One further note: Last night's on field performance matched the off-field performances of these two clubs. Hope the Revs saw how far behind they are, behind a FIRST YEAR CLUB. The Revs have 0 MLS titles in 22 seasons, and they can't even keep up with an expansion team, so I may go to my grave without ever seeing the Revs lift the MLS Cup.
I have to believe Atlanta fans view this as retribution for an embarrassment they suffered at the hands of Kraft's "other" team earlier this year. In fact I think you could take most of the comments about our poor coaching and apply them to the Falcons for that game.
Wasn't Clavijo fired after an embarrassingly bad loss (to Colorado, I think)? Did anyone else notice that Jay went back to the same 4-4-1-1 that didn't work for most of last year? How can Jay cash his (admittedly paltry) paycheck this week without feeling like he's a thief?
You've been saying it for a while, but it's true now more than ever. Heaps needs to go. Now. Immediately. If not sooner.
Well, I knew the season was over long before this, but the players didn't (or did they?). They came into this one knowing they needed a result to stay alive. And they spit the bit. In epic proportion. They revealed their true character. Now, we have to live with this: How many MLS records were broken in Atlanta's 7-0 rout of New England? September 14, 2017, 9:30AM EDT Charles Boehm
I would take a Supporter's Shield at this point. Quick: someone get Pablo on the phone to start engineering a 2016-esque Colorado turnaround in 2018 for the Revs. At least they got within 2 points of the SS.
A map of all the Revs' shots, block shots, crosses (including set pieces) and key passes from every player over the 90 minutes:
Revs now have allowed 48 goals, most in the Eastern Conference. In the West, we are tied with SJE and LAG, with only RSL (51) and MIN (56, poor Bobby), worse.
That would have been funny, but you know who the ref is.... He would have shown him a red, we would have had to take off another field player and bring in Knighton. Then we would have lost by two touchdowns! That was largely due to the arrival of a certain Jermaine Jones. Been there done that!
So? If you're a defender and your arm is away from your body and it makes contact with the ball in the box, that's a hand ball penalty. And if your hand happens to get in the way of a ball headed toward an open net, then you don't get to complain about a red card. My initial reaction was red card. When I saw the replay, I'd have toned it down to yellow, giving him the benefit of a doubt. Yet that's based on a sympathetic interpretation of the play (as in, he didn't really mean to do it and they're already down a man). The less sympathetic interpretation is he threw his body at a play in the box after he got beat and ended up getting his hand in front of a goal-bound ball like a dope. If that had been an Atlanta defender my reaction would have been that's what you get for being a spaz.
THIS. Bilello... GONE. Burns... GONE. Heaps... GONE. They're ALL culpable. The team president has provided cover for - and failed to hold accountable - both the team's general manager AND head coach. Each and every one of their heads need to roll. Period. Now, granted, the true problems plaguing this (dis)organization begin with with the thoroughly disinterested stewards of the franchise, Kraft pere et fils. That said, it doesn't appear as though Bob and Jonathan have any inclination towards divesting themselves of their Gillette Stadium Patriots' off-season date-filler. So, in lieu of a new - and TRULY committed and enthusiastic - investor/operator running the MLS show in New England, we'll have to content ourselves with a purge of everyone drawing a soccer paycheck from the Kraft Group. You all know the tune... This team sucks. This team sucks. What must be done? What must be done? We still must fire "The Stooges Three": Jay Heaps, Bilello and Mike "Burnsie". Let's also get rid of Kraft apathy, 'Cause this team sucks. This team SUCKS!!!
That was deserved. That’s all I can say. It was deserved. We came out with a hack Atlanta players attitude, which I guess was to try and slow them down … and it worked for all of 65 seconds. Well done Heaps. With 7 guys who are basically defenders, we still gave up a goal that quick. I don’t care about any f’in roster rotation excuses. You’re fighting for the 6% chance to survive, and you basically conceded immediately. The one time last night I saw Heaps be a coach was when he called a timeout. Oh wait, those don’t exist in this sport. The amount of people complaining about the refs is astounding. Outside of the Delamea card/PK, I thought every major call was correct. But at the end of the day, the Delamea call didn’t make a lick of difference except for losing him this weekend. Kouassi is just out of control. Not only did he stomp, he went back for a second bite of the cherry when the Atlanta player had the audacity to still try and play the ball. Embarrassing. Just embarrassing. I’ve never been more embarrassed by this organization, and considering the history (Joe Public anyone?) that’s saying something. And the sad part, nothing will change.
I was responding to those who believed it was "ball to hand", and that his arms were in a natural position for someone making a tackle. 100% penalty.
I am amused to note that, at last check, the Revs had posted nothing on Facebook since the pregame lineup. No halftime update, no post game result, nothing. Maybe just an oversight, but I expect they're ducking the firestorm they would otherwise be receiving.
That's because they are too busy looking for parcels of land for the new stadium! Gotta have your priorities straight!
Not to beat a dead and irrelevant horse, but just to show that there are significantly disparate views on the Delemea red, at all levels of soccer experience - Nobody and I mean nobody will convince me that the handball from Delamea was "deliberate" the law states for it to be a red card. 🤷🏼♂️#MLS— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) September 13, 2017 Lot of debate in the replies. A good read. Especially for those of us who think we "know" the rules - there is room for lawyers to clean up the language, given the magnitude of the inconsistencies in the rule interpretations/guidance from FIFA and USSF and ref organizations.
Well, it is not so much the PK and the letter of the law, but by sending him off so one team was now down by two men, trailing 2-0, soon to be 3-0 only a third of way into the game, Toldeo pretty much killed off any hope of having a competitive game. Sure, the home fans loved it, but if it was the other way around, it would have been a pretty miserable night for everyone other than the traveling party. Part of being a ref involves judgment, and at first it didn't even look like he was going to call a PK. That alone would have been enough of an error in judgment on Toledo's part. Did the VAR call for it to be reviewed? Other than the Atlanta players calling for it, why did he stop the game if he hadn't originally called it?
He seemed to make it all about himself by slowly and deliberately waiting, then calling for it, then taking his time and finally calling the pk. It wasn't like the revs would have mounted much already down a man but his decision did basically put that game on ice.
More words of wisdom from Burns https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/...lution-loss/ITUU77GGyxO6MFjk8NLwUN/story.html
At least some of the poor showing he attributed to the team, not to other entities. That's at least accountability-ish, right?
Judgment? Baldemero Toledo, the guy who sent off Sharlie Joseph for picking up a ball to throw it in when Baldy had called the throw the other (wrong!) way is supposed to show judgment? Toledo and Unkel -- the blind leading the blind.