Folks, I know losing hurts...but remember this... ...your team was playing in the Cup final. ...others weren't.
Agreed. There are players in all sports who play their whole career without ever making it to any final. It always hurts most the further you get- but this team has provided some thrills, some heartbreak, but a lot of heart. There is no one hurting more than the players and the coaches. NE fans have had the opportunity to go from April to November while others were done a month ago. I believe Boston fans stayed tried and true to Red Sox for years and it paid off. Staying true to the Revs will too.
The pain resounds in st. louis too. I am a big Revs fan (obviously the St. Louis trio of Ralston, Twellman, Noonan) sways me...but I too felt like what it must be like to be a Buffalo Bills fan today. My question. I couldn't hear the volume where I was watching the game, so I couldn't hear anything that was said about Kraft. but to me there is no better "brand name" team in MLS (maybe DC United)...why are the Revs NOT playing in a soccer specific stadium? Does Kraft really care about the Revs? I'm curious as an outsider. I'm pissed b/c right now with as much success as the Revs have had "on the field", they should be solidified with an equally awesome game day atmosphere...and yet they are stuck playing in a freakin' football stadium with football lines. MLS is really going to lose a real opportunity if this franchise falls into the realm of KC or some of the other football stadium bound teams. Don't know if I'm making sense...but from St. Louis, I feel your pain and admit that the future doesn't necessarily look bright "on the field"...it seems like time for a change of personnell...Taylor might leave for Europe (just to get a fresh start...wouldn't you take that fresh start if you had the opportunity. I applaud the Revs for supporting a team in a crappy stadium...I just hope the future can bring you good things.
I'll say it again, this is a great team. The breaks just havent gone their way yet, and I like to think they will some day. There's no need for people to be ashamed of this team, I'm damn proud of them. There's no need for a roster overhaul, there certainly is no need to make a coaching change, I still say we have the best coach in MLS, cups be damned. Maybe Houston is just the better team, and theres no shame in taking a team that's better than you to the limit 2 years in a row. Like I've said, it's nice that Bob Kraft took an interest in the team for the playoffs, but this offseason is when we find out how much he actually cares. Let's see if that Cup loss made him say, what can I do to make this team better? or did it just make him say why did I waste my time coming to DC? I actually thought the way he made such a spectacle of himself today was a bit of a disgrace, considering the compete apathy he's had for this team over the years. He wanted to be there, front and center, when the Revs won. They didnt, let's see if he's there, front and center, this offseason to do what it takes to make this team better.
He's had the chance to go in the past, he dosent want to. He had a bad experience in Germany and has re-upped with the Revs for the long haul.
Yes. And you have a team!! Today *should* have been the San Jose fans celebrating winning the MLS Cup for the 4th time, instead of Houston fans for the second. Without being partisan for a moment, I thought today's MLS Cup was a great game completely open at both ends of the field. You guys should be happy with this team despite the loss.
Couple things: The better team definitely won. The fact that they didn't have Ching or Fish-kicker makes it all the more obvious. I thought we played as well as we could expect today. It was actually a great and entertaining match. Our forwards ultimately couldn't finish most of their chances, but that is typical, and our wingbacks couldn't completely outplay championship-quality opposition, and that is also not surprising. We needed more depth, and that gets into a whole story to which we have very few details. Mike says we could have had Ngwenya. Is that so? Paul says Nicol was reluctant to bring in new players. Really? I don't blame Nicol, but my big request from the club this year is more transparency when it comes to player acquisitions. We're again going to have a low draft choice, but again should have numerous choices when it comes to new players. I want to see progress before Christmas. Dave O'Brien is a jerk, and I wish him a painful end. I have also never previously disliked Julie Foudy, but now suspect she could unzip her head and reveal her true ugliness. Also - welcome back Jeremy, even if it seems we don't agree on a whole lot.
I cant stand O'Brien, cant believe ESPN has kept him on these games for this long. The worst part is, he's been the announcer for a couple years now and still hasnt made any effort to become a better soccer announcer. Foudy I dont mind, she knows what she's talking about, that's all I ask for.
You can complain all you want about the MLS Playoff season, not like in Europe, etc. But the great teams get the results in the big moments and bottom line is the Revs have failed to do that. Where was other goal scoring threats besides Twellman? To lose to a team w/o it's #1 striker shows that Houston was the deeper and better team. "Great moments are made from great opportunity," as Herb Brooks said. Houston makes great moments and the Revs for whatever reason, cannot win the big one. After four tries, it's not just luck or karma or whatever. You gotta suck it up and get the job done and the Revs' just can't do it yet. Firing Nicol is not the answer. Getting more depth on the bench and in the back is.
Besides taylor, who have we ever had to depend on in Big games? Ralston, Noonan, Joseph, or Dorman? when was the last time they scored a meaningful goal? Face it, even with only one of their 3 All Stars, Houston had more energy and heart when it counted (again). Khano's being called out for taking a dive to get a PK by Waibel, and his resulting head butt just summed up the second half for me. When you can't make the play or are outhustled you resort to crap actions! I better not hear anyone crying about the officiating, Smith would have been red carded and fined anywhere else.
Hard luck guys, I was rooting for ya...I definitely thought Khano, for all his negatives, deserved a PK for being dragged down right before his yellow. The Houston defender had him by the arm but good and just fell to the ground as soon as Khano got past him... That said, Reis definitely did NOT have his best game. I think he shoulda been able to save both. Leaving the near post open like that? wow. You guys definitely had your chances, though. It was an entertaining match. And major props to your fans for coming down. They were definitely in it to the end.
Maybe change the logo and the uniforms but not the coach. A more professional look would deserve a title. Dress for success and all that. Worked for the Pats.
thanks for turning this thread in a new direction. i'm gonna watch it unfold now. nice work. meltdown in 5...4...3...2....
Y'all were less than 40 minutes from capturing the American double!...calling for heads to roll is baseless. Successful season from a certain point of perspective. Depth is huge for MLS clubs the way our legue is set up. It is our bench and new players brought in from trades in Daggers, Serioux, and Ianni or a local grown product like Holden in '06 to even more depth with picking up Zamunda from the Crew, Jaqua from LAG and Mulrooney from Tonto FC. It is funny to see SJ fans still think that this is their team after the additions that have made Houston so lethal. Celtics beat the Rockets twice in the 80's. Now the account has been settled. I look forward to this new, non regional, rivalry in MLS for years to come. See some of y'all in Houston for U.S.A. vs Mexico at Reliant. I welcome all for Country and no mentions of this club rivalry at the tailgate.
I thought Khano Smith was great in stretches, both in season and the final. The rest is spot on. I hope the Revs take next year seriously, acquisition wise. Aren't the Revs usually bottom half in terms of salary?
Would have liked to have seen Christman in for a laboring Noonan. Would have like for Khano to shoot a couple times. Would have liked for tighter marking on De-Ro on that header. It will be a long, long, off-season for the 6 states.. Good news is that the Revs continue to impress the league while spending the least on players. Beast
Hey, it was a hard-fought finals. Props to you guys and condolences. Your team gave us a real game, much respect to them.
That was Davis who made the cross into DeRo but it was Ralston who was not marking Davis. He should NEVER be left alone with the ball at his feet within 30 yards of goal. He WILL put it on someone's head every time. At that point, Ralston was probably not 100% and couldn't get there. What could Nicol have done differently today? Well, here's where our lack of depth came back to bite us in the @$$. Clearly Nicol's conservatism and Kraft's lack of financial support for the team left us with only one sub (Dorman) who Nicol felt could play in a big game. What we desparately lack is speed up top. Noonan and Twellman are very good at what they do, but they are each one dimensional players and we need "more dimensions" at striker. Cristman has potential, but it's only going to make him look like a fusion of TT and Noonan, which we already have plenty of. It really would have been nice to give the Gambians some serious playing time, say in late July and August to see if they were ready for prime time. But we'll never know now. As for Smith, I've cursed him as much as anyone, but he could be useful as a 60 minute sub, but that's it! He can't finish a game well and he shows collossally bad judgment, as the Waibel head butt attests. He's a little better than he used to be with the ball at his feet, but he will NEVER have the kind of close control a professional player really needs.
“… “If It doesn’t happen, so who cares? There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.””
That pretty much sums it up right there. I hope we have a good college draft, because it's unlikely we bring in some experienced pros who can improve the team.
No they didn't get lucky they outplayed us in front of the net and thats where championship are won and lost.
It's a rather complex issue. Actually, no, it's fairly simple. This is the birthplace of NIMBYism, snob zoning, and general attempts to "keep the undesirables out." Greater Boston is one of the most densely-populated regions in the country; it is also one of the oldest with a strong outlook towards historical preservation. This situation is generally present because in the 1950s and the 1960s, "urban renewal" and general "modern" improvements meant destroying whole neighbourhoods and commercial centres; where it has taken hold, it has generally been disastrous (see, eg., Scollay Square/Government Center/Boston City Hall, the West End of Boston). Thus, there are few places in the area that are suitable for stadium construction. Where sporting organisations have sought new construction on supposedly viable land, they have been blocked repeatedly, including Bob Kraft, who wanted a stadium for the Pats as part of an "entertainment megaplex" including a stadium for the Red Sox and a convention centre on the South Boston Waterfront, but local residents and politicians in Southie refused to let it go through, citing quality-of-life issues mostly arising from congestion and traffic. In reality, the proposed site at that time was far from residential areas, and the pols didn't have a problem with the Red Sox building a park there, provided that it was on Frank McCourt's land, since he was "one of their own." Essentially, the people in Southie didn't like how Bob Kraft (a non-Irishman from Brookline) was going into Southie and dictating terms to them without kissing the brass ring. He eventually built a stadium for the Pats next to the old stadium in Foxboro on land he owned, with his own money. However, when he wanted the Commonwealth to assist with infrastructure improvements to the area, the then-Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives blocked it by refusing to bring the appropriation to a vote. He had to threated to move the team to Hartford in order to get the Commonwealth to agree to a deal. Since then, the only new sports facility constructed in Greater Boston is Agganis Arena at Boston University, the home of BU men's ice hockey and part-time home of BU men's and women's basketball. However, that facility only has 6,300 seats, and it's located on land that BU already owned on its current campus surrounded by academic buildings (the old Armory), and the closest residential area is across a fairly busy thoroughfare, so that was a possibility. Other than that, finding space for a 20,000-capacity ground is not easy. They play at the Razor because Kraft owns it, and therefore does not have to pay a lease to anyone. Also, they removed the American football lines for the playoff matches. He wants a new ground for the Revs, but it's a major minefield to get that, especially since he does not have any current holdings outside Foxboro and Brookline, and because of zoning laws, every deal has to be approved by local authorities. The atmosphere would definitely improve if they got a new ground, and the site for it that was most recently discussed would be near-perfect in terms of accessibility and location, but has shortcomings in the infrastructure area and possibly in the local resident support area, since it is near a blue-collar residental neighbourhood that fears gentrification. In the meantime, the atmosphere suffers because a lot of the people who would love to go to matches and be vocal can't get down to Foxboro on a regular basis (like me). Thus, they go after the "soccer moms" and the families they raise who treat it as a social gathering and a leisure event. Well, there's your answer. Short and to the point!