
However, despite all of the injuries and new players, the Revolution were able to count on Jay Heaps. He provided the anchor that the Revs needed in the start of the season when the likes of Ralston and Reis were both sidelined with injury. He provided the leadership they needed at the end of the season, when the playoffs were on the line. He even added a goal and an assist along the way in the "Milestone Game" against the Red Bulls. If not for his call up to the national team, Jay would have started for the Revs every game this season.
Over the last few years, Heaps established himself as one of the key leaders on the Revolution team, both on the field and in the locker room, showing by example what it takes to succeed in this league. He leaves the Revs as the all time leader in starts (238), games (243), and minutes played (21,619). He takes with him 11 years worth of experience soaked in blood, sweat, and even tears. His drive, his grit, and his passion for the game will most certainly be hard to replace.
Jay - if you are reading this - you won me over. I can honestly say I am going to miss watching you play next year. You gave your all to our team, and for that I thank you.
A Call for Non-Calls
I started going off on a tangent while writing a comment on Soccer by Ives post about the FIFA decision to not award Ireland a 33rd spot in the upcoming World Cup. I am going to post it here word for word - and maybe I'll expound on it later.
OK - bad calls and non calls are part of the game. Cheating happens at some level in every game, whether it is shirt pulling or time wasting.... it is up to the ref to call it. This time the ref didn't call it.
The real call here is to improve the officiating, or enhance it. I think an in-game review procedure should be in place leveraging review methods from other sports. Use a model similar to hockey where the goals can be reviewed, use tennis' hawkeye to validate the ball crosses the goal line into the net. Award one "NFL" challenge per side per half to contest a "reviewable" decision (goals, goals scored bu unfair advantage (player in an offside position, hand balls would fall into this category), infringement, any change in possession awarded by corner kicks or throw-ins). Fouls, bookings, ejections, and offside calls would not be reviewable.
I can go on and on - but the point is there is precedent in many other sports that is accepted the world over for in game replay. There is NO reason not to incorporate it into the game at some level. To those that say it would hold up the game - I'd say not any more than arguing with the referees' do. Look at Tennis - it takes 25 seconds at the most to review whether a ball is in or out. A hand ball might take a bit longer to sort out...but no longer than an instant replay in the NFL would take. And by limiting the number of challenges per half - the managers would be careful when to use their challenge.
OK - bad calls and non calls are part of the game. Cheating happens at some level in every game, whether it is shirt pulling or time wasting.... it is up to the ref to call it. This time the ref didn't call it.
The real call here is to improve the officiating, or enhance it. I think an in-game review procedure should be in place leveraging review methods from other sports. Use a model similar to hockey where the goals can be reviewed, use tennis' hawkeye to validate the ball crosses the goal line into the net. Award one "NFL" challenge per side per half to contest a "reviewable" decision (goals, goals scored bu unfair advantage (player in an offside position, hand balls would fall into this category), infringement, any change in possession awarded by corner kicks or throw-ins). Fouls, bookings, ejections, and offside calls would not be reviewable.
I can go on and on - but the point is there is precedent in many other sports that is accepted the world over for in game replay. There is NO reason not to incorporate it into the game at some level. To those that say it would hold up the game - I'd say not any more than arguing with the referees' do. Look at Tennis - it takes 25 seconds at the most to review whether a ball is in or out. A hand ball might take a bit longer to sort out...but no longer than an instant replay in the NFL would take. And by limiting the number of challenges per half - the managers would be careful when to use their challenge.
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