Revs Sign an Impressive Player

Today, the New England Revolution signed Spanish player Carles Gil from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna. Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe is reporting that the Revs paid $2 million for the player and will pay him another $2 million this year to play for the long-trying-to-keep-up side.

Gil is a good player who has had significant time with Aston Villa and Valencia, so the only hanging questions might be; how will he like playing in Foxboro? How will he like the surface? What about travel?

The Revs don't have another player of his pedigree on the squad. Nor do they have any other Spanish speaking European player. These are things to look at, it's important in a player finding their footing. It is possible that Gil is laser-focused on making a name for himself, but will he stick it out after a few bad losses and a late night game to Vancouver? We'll see.

What isn't in question is that he is a quality player and not one you see often in New England.

Technical Director Michael Burns says "he's a No. 10, an attacking playmaker." This means that Diego Fagundez is out of a job. At least in that role. I'm thinking they might move him out to a right mid role, or... right off the roster.

We'll have to see. Revs are in the state of change. Kelyn Rowe is gone. Lee Nguyen is long gone.

This does help their starting XI, but it doesn't get them to anything close to the top. If he assimilates to MLS things, it just moves the Revs up from out of the playoffs to more... playoff-like.

		Player Ratings (avg)		TransferMarkt Value (000)
	Team	Starters	Bench	Starters	Bench
1	TFC	70.5	65.4	$ 25,027	$ 3,502
2	NYC	70.5	64.6	$ 16,303	$ 4,470
3	ATL	70.4	66.7	$ 49,014	$ 14,484
4	DCU	69.7	56.6	$ 21,934	$ 2,990
5	NYR	69.7	64.9	$ 20,192	$ 3,745
6	MIN	69.6	57.1	$ 13,800	$ 4,470
7	MTL	69.6	65.2	$ 13,410	$ 4,876
9	CLB	69.3	66.2	$ 24,671	$ 4,180
9	NER	69.1	65.6	$ 13,955	$ 5,811
10	PHI	68.2	56.5	$ 9,933	$ 5,529
11	FCC	68.1	64.3	$ 11,420	$ 4,790
12	CHI	67.8	63.7	$ 17,022	$ 3,955
13	ORL	67.2	62.2	$ 10,365	$ 3,309

If they can manage to keep Fagundez, this team looks alright in making the playoffs.

Preseason Look: New England Revolution

The New England Revs mark my halfway completion point for the Eastern Conference. Perhaps it is a fitting spot for them, right there in the middle. Tucked away. A team everyone wants to play home, but never wants to go play away (because of the surface and atmosphere, not the team).

New England has a bit of a Frankenstein roster build so far. I see recent pick-ups like Edgar Castillo (32), Cristian Penilla (27), Luis Caicedo (22), and Juan Fernando Caicedo (29) and think that they are going for it. Unfortunately, this is sort of what the Revs do each season. Reach.

The "core" of the team is basically the same as it has been since 2014 - Fagundez, Caldwell, Farrell, Bunbury and Agudelo. Two more core longtimers that could have still been with the team were it not for extreme measures. Poor Chris Tierney had to retire to get out and Lee Nguyen had to transform into a bad dude to live free. Fine players, but you are telling me that they haven't found enough players in 5, now going on 6 seasons, to replace these guys in the 18?


-->

Rating	Name	Position	FM19	FIFA	WS
71	Cristian Penilla	Left Winger	70	72	71
70	Edgar Castillo	Left-Back	71	70	70
70	Diego Fagúndez	Left Winger	64	73	70
70	Michael Mancienne	Centre-Back	70	70	68
69	Juan Fernando Caicedo	Centre-Forward	71	69
69	Andrew Farrell	Right-Back	66	69	69
69	Juan Agudelo	Centre-Forward	69	69	67
68	Teal Bunbury	Centre-Forward	66	70	68
67	Matt Turner	Goalkeeper	66	69	67
67	Antonio Delamea	Centre-Back	67	68	67
67	Wilfried Zahibo	Central Midfield	65	70	67
67	Luis Caicedo	Defensive Midfield	66	67	68
67	Scott Caldwell	Central Midfield	67	68	65
66	Jalil Anibaba	Centre-Back	63	68	66
65	Brad Knighton	Goalkeeper	65	65	69
65	Cody Cropper	Goalkeeper	65	65	64
64	Gabriel Somi	Left-Back	64	63	66
61	Brandon Bye	Right-Back	59	61	65
61	Zachary Herivaux	Central Midfield	61	58	62
59	Brian Wright	Centre-Forward	58	59	63
54	Isaac Angking	Attacking Midfield	54	54	63
0	Nicolas Firmino	Midfielder
0	DeJuan Jones	Forward
0	Tajon Buchanan	Forward
0	Justin Rennicks	Centre-Forward

The frustrating thing about the Revs is that they fish, fish, fish for players outside this average core group when they'd almost just be better off finding similar ones to the 2014 group I just listed. New England is a tough sell for good players. The weather is chilly, the surface sucks, it's in a cavernous NFL stadium, attendance for games range from 2k friends and family to 16k on a nice summer Saturday night.

The Revs are sitting on a roster of 25 players and 14 of them just arrived last year.


-->

		Player Ratings (avg)		TransferMarkt Value (000)
	Team	Starters	Bench	Starters	Bench
1	ATL	70.9	65.9	$ 40,695	$ 4,703
2	NYR	69.7	64.9	$ 15,653	$ 2,903
3	CLB	69.3	66.2	$ 19,125	$ 3,240
4	NER	68.7	64.5	$ 10,293	$ 3,965
5	PHI	68.0	56.1	$ 8,015	$ 4,106
6	FCC	67.5	64.7	$ 8,538	$ 3,398

Despite the feeling I have about this team (they stink), they do have a fairly decent starting XI so far, and by that I mean - strong enough to get them the same finish as last year. 6th or 7th place in the East.

Predictions: Crew (H) v Revs

Crew game tonight. 7:30 PM EST. Ohio Fairgrounds.

MATCH NOTES
(no games notes of note to note this week)

10 PREDICTIONS
Number on far left is percentage correct in picking Crew result (last 10).

50% (5) COLUMBUS DISPATCH ... COLUMBUS CREW
46% (3) WHOSCORED.COM ... NEW ENGLAND
43% (6) WIN DRAW WIN ... COLUMBUS CREW
43% (5) MLSSOCCER ... COLUMBUS CREW
43% (5) GOAL.COM ... DRAW
39% (5) HOME TEAM ... COLUMBUS CREW
36% (4) BET365 ... COLUMBUS CREW
29% (5) TABLE POSITION ... NEW ENGLAND
--% (-) WV HOOLIGAN ... (no pick)
--% (-) MASSIVE REPORT ... (preview only)

MATCH THOUGHTS
This one will be closer than the predictions above suggest. Revs are on fire and the Crew draw last week only came via goal from a non-goal scoring player. Had they not gotten it and lost, all predictions above would be New England.

If Hector Jimenez and Bernardo Anor are in the midfield today the Crew will hold this one together. They got away with not playing them against a poor possession team in Houston - they will not against the Revs.

Partly cloudy, mid 70s tonight.

Predictions: Crew Rd 21, Revs Away

The Columbus Crew are up in New England today to take on the Revs at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 PM EST. Weather looks pleasant - clear and 70s.

GAME NOTES
CLB: Look to feature similar lineup as last week, Bedell up top
CLB: Parkhurst homecoming of sorts (drafted, played for Revs)
CLB: Haven't won on the road since March 30 (vs Seattle)
NER: Lost last 3 at home after winning previous 4
NER: 7 game losing streak overall
NER: Looking for answers, loaned away DP Jerry Bengtson

PREDICTIONS
Percentage listed is picking Crew games only. Sorted in descending order.

55% COLUMBUS DISPATCH ... COLUMBUS CREW
Beat writer Adam Jardy's lean has gotten seven Crew matches out of the last ten correct. "The Crew has proved that it does not back down from a road challenge," he says this week.

55% WHOSCORED.COM ... COLUMBUS CREW
0-1 for the Crew is the prediction from Graham Ruthven, "The Crew have a great chance to string together two straight MLS wins against a freefalling Revolution side."

45% GOAL.COM ... NEW ENGLAND
Pick is based off probably about 3 votes on the reader interactive section. It's been this way for a few weeks now. Goal.com has been very light on some of the MLS coverage, not hard to blame, interest is light. Attendance though.

45% MLSSOCCER ... (no picks yet)

45% WIN DRAW WIN ... COLUMBUS CREW
Crew favored. 45% of the Your Votes and Medium Stake on 0-1 away win.

40% BET365 ... NEW ENGLAND REVS
Fairly normal home odds this week 23/20 Revs (12/5 draw, 23/10 Away).

40% HOME TEAM ... NEW ENGLAND REVS

25% TABLE POSITION ... NEW ENGLAND REVS
Despite the horrid losing streak, Revs still atop the Crew in PPG.

--% WV HOOLIGAN ... (no pick)

--% MASSIVE REPORT ... (no pick)
Head on over to MR to get the latest from Patrick Murphy and his notes form recent practices / match preview.

MY PREDICTION

New England in is that familiar sports journalism area I like to call THE ZONE OF FUTILITY. I'm thinking about naming all these things because it's hard to explain how incredibly boring most of it is. What is THE ZONE OF FUTILITY? It's when you have a team on a bad run and writers just start talking about when the last time they had a bad run was and crank out a piece. I suppose it's fine, gotta write something, right?

Anyway, that's where the Revs are now and all their fans are now being subject to losing streaks of years past. This one is sort of special though and while long streaks like this do pepper result maps in MLS over recent times, they don't happen much. When they do, they are usually snapped after 6,7,8 games or so.

The Revs will eventually snap the streak and facing a below average Crew at Gillette is perfect opportunity. When I can't convince myself the Crew is a clear favorite alarm bells start going off. The Crew aren't here but if they play disciplined and frustrate the Revs early they will win.

Easier said than done however as a young and inexperienced group haven't performed well on the road this year and don't have a win since the opening month of the season.

We shall see. One thing is for certain - the pitch is fake.

Predictions: Crew (H) v Revs

New England is in Columbus today to try and extend their season into the MLS Cup Playoffs. Whistle blows at 4:00 PM EST.

GAME NOTES:
CLB: Reports - Gruenebaum likely getting start over Lampson
CLB: Josh Williams might play as well.
CLB: Crew have played well at home as of late after bad start
NER: A win extends season
NER: Have Nguyen back after suspension
NER: 8 pts in last 6 way, -2 GD isn't bad

------------
PREDICTIONS
------------

1. BET365 ... NEW ENGLAND
I do believe this is the first time the away side has been favored at Crew Stadium this year. Revs getting 6/4 odds. Crew 9/5 (draw 23/10)

2. HOME TEAM ... COLUMBUS
Just picking the home team is right most of the time, especially in MLS this year.

3. GOAL.COM ... COLUMBUS (?)
No write up from the guys at goal.com this week. The 'reader's predictions' has the Crew at 60% picked. We'll have to go with that.

4. MASSIVE REPORT ... DRAW
Managing Editor Patrick Guldan thinks this going to be a tight 1-1 draw. "The game likely won't be as open as the stakes are lower and will be played on grass."

5. COLUMBUS DISPATCH ... NEW ENGLAND
Man in Japan Adam Jardy thinks the Revs are the team to beat today. Playoffs vs Pride basically. "Whether or not [pride] will be enough to end a disappointing season on a high note remains to be seen." Go pick up a Dispatch anywhere around town. Jardy also has a good piece on three player contracts up in the air.

6. WHOSCORED.COM ... NEW ENGLAND
Appears Graham Ruthven has sort of checked up like the folks at goal.com. He likes the Revs 2:1 but notes that the Crew are out of "Western Conference" playoff hunt.

7. TABLE POSITION ... NEW ENGLAND
Ball don't lie.

8. WIN DRAW WIN ... NEW ENGLAND
Looks like the betting masses like a 0-1 Away win. "Your Votes" is going Revs as well with 42% (Crew 25%). Pretty tight though.

9. MLSSOCCER.COM ... NEW ENGLAND
Three of these folks going Revs, one Crew. Last two like the draw. So, mixed feelings on this one here. Bourbon hater ("a children's drink") Matt Doyle is still the lead dog over there with a 49% hit rate. Nick Rosano not far behind at 38%.

10. WV HOOLIGAN ... COLUMBUS
"Too many players there playing for 2014 and for their jobs not to get it done." - Drew Epperley. I'll have more on this right below in the "My Thoughts" section.

-------------
MY THOUGHTS ON THE GAME

Last games can often be frustrating affairs when your team isn't going any further. This year is no different.

Also, last games can be telling affairs though and most of the things I see in regards to this match are frustrating. Here is a list:

1. Starting Andy Gruenebaum. Andy should have gotten his job back as soon as he was able. If he didn't want it then send him home for the rest of the year. Instead, we have this horseshit situation where the Crew are trotting him out for what is likely his last game. He hasn't played in months. Lampson has been lights out at home, an amazing 5 shutouts in 7.

2. "Fighting for Jobs". If one game is going to make a break a player in this sport than the Crew have some serious problems. We hear this sort of sports jargon a lot. In the N.F.L. it sort of makes some since as they play so few games and the likelihood of getting maimed is high. It has no place in soccer. The fact that WV Hooligan mentions it is disappointing but I know a lot of decision makers in MLS do this. Grr.

3. Josh Williams. Josh is another one getting trotted out today. His doesn't quite feel like Gruenebaums in that it is his last game but it does feel a little fishy. There is a high degree of difficulty to this game today. I'm sure Josh is chomping at the bit to face this type of situation but there is a high percentage chance that the Crew lose this one, therefore damaging his leverage at the table to renegotiate contract. And if he makes a mistake on a goal than I have to hear a bunch of people I respect telling me that he should be cut based on what they saw last. Williams is an MLS starter, he still has upside and his soft skills are off the charts.

4. Nobody in place to make personnel decisions. Well, Mark McCullers is there but after the last three off-seasons he has proven to be incompetent at this part of his job. Last season, in particular, was terrible. Notably: They cut Miranda and Mirosevic just decided he wasn't coming back (after the Crew spent loads of time saying otherwise). Carlos Mendes was another one who just sort of drifted off to the NY Cosmos (where he has played very well). In the case of both these players the Crew overspent to replace them.

5. Out of race since Toronto. The Crew have been out of this season since the loss up in Toronto. Change should have been made then and the process of building for 2014 should have started. This impotent chase for the playoffs over the last couple months only shortened the window to prepare for next year. Pre-season starts mid-January and the Crew are going to be, again, short on warm bodies. I remember Eddie Gaven saying last year that he felt they were missing players in the preseason. I expect it again this year.

16 OUT OF 19

This team has fallen down the table each year since 2008. Losing only a little bit at first but now is in complete terminal velocity free fall and I've seen nothing in the way of change to keep me from thinking that the bottom of the table the only way of stopping the Crew from getting worse.

Alright, that's what I've got for now. If I can't unleash for the last game then when can I? It's a very grumpy post but I lean heavily on the side of performance (over just enjoying a day at the stadium). With that I get all worked up when a team tells me it's sunny when it's raining outside.