At least Demon Kovalenko will be a spectate-uh. Revs Cut Down Crew, Advance In Playoffs by Gus Martins The Boston Herald http://sports.bostonherald.com/soccer/view.bg?articleid=51889 Martins' Revs notebook http://sports.bostonherald.com/soccer/view.bg?articleid=51888 "Ryan Nelsen, United's central defender, received a yellow card against the MetroStars and won't be available Saturday. The same goes for D.C.'s Dema Kovalenko." Stop Helps Revolution Go by Frank Dell'Apa The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2004/11/01/stops_help_revolution_go/ Dell'Apa's Revs Notebook http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2004/11/01/twellman_makes_a_connection/ 'On Oct. 16, the Revolution were a goal away from finishing the year with the worst record in the MLS, a season in which they lost their opening two games and rarely climbed out of last place. A 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire qualified the Revolution for the playoffs, but the team's losing record raised the question of coach Steve Nicol's job security."We weren't going to make a change this year," Sunil Gulati, director of Kraft Soccer, said before the game last night. "The last two years have been the most successful in the team's history. You should be loyal to good people and good people deliver. You don't become a bad coach or a good coach overnight."'
This is one of the best quotes I have seen in a long time... Im glad that someone realises what Nicol has done for this team, yes they have had a tough year but they managed to still make the playoffs and Nicol has again proven that the Revs are a good team and that he knows what he is doing. The Revs were the joke of the league a couple years ago now in the three years Nicol has been there he has taken them to 3 consecutive Eastern Confernece Final before he took over as coach they had only been to the playoffs once. So for all of you that think there should be a change at head coach I dont know if anyone would ever satisfy you guys.
This, as my parole officer will tell you, is a no-brainer. They'd be fools to let Pepé Cancela walk or have him exposed in the expansion draft. And, I'd be very critical of them if that were to happen. To be honest, the way Nicol used him, or didn't, was perhaps one of the most questionable things he's done since taking over as head coach. Given that the league was built using the South American blueprint, which Gulati was one of the authors, he fits what MLS was/is looking for perfectly. I'm sure Nicol will point to his defensive liabilities, but the man is capable of controlling any match.
He tracked back, fought for, and won back balls last night. I was jumping out of my seat yelling, "Look at Pepe playing great defense!" So Ann told me I want to marry him.
So Nicol gets the dreaded vote of confidence. I hope that it is for his body of work over three seasons and not simply because the Revs got past the Crew in a two game series. This season has been pretty poor and eliminating Columbus does not make up for it. Now winning MLS Cup would make up for it and shock the soccer world. I am not opposed to bringing Nicol back, but would have preferred that decision was made after the season had concluded. I think it would have meant more then because giving it now has all of the appearances of a knee-jerk reaction to beating the Crew. If the Revs perform badly against DC it will raise the question all over again and the Columbus series will only look like an aberation. Let's hope they answer that one positively as well.
So they are saying Nicol did his best with what he had Setting someone up to be the scapegoat for not getting him better talent perhaps ? This is a bad move If they win the Cup MAYBE you talk about him staying They ain't won nothin yet and they want him to stay. This organizaion is a soup sanwhich Go Revs !
In fairness to Nicol, I don't think Cancela was the same player this season as he was last season. He's come on strong at the end, but there were a lot of mid-season matches where he gave the ball away more often than not and didn't do much of any defending. Whether that's due to injuries or fatigue or whatever I don't know, but he was definitely ineffective for a good chunk of the season. now that he's back on his game, though, i'll be glad to have him back.
When are Beez, Frank or Gus going to write the definitive Revs-Do-Shooters-Boilermakers-Pints-And-Navel-Shots-Before-Playoff-Games piece? You know what's really sad? The Yankees got beat by drunks. Crew's Pain Turns Into Revs' Gain by Our Beez http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20041101/SP_003.htm
Perhaps the Revs slipped Tony Sanneh a mickey before the match. He looked like he was on tranquilizers when he took that PK One more shameless plug: Notebook: Dorman does the job for Revolution http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/20041101/SP_009.htm