ROBC Vol. 3 No. 1, February 22, 2025
Source: revolutionsoccer.net
Matt: It’s not quite warm enough for soccer yet, and I’m definitely tired of the freezing temperatures up here in Mass. And you know what that means!
Josh: Huh, you sure? It was 65 and sunny yesterday. The rainy season has passed. So you must be referencing: time for MLS kickoff!
Matt: Yep. Even though it’s still pretty much the middle of winter, it’s time for the new MLS season to start. Regardless, I braved the temperatures to watch the Revs put in a solid performance against the Hartford Athletic at Gillette Stadium. Preseason is different from the regular season in many ways, but the team looked like it had a little pep in its step, some dynamic ball movement, and kept the ball up high for good stretches. Leo Campana, acquired from Miami in the offseason, scored the first goal, and Maximiliano Urruti, recently of Platense, and before that Austin FC, who subbed in in the waning minutes of the game, scored a clinical free kick in front of the goal right outside the box.
Josh: I try not to invest too much in the results of the preseason, but seeing the chemistry of the team, especially during major overhaul seasons like this one, can be exciting. It can also be some false flags for concerns. But like many teams, Revs ended up with a pretty great Miami FC player. How was Campana’s goal?
Matt: Funny you should ask - it was off a corner kick supplied by former San Jose Quake Jackson Yueill. He, along with Tanner Beason, has swapped the Quakes Black and Blue for the Red, White, and Blue of the New England Revolution. Yueill’s run at the Quakes was probably done, and I’m hopeful that this change of scenery will be a good one for him. If Saturday’s game was any indication, he’s being asked to play a more active role in pressing high for the Revs, and it looked like a good fit for him.
Josh: I hope he and Tanner do great in New England. Something wasn’t clicking for him in San Jose the last few years. That’s weird for someone who had been so high on the list with USMNT, but change in scenery, coaching staff, team mates, might be exactly what he needs to re-invent and figure out how he plays now. I thought Tanner was a great part of our defense out here, so I hope he gets a lot of minutes supporting the back line in New England. There were a fair amount of SJ<>NE transfers this year!
Matt: Yes, new Quakes coach Bruce Arena brought Dave Romney (D), Ian Harkes (MF), Mark-Anthony Kaye (MF), Earl Edwards Jr. (GK), and Nick Lima (D) to join him in San Jose. I will especially miss ironman Dave Romney, a strong defender and fan favorite who was the only player in MLS to play every single minute of the 2023 season.
Josh: Before Nick Lima was a Rev, he was in Austin and a strong Quake, so we are happy to have him back. I was bummed he went with the expansion draft a few years back. Sounds like NE gets to invest a lot of money or transfers in the back half of the field, which has been turbulent for them ever since Matt left. And Coach Bruce half-apologized for whatever got him dismissed from New England, so we’re welcoming him and his crew for an exciting 2025! I know you thought you’d be supporting a different Head Coach again, but seems like Coach Porter has some new tools in the toolbox to see what New England can bring to fruition.
Matt: Speaking of new, I almost forgot Kit Talk! This year the Revs were due for new alternate (i.e., away) kits. I have said many times I’m not a fan of mostly or all-white jerseys. They need to have something going on other than looking like stain magnets. Some recent kits that barely made the cut for me were the 2021 DC United “Marble Jersey,” the 2019 NE Revs “Colonial” kit, and the 2024 San Jose Quakes 50th Anniversary kit - though I’d get some quality coffee stains on that last one in no time. The 2025 alternate Revs jersey, the Eastern White Pine jersey, pulls it off. This kit, anchored to the pine on the historic New England flag, is just as much light green as it is white. While I wish it was actually images of pine trees or branches (á la the 2024 Portland Timbers “Nature Unites” jersey), the geometric triangles do the trick. It’s great that the sharp-edged logo of the Revs new sponsor, Gillette, complements the angular theme. People also like the look of the Revs slash-R logo without the circle around it. It pops more. The burning question: will they sell enough of these, plus new home kits with the Gillette sponsor, to merit a third kit next year?
source: revolutionsoccer.net
Josh: It’s cool to see the Revs, Philly, and Charlotte letting the shield or crest frame go for a couple years, to focus on the center of their designs. Revs (green), Galaxy (purple), and Seattle (deep blue) will be three teams where I’ll tune in and it will take me a beat to identify the team by the jersey. But I get it, and I knew the tree from the logo and the actual tree, and think it’s a really nice look! Sorry that it didn’t pan out to get Dunkin’ on their chest, but Gillette is a pretty good men’s New England sports sponsor. Will they make Carles shave his stubble?
Matt: Good question! He wasn’t clean shaven on Wednesday night, so that remains to be seen. Maybe they’re planning a fundraiser shaving once the weather warms up.
And so It’s time for the MLS season to begin! And this is a totally new season with almost a totally new team. Maybe it’s just because the Revs have had a lot of movement, but it seems like many teams have had major roster changes. To keep it simple, here’s a list of Revs players from last season who are no longer on the team: Not re-signed: Bobby Wood (F), Jonathan Mensah (D), Tommy McNamara (MF), Josh Bolma (MF), Dylan Borrero (F), Nacho Gil (MF), Ryan Spaulding (D), Damian Rivera (MF), Xavier Arreaga (D), Tim Parker (D), Nick Lima (D). Traded: Esmir Bajraktarevic (MF), Giacomo Vrioni (F), Earl Edwards Jr. (GK), Dave Romney (D), Ian Harkes (MF), Mark-Anthony Kaye (MF), Ema Boateng (F). Traded during last season: DeJuan Jones (LB), Henry Kessler (CB). For those who don’t want to count, that’s 20 players who have moved, almost all regulars on the roster on gameday in 2024.
Josh: Wowwwwwwwww. Calling them a new team is not too much of a stretch. But if you’re not clearing out the coaching staff or Front Office after a record-breaking struggle season, I guess you’re clearing out the talent and trying to start fresh for whatever will set up Coach Porter for success?
Matt: Brand new faces, so new that some fans were chanting “we promise to learn your name” at the match vs. Hartford, are:
Goalkeepers: Alex Bono (from DC United) and Donavan Parisian, fresh out of U of San Diego
Defenders: Ilay Feingold, barely unpacked from his arrival from Maccabi Haifa and probable LB starter, Center Backs Mamadou Fofana (Amiens FC) and Bryan Ceballos (Fortaleza Esporte Clube), and Wyatt Omsberg coming from Chicago FC.
Midfielders: Luis Diaz (MF, Deportivo Saprissa), Allan Oyirwoth (MF, MYDA FC)
Forwards: The aforementioned Leo Campana (Inter Miami), Ignatius Ganago (Loaned from FC Nantes), and Maximiliano Urruti (Platense).
From what I saw at the final preseason match in chilly Gillette, Porter wants to keep the ball high, and the crew he’s assembled may have the ability to do it for stretches. The two new center backs got the job done well and had some nice passes forward that generated immediate momentum. Corner kick duty will be shared between Yueill and Gil, and there was some dynamic ball movement in the high midfield on Saturday that held promise. I am hoping to see fewer moments this season where the Revs are moving the ball forward and find themselves simply stymied about 20 yards out.
MATT’S PREDICTED LINEUP vs NASHVILLE
Matt’s predictions for the game: I’m going to go out on a limb and say that New England will edge Nashville 3-2, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the match ended as a 2-2 draw.
Josh: It’s going to be a busy weekend for MLS to kick off the season. Let’s hope the fresh faces on New England start strong against a legacy Nashville team.
Matt: Let’s go Revs, take three from Nashville to get off to a great start. Protect the Fort! Bring the Pine, I mean, the Fight!
Twitter and Instagram: @RevsCoasts
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