I do not care about it now BECAUSE the powers that be (just the Revs apparently) dont. THe tournament is very important IMO, but I will support my local Pioneers next year, screw the Revs in this tournament.
Just changed a few words for you. The CCC? The one that the Revs decided to play their home game in Costa Rica instead of ... you know ... at home? Yeah, another great example of how much the Revs try and win competitions.
....And I'm not upset that the Revs didnt win this game. It's the fact that they played in front of fans and showed no respect for the tournament. If the match had been billed as an exhibition and it had no meaning, then I would have had no problem with what happened last night. The fact is, this was a tournament. I am pretty sure that the Revs have a choice, they are not required to participate I dont believe. If they arent going to take it seriously, why even enter?
Look at this...Even a DCU fan can get this!!! Well said, I couldn't agree more!.....It must be nice to have all that hardware in DC huh? Maybe, just maybe someday the Revs managment will feel the same way!!! Mike
Agreed completely. Well, I am upset we lost, but I don't blame the players. They gave it their best. Management on the other hand ...
follow the money. Who gets rich if the Open Cup, or the CCC becomes the biggest soccer tournament in the US. you might think about the economics and politics of why nobody cares. also, the open cup today is not a bigtime tournament - even when compared to mls's small draw. i'm not sure you can dispute that. (and maintain any credibility)
Which part of this are you not understanding? I don't care about the money aspect. I am a fan. I want to see my team win. Plain and simple. The Open Cup isn't a big time tournament? Wow ... thanks. I hadn't realized that. So instead of actually caring and trying to make it be something special, we should just not give a damn because it doesn't make money or whatever such nonsense. Sure. I'm done with this argument. I've got my side, you've got yours. We both believe in what we're saying, and all this is doing is pissing me off more.
A really enterprising mod could merge all of this USOC talk into one thread. Just sayin', cause it's everywhere.
Well ... since I think Avery John should be a starter ... I counted him. I was giving Nicol the benefit of the doubt. That's about the only thing I'll give him credit for from last night.
Then maybe there's a 3rd camp that thinks that in this particular situation, ie., Gold Cup just ending, very congested schedule upon us, two key starters injured, one key starter recently come back from injury, that how Nicol handled it makes sense, even if most of us (including me) were unhappy with the results and the consequences.
From The Eagle-Tribune: You have to be a subscriber to get this story, so I'll have just provide a couple of excerpts, lest I anger the copyright gods: On Soccer Tim Bresnahan LUDLOW | You can't go wrong with the bifana sandwich at Lusitano Stadium. Seasoned pork, sauteed onions, a suitably chewy roll, maybe a little mustard or Tabasco | it's a Portuguese treat and a bargain at $4. The food's a definite selling point for the Revolution's annual U.S. Open Cup match here in western Massachusetts. So is the atmosphere at Lusitano, a cozy neighborhood stadium where an estimated crowd of 3,800 packed the bleachers and lined the fence surrounding the field last night. The soccer, however, has never quite met expectations, primarily because the Revolution don't put a ton of emphasis on the Open Cup, a 91-year-old competition that runs concurrently with the MLS season. And it's worth asking if the Revs | or any other MLS club | should even bother continuing their participation in this tourney if they're not going to devote themselves to it. Last night, New England rested nearly half of its starting lineup and had four rookies (and none of its six All-Stars) on the field for overtime. The Chicago Fire, three-time winners of this tourney, trotted out their first team and eventually prevailed 3-2 after 120 minutes of soccer. "We had to do two things: Make sure we compete and make sure we treat the competition with respect," said Revs head coach Steve Nicol, whose team is 1-3 in Open Cup play since he took the reins in 2002. "I think we accomplished both things." That's debatable. Certainly the Revolution players competed hard all night, but by fielding a depleted team, Nicol put his team at a severe disadvantage from the opening whistle. He then made his intentions crystal clear by removing his best players | Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph | from a 1-1 game at halftime. .... However, the Revs' top players did need a break at some point. Injuries and national-team duty have taken their toll on New England, and the schedule isn't getting any kinder. Last night's game was the first of five the Revs will play in 15 days. Guys like Clint Dempsey, Michael Parkhurst and Pat Noonan are prime candidates for burnout | the one thing New England cannot afford if it wants its early-season success to continue in the fall, when the truly important games take place. "It kind of fell at a bad time for us," said Nicol of the Open Cup draw. "We had guys who needed to get some rest." It's awfully hard to fault Nicol's reasoning | and he's not alone. MLS coaches routinely rest their stars for Open Cup matches, and it's not uncommon for teams from lower-level leagues to knock off MLS clubs (the MetroStars and Colorado Rapids both lost to USL First Division squads last night). Simply put, the Open Cup just doesn't mean as much as the regular season or playoffs. And that's why MLS clubs who share that philosophy should not enter the tournament.
Before I get started im on the side of we should take the Open Cup seriously Anyways, kind of off topic but someone mentioned the CCC. I have honestly have no clue how the REVs cant even take this seriously,. Not only can we showcase our team around the region we can also get a copa sudamericana birth (see DC) or according to Garber a place in the Copa Libertadores. The winner also gets a shot to showcase around the world. And someone said something about money and there is a shitload of money available in the CWC. Saprissa is drawn against Sidney FC and if they win against Liverpool. But no dont worry, that is also meaningless. Out of the 6 teams entered Saprissa should realistically finish 3rd, therefore bring home some money (especially money MLS could use) Not sure if this is true but word on the street is that this year the 2 CCC spots are going to the MLSCup and Open Cup winner although I kno last year it was teh two MLS finalists. NOt sure if that is true, does anyone have any info on that????
If that doesn't work for you how about a puppy pile? On second though if we get close to some of those who have been posting in the last 24 hours we might get rabies.
I'm all for a puppy pile. Personally, I think this forum needs a hefty dose of love. Is there supporter's group group counseling? I think we could use some!
Want to bet Nicol would rather finish strong in the MLS season before starting that other cup competition, as opposed to winning the LHUSOC and limping into the playoffs after dropping a ton of points down the stretch? After all, he does come from a culture where the League is the most important competition. That would be our Supporter's Shield. The Revs have every chance to take that trophy, if the right players do not miss many more games. - Comparing MLS Cup finishes and LHUSOC wins in a season isn't the right place to look if you want to see how "taking the competition seriously" in the in-season Open Cup effects team performance and endurance in MLS. One would have to look at league finish to see those effects. - The way to get teams to take this cup competition more seriously is to award a place in some other regional tournament to the champion. I guess that has been rectified and the winner will get a spot? And, oh yeah, pay a nice chunk o' change to the winners. Of course it's all about the money! It's far more important to the teams that they play well in front of more of their fans during MLS games, the 12k+ who pay at Gillette as opposed to the 3.8k who pay at Lusitano field. Then finish first in their league and/or win the MLS Cup. Winning the Open Cup is a fourth priority*, really, except to some of you guys. When the MLS teams are deeper, then more of them will go after hardware on all fronts. Until then, they will continue to pick their battles. The Revolution are actually a paper-thin team. They do have a squad in position to win other "major" domestic competitions. Why risk those very good chances at the outset of an unpredictable knock-out competition? Another thing: vis-a-vis competitions in England, it's not fair to compare the USOC to the FA Cup. It is of course the case that each is the longest-running knock-out competition in their respective country. However, the similarities end there. I submit that the USOC is more like England's Worthington Cup while the MLS Cup is most like the FA Cup, in terms of how serious teams take it and it's weight with the fans at large. Big clubs often send full reserve teams to contest the early rounds of the Worthington Cup. Only when winning the thing is within sight do the teams play their regular XI. By that point, it's often the last trophy that most of the clubs remaining have a hope of winning. *followed closely by risking half the squad in a meaningless all-star game.
All these sound like really great opportunities, particularly from a fan's viewpoint. But, for the Revs and MLS, the key word these days is "focus". Focus on the bottom-line, focus on keeping expenses down, focus on reaching profitability, don't get distracted from the priority mission - making the league viable over the long run. While most of these competitions may involve significant prize money, I doubt they cover the expenses incurred in competing in them. Saprissa going to Sydney? That's probably Mike Burns' worst nightmare - having to shell out scarce $ to travel around the world competing in competitions that few fans know or care about. I would love, as most of us would, to see the Revs involved in these competitions, to play new and exciting and high quality opponents from great leagues around the world. But, realistically, that is many years away. Keep this in mind: for a US Open Cup match with two of the best MLS teams facing off for a cheap ticket/cheap concessions/great atmosphere/etc., the game did NOT sell out Pioneer Field in Ludlow. Only 3800 people paid to see it - and MANY of those were Ludlow area and Pioneer fans who seem to show up for this event each year. How many MLS fans actually came to watch this game - 2000? And we question why Nicol's priority is MLS league, which, while not drawing as well as it should, is averaging somewhere around the 13-14,000 level lately? '