Quality Of Life Index: Pre-Season

Yes yes y'all it's time for another Quality Of Life post, we take a look at the pre-season goings on an arbitrarily assign value to said goings on.

Pat Phelan Re-signs

Some people love him some people hate him, but nonetheless he is back this year.  He is an excellent athlete and plays with great heart but we're not quite so sure that it's enough in today's MLS.  Phelan was a starter last year but we are guessing he will be coming in off the bench this year due to the arrival of Ousmane Dabo. EVEN



Ousmane Dabo Joins The Revs

We like this signing, really we do.  Dabo's experience at top levels in Europe, Man City, Lazio, is a welcome addition to a very young team. Dabo will hopefully help out with possession and distribution of the ball from the midfield and we look forward to seeing him do his thing...

...notice the 'hopefully' and 'look forward', Dabo has been injured pretty much since he got here, we've expressed these concerns when he was signed and well he hasn't had much time at all to train with the team and get used to his new teammates.  We hope that this is only a speed bump but we are concerned.  Dabo will not be available for our season opener against LA Galaxy, maybe we'll get to see him the following weekend against DC United.  So in the past we have given a big/good signing somewhere around a 10 but this injury and the fact that he hasn't had much preseason time is a worry. PLUS 5

Revs Pick Up Argentinian Franco Coria

Ok we're not sure about this one to be honest, we have picked up a lot of defensive players so picking up another defender seems a bit over the top especially with the fact that we have not signed anyone to help with the attack.

That being said we are glad that the Revs have gotten on to the South American bandwagon that MLS is driving right now.  The terms of the deal are also appealing as Coria joins the team on a loan with the option to buy.  So we're willing to give the kid a chance. We're not sure where he fits in yet to Nicol's plans but we'll see soon enough. PLUS 5

Something For Nothing...

Ok so I'm done with the Right Said Fred references... The Revs picked up the rights to Fred in the re-entry draft process and traded those rights away, back to DC which is where he came into MLS in the first place.  We got DC's second round draft pick for the 2013 SuperDraft, not a bad move.  PLUS 2

Joseph And Alston Like To Party

Perhaps a but too much... You all should know about this by now.  Joseph gets arrested after being evicted from his hotel, Alston was apparently with Joseph when the shenanigans occurred, both got sent home.  Joseph is still talking to the league and other than being sent home there have been no disciplinary actions taken as of yet against either player.  No matter how you view this incident it wasn't good for anyone.  MINUS 10

Pre-Season Matches

2-0 Win over UCF
2-0 Win over US U-17
1-0 Win over FC Dallas
2-1 Win over Columbus Crew
1-3 Loss to Columbus Crew
1-3 Loss to Houston Dynamo

Alright so we're not sure what to think about all this 4 wins total 2 of them against MLS teams, 2 losses to MLS teams.  We could only watch the Houston game and it was disappointing to watch, that being said we also were missing a lot of starters, Alston, Reis and our key new signings, Domi, Dabo and Coria due to injury.  I think there are a lot of questions left and the preseason hasn't answered many.  The multiple injuries of which there are a few hammy or quad related problems are sending up red flags.  These sort of injuries seem to be a common theme on this team and we are really starting to wonder why. Things seemed strong in the beginning but didn't look so hot towards the end... EVEN

Revs Re-sign Boggs, Murray and Sign 3 Draft Picks

We didn't get to see much of Boggs last year to to a season ending concussion... and as we all know around here you don't want to mess with those.  Murray is a back up keeper and well that's that.  In addition to those the Revs offered contracts to F/MF Ryan Kinne, F Alan Koger and MF Andrew Sousa. PLUS 5

Is This Another African Project Or A True Difference Maker?

The Revs signed Nigerian midfielder Michael Augustine, 18, as challenger to Nyassi.  We know pretty much nothing about this kid but Nicol tells us he has "bags of potential".  Our African signings don't have that great of a track record and well the last thing we need is another project, that's what draft picks are for, we need difference makers right now.  He may be a diamond in the rough or he might not.  We're calling this one EVEN.


Attack! The DP

So as a recap we were told the team would be looking for a Designated Player during the offseason... didn't happen.  Despite finding out that Fenerbache star Alex was close to coming to the Revs and despite finding out other deals were close but fell through we're not impressed, close only counts in horeshoes and hand grenades. 

The fact of the matter is this team desperately needs a attacking option, perhaps multiple attackign options.  We like the additions that have been made, but only if Domi and Dabo can stay healthy, but I'm not sure we have much hope for doing well in the playoff race if we do not get a top striker soon. It was a bout a 40 day pre-season... MINUS 40

Northeast Helping The Far East

So with the Earthquake/Tsunami/Nuclear disaster occurring in Japan Revolution supporter groups have stepped up to the plate to help out those in need.

The Midnight Riders are selling discounted tickets to the home opener and are donating $1 from every ticket sold to the Red Cross.  Go buy cheap tickets, drink some beer, watch some soccer and have a good time... all well helping out our friends in Japan.  
 
The Rebellion are raffling off a 2010 Revs training jersey autographed by the entire team and donating the money to the Red Cross as well.  You can get your raffle tickets from The Rebellion here.  

In additon to that we will be donating a portion of the proceeds from our viewing event at Church Boston to the Red Cross as well.

Revs fans doing a good deed... PLUS 10


So the Revs have gotten their best score to date so far on our QoL Index, now if only we could pick up a DP or at least a productive striker we may actually make it into positive numbers soon...

OVERALL: MINUS 23
LAST QoL: MINUS 103

Fred Is Too Sexy For The Revs, Too Sexy For The Revs, So Sexy It Huuuuurts

We only post this because it gives us another chance to use this video...



From MLS SOCCER

"MLS veteran Fred appears to be entertaining different career options instead of signing with the New England Revolution, the team that drafted him during last month’s Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Draft.

Revs officials have confirmed that the 31-year-old Brazilian is currently “pursuing other opportunities abroad” after he appeared in 25 games last season for the expansion Philadelphia Union. New England picked Fred with the only selection of the second round of Stage 2 on Dec. 15, with an eye on potentially bringing in a playmaker to a team that missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2001.

Originally from Belo Horizonte, Fred spent a decade playing in his native Brazil and Australia before joining D.C. United in 2007. He appeared in 72 games for United before he was dealt to the Union, where he scored four goals and was a vital veteran presence during the team’s first season in MLS."

88 Days Out, Revolution Offseason Quality of Life Index...

So we are going to start a new piece here at TDIF, the Quality of Life index.  Yes I am stealing this from Boston's Weekly Dig, but well it is one of my favorite pieces in that periodical.

So we will start this QoL with reviewing the offseason thus far.

Taylor Twellman Retires

After 8 Years and 101 goals scored for the Revolution Taylor Twellman retired due repeated concussions.  Taylor was the face of the revolution and was a huge asset both on and off the field.  Replacing him will not be easy and if anything the Revolution have shown that they are not very good at replacing star players when the leave (i.e. Clint Dempsey). MINUS 101

Revs Players Head to Plymouth Argyle For Offseason Training

Zack Schilawski and Bobby Shuttleworth went to train with former Revolution assistant Paul Mariner with his side Plymouth Argyle for 10 days.  We had been told that there would be some sort of loose alliance when Mariner left the Revs to take over the Pilgrims and this was the first instance we've seen so far.  While we hope we see more of this Argyle's financial problems do make us worry about the long term viability of the club... like will they even exist next year...  If Plymouth does fold can we please get Mariner back, we seem to have lost a major piece of the puzzle when he left. PLUS 10

Revolution Sign First Ever Home Grown Player

Fifteen year old Diego Fagundez become the Revolution's first ever home grown player when he signed with the team. Fagundez has been playing for the Revs Under-16 squad where he scored twenty goals, and got U.S. Soccer Development Academy National Starting XI honors. Fagundez has also been called into the US National Under-15 squad. PLUS 15


Expansion Draft

The Revs for the first time ever did not have anyone selected in the expansion draft... EVEN

Revolution Put Up Four Player for Re-Entry Draft and Take 2

Khano Smith, Corey Gibbs, Nico Colaluca and Preston Burpo were all cut in for placement in the new Re-entry draft.  We have no problem with these selections, however we did like Burpo and thought that he did a good job as keeper until his unfortunate/horrific leg fracture during a game vs. the Red Bulls.

On the other side of things the Revs picked up the rights to Fred and Ryan Cochrane, whether they actually come to an agreement of terms and sign with the team will remain to be seen.
PLUS 3 (We left a point out for you Preston) 


Revolution Stadium Groundbreaking Soon... But Maybe Not...

In an interview on the D.A. Show on 98.5 The Sportshub, Revolution Investor/Operator stated when asked about a Soccer Specific Stadium for the Revolution that “From our perspective, we would hope in the next 12-24 months we would have something we would be breaking ground on … ”  Stop us if you've heard similar talk before...

Later that week COO Brian Bilello stated that "I think that we will definitely have a stadium at some point" in an interview on Fox 25 News with Ryan Asselta.  This would have been a perfect opportunity to reinforce Kraft's assertions of 12-24 months however it wasn't and the idea of a stadium in the near future seemed to be backtracked on a bit.

Actions speak louder than words... MINUS 12-24

Revolution Seeking Double Pe... uhhh DP.... Designated Player

Legitimate media outlets for the first time reported that the Revolution was seeking to add a DP or possibly even 2 to the roster. "At the ownership level, we've talked about it,'' said Bilello. "This team hasn't performed the way we wanted it this year, and in talking to ownership, their priority is not only getting better but they want to get better quickly. In talking about it, it was very clear they understand that there might be things that might take some time to do, and they wanted to think of ways that we could get better very quickly.  So frankly, what we decided on is we are going to be looking bring in a Designated Player this off season.'' 

This was early in October, and there has only been one player even loosely associated with the Revs as a possible DP candidate.With all the roster space and cap space available this year we are pretty disappointed that there have been absolutely no signings made yet, DP or not.  Other teams have made moves already and have had rumored moves, sorry but the using the excuse that the transfer window doesn't open til January is not a good excuse anymore. MINUS 2




So for an offseason that should be full of major news for Revs fans there hasn't been much we have less than 3 months till our first game against LA on March 20th... the clock it ticking...

OVERALL: MINUS 87-99