SB Nation - Monsef Zerka

Time to Look at the 2013 Revs Because 2012 is Done

Abram Chamberlain — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:49:49 -0000

The season is done. Times have definitely gotten tough - as they've tended to do over the past three seasons. Our New England Revolution have only won one of their last twelve games, but we are rebuilding. We were rebuilding last year too. The year before that as well. The year previous to that was just a shell-shock of realizing we weren't good anymore, so counting that as part of this "rebuilding process" may actually be a bit disingenuous. But now, now it is time to look ahead.

That's right, it is time to start gearing up for next year even whilst this year is still being played out before us. The word around the interwebs is that New England should be a team to watch next year. That they may have underperformed a little this year with a mostly new squad and a new head coach. They say that once they gel next year, they could be spectacular -- stop me if you've heard that one before.

Still, truthfully, this new core of players is more fun to watch, though seemingly equally as frustrating. At the end of last year, we were pretty sure we had a solid core with Shalrie Joseph, Benny Feilhaber, Rajko Lekic, Monsef Zerka, and Milton Caraglio in tow. They were the future. They were going to lead us back to the promise land. Now only one of those players remains, and just barely at that; however, it appears as that this current squad may, in fact, have a much higher ceiling than last year's team. With that in mind, we need to remember that MLS contracts are secretive. Fans don't know length (in most cases) or money (never), so we can only guess what this roster will look like next year.

Looking at this year's remaining roster, I have broken the players down categorically. There are the players that need to be back next year no matter what; the players that baring them wanting an exorbinant raise or a really good trade offer should come back; the players that would be nice to re-sign, but wouldn't be the downfall of the team if they didn't; there are the guys that if they left no one would probably notice; and there are the guys who I am absolutely clueless about.

Category 1: Bring them back, or I will fly up to Gillette and burn it to the ground!

Lee Nguyen, Saer Sene, Jerry Bengtson, Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe, Clyde Simms

It is clear why I feel this way about Nguyen and Sene. Bengtson, to a lot of the people I follow on Twitter, seems to either be hit or miss. I say give him a year, the guy has huge potential. While Diego has not made the leap we had all hoped for, he has been very good these last few games. And while certain bloggers at this very site have referred to him as Diego Bieber, he has shown that unlike the holder of that pejoratively used surname he may just be able to have a more mature game later on. Rowe could probably be in the second group after what - in my opinion, based on my own overhyping of him and his performance in the preseason - was more or less a disappointing rookie year, but I have a good feeling about him for next year. Simms, well without him we'd still have Shalrie, so he better be here next year...oh yeah, and he's pretty damn solid too.

Category 2: Do as much as you realistically can to keep them, but if something better comes along, I get it.

Benny Feilhaber, A.J. Soares, Ryan Guy, Florian Lechner, Juan Toja, Fernando Cardenas

Benny Feilhaber has possibly become one of the most devisive Revolution players since I've followed the team with any sort of seriousness (circa 2002). He could be one of the greatest MLS players ever, but he could also be a huge distraction. A.J. could be in Category 1, but he has taken a step back this year. Ryan Guy is a great utility player, but not a star. Lechner I've grown to love and at other times hate, but he has displayed a fire and passion that this team needs. Toja, after one game, is proving that he could be great again. Cardenas, just needs his energy focused (though he could easily be moved to Category 3).

Category 3: If we have a roster spot to fill, and nothing better is out there, then okay.

Kevin Alston, Stephen McCarthy, Matt Reis, Chris Tierney, Darrius Barnes

Matt Reis has been great, but how many years does he really have left? I want him back, but I want an heir apparent even more. McCarthy and Tierney are fine MLS players, they will probably never be more than that, and that is okay. I like both, I'd be happy to see both back, but if either were replaced, I'm not sure I'd shed a tear. I like Darrius Barnes, I think he brings leadership to the team; however, it might be time to move on. Kevin Alston could have been a contender...he could have been somebody, instead of an average MLS right back, which is what he is, let's face it.

Category 4: There's got to be something else out there...right?

Bobby Shuttleworth, Blake Brettschneider, Tim Murray

Shuttleworth is not Reis's heir apparent. He'd be a great NASL keeper and there's nothing wrong with that. but I lay no faith in Shuttleworth being the Revs' goalkeeper of the future. Brettschneider needs to go...'nuff said. Tim Murray is a third-string goalkeeper, why am I even discussing him?

Category 5: Um...I don't even know who this is

Blair Gavin, Sainey Nyassi, Tyler Polak, Alec Purdie, Michael Roach

Due to a lack of time this season, I can't fairly place any of these guys. I don't think Gavin will be here next year, Nyassi will probably also be gone. Meanwhile, I'm over the top for Polak's potential - and have been since before he was drafted. Purdie and Roach? Well, hopefully they'll get some time in the last few games so we can categorize them for next year.

Summer Transfers 2012: Shalrie's Gone, Now What?

Steve Stoehr — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:30:06 -0000

Most of us are still smarting after this morning's news of the Shalrie Joseph trade broke. The New England Revolution will never be the same, and whether you agree with the trade or not, you can't say it doesn't send shockwaves through this community.

That said, the world is not going to end. Tomorrow, the sun will rise, and there will still be an MLS team in New England. On Saturday, that MLS team will face off against SKC at Gillette Stadium, and although Shalrie's imposing profile and distinctive dreadlocks won't be there, the rest of the team will.

So how does this club move forward? What has this trade done to this club, and what is the plan for the final stretch of the season?

Firstly, the Revs have acquired a new player. Blair Gavin was a guy who was highly-touted coming out of college. He helped the Akron Zips (coached by US U-23 head coach Caleb Porter and a modern football factory) to the 2009 NCAA Championship game, and played alongside some of the SuperDraft's best picks in recent years, like Darlington Nagbe and Teal Bunbury. He was also a member of the USA U-18 and U-20 player pool.

In his three years in MLS, the 23-year old Gavin has made 43 appearances, scoring three goals and tallying five assists. Those aren't gaudy numbers, but they aren't bad, either. What's more worrying is that he is apparently injury prone; Gavin's 2010 season was ended prematurely due to a hamstring problem, and that same injury dogged him all through 2011, limiting him to 18 appearances, 11 of them starts.

Basically, Gavin seems like a bit of a project player. He obviously has the potential to deliver the goods at the MLS level, but issues with injuries and maybe a shift in philosophies (Robin Fraser was hired in 2011, the year after Gavin was drafted) have stunted his growth. A change of scenery may be exactly what he needed, so the Revs could be getting a decent player out of this deal.

Secondly and thirdly, the Revs acquired a draft pick and allocation money. Draft picks are notoriously hard to predict and are not necessarily a good indicator of future success, and allocation money might as well be black magic and wizardry for all anyone knows.

Thus, it's probably more important to focus on what this means in terms of finances and roster space for the Revs. Shalrie Joseph was a designated player, meaning he was on the books for $350,000, unless New England was inexplicably using allocation money to buy down that number. Blair Gavin, meanwhile, is earning a much slimmer $60,000 paycheck, according to the MLS Players' Union. For those of you who struggle with math, that's $290,000 saved on the budget.

That much extra cash certainly sets the wheels spinning in people's minds, especially when one considers that New England has a free roster spot lying around. Plus, unless the Revolution traded an international roster spot and it slipped under the radar, they have an international slot open, too. Frankly, the Revs are poised for another blockbuster move for an overseas player.

This doesn't have to be an international player; the name on everyone's mind is Carlos Bocanegra. The Revs have the top allocation spot, Rangers is playing in the fourth tier of Scottish soccer, it's been hinted that MLS has had discussions with the player, and Jurgen Klinsmann will not abide his captain playing at a level possibly below college soccer. Honestly, the stars are aligned for a Bocanegra move stateside, and the question really becomes whether or not he wants to play for the Revs.

Then again, if Bocanegra remains under contract with Rangers, he can't technically move to MLS until January, because the league's summer transfer window is closed. That's a rule that can be easily circumvented if Rangers releases Boca from his contract, if Boca is no longer under contract (no one's really sure about this), or if MLS elects to fudge its own rules to make the deal happen. The latter is not at all outside the realm of possibility, as sometimes it feels like every big move the league makes is against its own rules.

If not Bocanegra, then who? The Revs have a pretty complete roster for the first time in years; at this point, the only moves that make sense would be moves that replace a current starter with a better player. Luckily, having DP-esque space under the cap (and allocation money to make sure it stays that way) gives the Revolution the flexibility they need to go out and get the player they want, and pay for the quality needed to replace someone already on this roster.

Defense appears to be the biggest Achilles heel for the squad so far, and would explain why Bocanegra seems to be the guy everyone wants. Jerry Bengtson's Olympic form suggests that he might be the answer with Sene up top, so signing a DP defender (or near-DP) would not be a poor move for the Revolution. In fact, it would be the most logical at this moment.

Unfortunately, there's one more possibility lurking here: the Revs do nothing. There are 13 games left in the Revolution season, and they sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Union on just 23 points. Philadelphia has two games in hand. The chances of New England climbing the table and squeaking into the playoffs are slim to none. Sean Donahue at New England Soccer Today pointed out that they're as dire as 4.2%.

Hasty late-summer moves have a tendency of not panning out, and that's something the Revs are intimately familiar with. Milton Caraglio was a late-summer addition, and he fizzled out. So, too, did Monsef Zerka, and that was just last season.

Freeing up all of this space could be a move that looked to the offseason rather than to a lost 2012 season. Bringing on Jay Heaps and changing the youth and culture in this club was probably just step one of what will be a long and dramatic rebuilding process for the Revolution. Shipping Shalrie out was probably a necessary step, but not a step that demands immediate action, either. The real fireworks could be saved for the winter of 2012-13. If that's the case, get used to the Revolution you see right now, because for the rest of the year, that's all you're going to get.

What do you think the Revs will do now that they've traded Shalrie? Is Boca coming to Boston? Is there another move on the cards? Or will they do nothing? Let us know in the comments!

Progress Report: Updates on Zerka, Lekic, Caraglio, Cochrane and Marko

TheIndirectKick — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:17:28 -0000

Earlier this year we took a look at the departed New England Revolution players released in the off-season to see where they ended up. Well it's been almost two months, let's check in on the boys and see where they are, how much they are playing and if so, in what position are they being employed.

All information gathered via TransferMarkt.co.uk.

1. Marko Perovic - Red Star Belgrade, Serbian Superliga

Perovic has played 71 minutes this year, making only one appearance for Serbian side, Red Star Belgrade. No goals, no assists. In his one appearance came in a 1-0 win over Spartak ZV where he played as a left midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Red Star is 2nd overall out of 16 clubs,and if it remains this way would earn them entrance into Europa League Second Round qualifying. Simply put, it looks like Marko is still working on rehabbing his knee back to 100%.

2. Monsef Zerka - Petrolul Ploiesti, Romanian Liga 1

Zerka has 2 goals, 2 assists in 8 appearances, all starts, playing a total of 540 minutes. Most interesting, he's been playing left striker, up top in a 4-4-2 set up. Petrolul sits in 15th in an 18 club league, where clubs 15-18 are relegated. Yikes!

3. Rajko Lekic - Lyngby BK, Danish Superligaen

Lekic has made one appearance (4/3/2012) in a 2-1 win over FC Midtjylland, coming on as a sub at forward in their 4-2-3-1 set up. According to match reports, he doesn't seem to be consistently making the 18 man roster. Lyngby is currently in 11th out of 12 clubs with the bottom two facing relegation.

4. Milton Caraglio - CSD Rangers Talca, Primera Divisíon Apertura Chile

It's so silly how the Revs advertised him as the club's first DP in hindsight. Caraglio has 5 goals, 2 assists in 12 appearances, all of them starts; totaling 994 minutes. There is no data on what formation Rangers is playing, but we can assume he's playing some flavor of forward. Rangers is currently 8th out of 18 clubs.

5. Ryan Cochrane - San Antonio Scorpions FC, North American Soccer League

The mustached man has started on the back line in all five matches so far in the inaugural campaign for second division side San Antonio Scorpions FC. Currently San Antonio is 2-1-2; having conceded 6 goals through five matches in league play. San Antonio will be competing in US Open Cup this year. Is it possible he could face his former MLS club?

Most interesting stat: The average attendance for San Antonio after three home games is 10,933. The Revs, in contrast, are averaging 9,824.

6. Ryan Kinne - CFC Azul, USL-PDL

After seeing action in only one match for the Revs in 2011, he was waived this off-season and has since popped up with Connecticut based, CFC Azul scoring in the first match of their inaugural season. USL-PDL is the fourth tier of the US Soccer pyramid.

B.Schimmel - Twitter: @TheIndirectKick
Contributor to The Bent Musket on SBNation covering all things New England Revolution. Featured guest on The Midnight Ride Podcast.

Poll

If you had to select only one of these players to be a part of the current Revolution roster who would it be?

Perovic

17 votes

Zerka

13 votes

Lekic

3 votes

Caraglio

18 votes

Cochrane

1 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

The Departed: The 2011 Revs, Where'd They Go?

TheIndirectKick — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:06:19 -0000

A total of thirteen players from the 2011 New England Revolution are not back for the 2012 season. If you just awoke from your off-season soccer hibernation you must be wondering where they all went. Many have moved on to other clubs, some are currently unemployed. Using the world wide web I did some light research to figure out where our friends are now and how they're doing. (NOTE: Only researched players who made a senior team appearance in a league match)

Rajko Lekic - F

Lekic could not come to terms with the Revs in the 2011 off-season. He signed with Danish club Lyngby Boldklub on January 31st of this year.

So far with Lyngby, Lekic has made one appearance with the club coming on as a sub and tallying an assist.

Milton Caraglio - F

The over-hyped Caraglio joined the Revs late in the year as their first DP. He hadn't played a competitive game in a year and was visibly out of shape. He surely could become a capable forward somewhere, but was not around long enough for us to find out. Citing an insane salary demand from his handlers, the Revs parted ways with him this off season.

Caraglio is now with CD Rangers, a club playing in the top tier of Chile. They are currently in 14th place on an 18 team table. Their stadium in Talca holds 8,230 fans. Caraglio so far has notched 3 goals in 8 matches.

Franco Coria - CB

Coria was our starting CB paired with AJ Soares last season opener. Some sloppy play and silly mistakes saw him relegated to the bench eventually. He was not re-signed by the Revs this off-season.

Coria is now back at his Argentine club Club Atlético Chacarita Juniors who sits in last place of the "B" league. To add salt to the wound...following a riot during their match Sunday the club's games will now be played behind closed doors. Check out the story, it makes Fortgate look like Bingo night.

Ryan Cochrane - CB

Perhaps most famous for his mustache and character he brought to the locker room, his game dropped off noticeably as the season progressed. Cochrane was waived by the Revs and he has since resurfaced with the new NASL club San Antonio Scorpions FC.

Monsef Zerka - MF

I'll never understand the Zerka defenders. He's not awful, he's just not good enough to warrant a $226,000 salary. I have no idea where he is. Some sites show him with Romanian club Petrolul Ploiesti with a question mark--literally with a question mark.

Marko Perovic - M/F

Sometimes I think of how great this current team would be with Marko Perovic. Marko, a fan favorite was a hell of a competitor and was adapting well to Major League Soccer. His 2011 campaign was cut short when he tore his ACL against Sporting KC. A messy ending saw Perovic upset and not re-sign with the club when his option came up with mid 2011.

Marko is playing for Serbian Superliga powerhouse Red Star Belgrade. So far has appeared in one match, playing 71 minutes.

Ousmane Dabo - CDM

What looked like a great signing by the Revs prior to 2011 was bringing in 34 year old Ousmane Dabo who had played at the highest levels in Europe. The classy veteran would have an impact on a young locker room and improve the team's ability to play the ball out of the back. His presence would reduce the defensive burden on Shalrie Joseph and allow him to get forward. It never really came together, Dabo could rarely get healthy and following a series of set backs, he retired from professional soccer mid season.

Kheli Dube - F

Sidelined most of 2011 with whiplash. Made five appearances and scored no goals. The Chicago Fire scooped in him the Re-Entry draft this off season. He's all yours Chicago.

The rest remain unemployed based on all the evidence I could gather. The most curious case below is that of Ilija Stolica who was inexplicably loaned to 3rd division FC New York until he was released mid year after scoring 1 (crucial) goal for Revs.

Didier Domi - D, Zack Schilawski - F, Pat Phelan - CM, Ilija Stolica - F, Ryan Kinne - F

On Twitter @TheIndirectKick, or email me TheIndirectKick@gmail.com

Poll

Which Departed Revs Player Would You Re-Sign Tomorrow

Marko Perovic

61 votes

Rajko Lekic

4 votes

Monsef Zerka

1 votes

Milton Caraglio

6 votes

Ryan Cochrane

0 votes

Other

3 votes

75 votes | Poll has closed

New England Revolution Offseason 2012: Getting On Board

Abram Chamberlain — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:46:07 -0000

Perhaps it is the remnants of the last two seasons that has Revolution supporters feeling incredibly negative about the franchise's off-season moves. With news of players reneging on deals, choosing to sign in different countries, being defined as unnecessary to the organization, or threatening retirement, it is easy to let surprisingly positive moves get whitewashed in negativity. However, the New England Revolution have had a better off-season than people are giving them credit for.

So while the stories of Rajko Lekic, Monsef Zerka, and Milton Caraglio - who apparently have become the symbols of front office failures to many supporters - led the Revs off-season news-line, the more recent "failures" have Revolution supporters more on edge than usual. Sure it is easy to point out the so-called atrocities of the front office and say that they are failing at their jobs (I know I've done it), but that is only looking at half the story.

Yes, many of us were upset at seeing Danleigh Borman turn down a deal and sign in South Africa. And sure, every Revs supporter was up in arms over the Jose Moreno story. And then, of course, the news that Nate Jaqua may be thinking that retirement is a better deal than suiting up for New England hit. It seemed to be exactly how the off-season was going. Just epic failure after epic failure. But while New England has yet to sign that big-named DP, their silly season has had some seriously overlooked good news.

While I for one was hoping the FO would pick up Chandler Hoffman in the SuperDraft with the third pick, the Revs did make a wise selection in choosing Hoffman's UCLA teammate Kelyn Rowe. In addition to Rowe, the Revolution lucked out by having Tyler Polak basically fall into their laps with the 22nd pick. That is two Generation Adidas players, who have both earned caps for the USMNT U20 squad. One is a solid creator, and the other is that rare MLS left-footed left back. Both could contribute in their first year, but more importantly, neither will count against the cap, leaving room for other moves.

Looking towards the crap-shoot that is the Re-Entry Draft, we saw the FO pick up three players. And while Borman chose to sign with SuportSport United FC of the South African Premier Soccer League, and Nate Jaqua may be looking to retire, the Revolution did come away with Clyde Simms. When analyzing these picks, we can see that Borman was still raw and Jaqua seemed to be past his prime, but Simms - who last year was still earning starting minutes for D.C. United - could provide either excellent cover for Shalrie Joseph or possibly a second DM in a double-pivot midfield. That is not a horrendous pick-up for a draft whose role in MLS player acquisition is still being defined.

And while Moreno may be the Colombian that is seen as the defining point of the Revolutions off-season, John Lozano and Fernando Cárdenas, both formerly of América de Cali, are being highly overlooked. These two quality players could have immediate dividends for the Revs. Last season we saw glimpses of what A.J. Soares could be, and John Lozano may just be that high quality CB to further his development that supporters are looking for. Leonel Alvarez has referred to Cárdenas as "a magician with the ball," and if you check out his youtube clips (which granted I could probably throw together some clips of me playing and make myself look pretty damn good), he has tinges of a young David Ferreira (who was also spent a good portion of his young career with América de Cali). This could potentially add yet another creator to the line-up.

But where will the goals come from? The thought I've often had is if you have people who can create chances then any moron will be able to knock in goals. The FO has, thus far, taken two chances. The first was Moreno. And while this looks to become messier and messier every day, the fact is the FO took a chance. The chance may fail, but maybe it will work out. The second chance they took is on Saer Sene. While Sène's connection to Bayern Munich might be overstated, the reports of him being able to take defenders on one-on-one, having good feet, and getting on the end of balls seem positive. These attributes could help him greatly up top in front of a midfield featuring the likes of Cárdenas, Feilhaber, Rowe, and even Shalrie (who is much more of a creator than he is ever given credit for).

All of this doesn't even take into account that despite stories leaking via Twitter last year, the FO was still able to re-sign Shalrie Joseph to a big contract, which will hopefully let him remain a Rev for the remainder of his MLS career. Nor is it looking at Ryan Kinne's recent positive statements about Jay Heaps or additional growth for Diego Fagundez.

So no, the Revolution have not signed Didier Drogba, Alessandro Del Piero, or Michael Ballack, but the front office has made some intriguing moves. We may sit and moan about mistakes, yet that is just what comes with being a supporters. No matter what the FO does they will never make 100% of the supporters happy. However, it appears that despite the overwhelming negative opinions to three stories (Re-Entry Draft, Lekic-Caraglio-Zerka, and Moreno) there are reasons to stay positive. And at the end of the day, isn't creating a reason for hope what the off-season should be all about?

Poll

Which Revs player are you most excited about for the 2012 season?

Fernando Cardenas

1 votes

Diego Fagundez

4 votes

Benny Feilhaber

14 votes

Shalrie Joseph

0 votes

John Lozano

0 votes

Tyler Polak

0 votes

Matt Reis

1 votes

Kelyn Rowe

27 votes

Clyde Simms

0 votes

Other

3 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

Business As Usual: Pepe Moreno To Stay With Once Caldas

Abram Chamberlain — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:05 -0000

Personnel-wise, it’s been a disastrous couple of days for the New England Revolution. Rajko Lekic is off in Denmark, Monsef Zerka is apparently surplus to requirements, Milton Caraglio is in Chile, Re-entry Draft pick Danleigh Borman is in South Africa, and now news out of Colombia has told us that one of the Revs' "big" offseason signings has changed his mind and will not suit up for Jay Heaps in Foxborough. And you thought the Patriots were having a bad week.

According to Tarantela Deportiva, José "Pepe" Moreno --the supposed solution for the Revolution’s goal scoring woes from last season-- is going to stay with his home club of Once Caldas. Like with most MLS signings, there was not a whole lot of information about terms of Moreno’s deal other than the fact that it was a loan. And while it is not necessarily odd within soccer leagues for players to be recalled by the club that owns their contract, the fact that Moreno was sold to Revs supporters as a solution and then never showed up to play is frustrating.

In addition, being as no terms of Moreno’s contract were publicly discussed --as per league and team policy-- some supporters are wondering if there was ever actually a deal in place. The Revolution now will continue on in their pre-season with no true forward signed to the team outside of Zack Schilawski, and with most transfer windows closed it will be difficult for them to bring in any kind of proven goal scoring threat before MLS's April deadline.

However, being as there has been no official statement from the Revolution or MLS, and South American newspapers are not always the most reliable, the full facts of this whole situation are probably not out yet. Still, in a very slow news period for New England, this is not the sort of information that a club would want coming to light.

To me, this brings into question (a) the league and team policy of not releasing player contract information, and (b) the big hullabaloo made over getting a player on loan who may have had cold feet to begin with. While the front office restructuring has made it very clear who should get the blame on this PR and personnel disaster (team General Manager Mike Burns), it has unfortunately not done anything to show supporters how this problem will be solved. The season kicks off in just 30 days, hopefully by then we will have some answers.

Editor's Note: New England Soccer Today tweeted earlier that Once Caldas' official stance on the matter is that they are "not ready to comment at this moment."

How have the other MLS teams done in the off-season? Part 1: East Coast

Nick Fedora — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:22:29 -0000

The off-season has been busy for the teams in Major League Soccer with players moving in and players moving out. This is the first part of a three-part look at the league's transactions. Today I'll be taking a look at the teams on the East Coast and how they stack up for the upcoming season.

Besides a simple 'IN' and 'OUT' look for players, I'll be using the terms 'Minutes XI Returning' and 'Minutes Gameday 18 Returning'. Minutes XI is the eleven players that lead the team in minutes in 2011 and Gameday 18 obviously refers to the top 18 players in minutes played. Toronto might be far from the Atlantic Ocean but they are in this group that also includes D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and the Montreal Impact. It all begins after the break.

D.C. United

IN: Robbie Russell, Nick DeLeon, Maicon Santos, Danny Cruz, Emiliano Dudar, Hamdi Salihi, Marcelo Saragosa

OUT: Santino Quaranta, Marc Burch, Charlie Davies, Clyde Simms, Blake Brettschneider, Joseph Ngwenya, Jed Zayner, Devon McTavish, Steve Cronin

Minutes XI Returning: 9/11

Minutes Gameday 18 Returning: 12/18

A lot of movement out of D.C. so far this off-season as fifty combined starts walk out the door between Quaranta, Burch, and Simms alone. Simms is the biggest loss from this list as he started 29 games and logged 2404 minutes and was very effective holding the midfield during his time at D.C. Another story to add here is the waiving of Blake Brettschneider and as Matthew Doyle noted he should find a place to play and be productive somewhere.

However, D.C. still looks to be in decent shape for the upcoming season considering they are bringing back 10 of their top 12 players with the most minutes including Dwayne De Rosario as contract talks seem to be going well. Furthermore, the additions of Robbie Russell and Emiliano Dudar at the back should provide immediate impact. Russell is a right back that has already won a championship with Real Salt Lake, and Dudar is a 30-year old 6'4" center back from Swiss club BSC Young Boys that adds size and experience to a previously young back line from last season.

United also added Danny Cruz, a two-footed 22-year old wide midfielder with four years of league experience as well as Maicon Santos who will likely add depth to the forward position as he brings 14 goals and five assists from 62 league games. Hamdi Salihi is the big addition to D.C. as he will be United's newest Designated Player. The Albanian forward brings international credentials scoring nine goals in 37 appearances and recently played for Rapid Vienna from Austria.

D.C. United did well this off-season to make impact signings and cut unnecessary salary cap money from their roster. D.C. offloaded $371,000 by dropping Burch, Ngwenya, and Quaranta who weren't in the top 12 of D.C.'s total regular season minutes played and Simms was making an additional $179,250. D.C. could have a strong team this season.

New England Revolution

IN: Danleigh Borman, Nate Jaqua, Clyde Simms, John Lozano, Fernando Cardenas, Kelyn Rowe, Tylar Polak, Jose Moreno

OUT: Milton Caraglio, Ryan Cochrane, Franco Coria, Pat Phelan, Kheli Dube, Rajko Lekic, Monsef Zerka

Minutes XI Returning: 8/11

Minutes Gameday 18 Returning: 12/18

After New England's hilariously awful 2011 last place finish, the Revolution and Steve Nicol mutually decided to part ways leading to Jay Heaps to take over as the head villain. Nine of the Revolution's 12 players with the most minutes will return to the team with Lekic, Cochrane, and Phelan as those who won't be back. Even though Lekic played the most minutes out of any forward on the team, he still only tallied six goals and one assist while making $275,000. The Revolution brought in Nate Jaqua from Seattle through the re-entry draft to make sure they won't have to rely on Zach Schilawski for goals from the forward position. Leading goalscorer from 2011 Shalrie Joseph will have help holding the midfield from the underrated Clyde Simms and Danleigh Borman will try to strengthen the left side of the field that was continuously overrun throughout last season.

The draft picks may be able to make a difference this season, but as Joe Mauceri points out Kelyn Rowe may have a hard time fitting in as a playmaker with Benny Feilhaber already in that position. Tyler Polak will probably battle for time at left back with Borman who may or may not play left back instead of in the midfield.

In other words, New England is still going through a major transition phase. With almost half a million dollars dropped just by cutting Lekic and Monsef Zerka (who I have never even heard of before writing this article but still somehow made $226,000 while playing for only 511 minutes), they could afford to splash some cash and bring in another impact player (or start saving for a stadium). So far they have brought in Jose Moreno, a 30-year old Colombian striker from Once Caldas, 27-year old defender John Lozano and 23 year-old attacker Fernando Cardenas all with experience in the Colombian league. If these signings can make a difference, New England may be on their way back to gaining some respectability within the league.

New York Red Bulls

IN: Connor Lade, Johnathan Borrajo, Markus Holgersson, Kenny Cooper, Ryan Meara, Jeremy Vuolo, Wilman Conde

OUT: John Rooney, Carlos Mendes, Chris Albright, Bouna Coundoul, Tim Ream, Frank Rost

Minutes XI Returning: 9/11

Minutes Gameday 18 Returning: 12/18

Not many players have left New York this off season, but those who have certainly carry league experience and have greatly contributed at some point in their MLS career. Carlos Mendes was a mainstay in the Red Bulls backline during the 2006 season and has started at least 10 games every season in his career. Chris Albright has bounced around the league and did not feature for New York very much this season after playing less than 500 minutes. Bouna Coundoul started only 11 games in 2011 after making numerous mistakes in goal resulting in the Red Bulls bringing in Frank Rost for over $500,000. The big loss here is obviously Tim Ream who anchored the Red Bulls backline for 28 games and went overseas to Bolton.

What's interesting about New York is how they are filling those gaps. Markus Holgersson is a 26-year old Swedish centerback from Helsingborg. This 6'3" addition recently earned his first call-up to the Swedish national team and has appeared for Helsingborg 80 times since 2009. Clearly, this is not a depth signing. New York has brought in another centerback by the name of Wilman Conde. Maybe you remember him. With the Holgersson and Conde signings, this may move Rafael Marquez to midfield or to the bench.

The biggest question New York must answer is what they are going to do about their goalkeeping situation. The Red Bulls might be the first team in MLS history that hasn't had goaltender finish in the top 15 players in minutes. Bouna Coundoul, Frank Rost, and Greg Sutton all finished with 12, 11, and 10 starts respectively. Alex Horwath started a game. League Pool goaltender Chris Konopka even started the August 13th match against the Chicago Fire despite not being a team member. I thought the league pool goaltender system was dead before that game.

None of those guys will be back in 2012 leaving only Ryan Meara and Jeremy Vuolo as the only goalkeepers currently on the roster. Meara is the 31st overall draft pick in the 2012 SuperDraft and Vuolo is a signing from AC Oulu (my preferred Football Manager team) in the second division of a very weak Finnish league. Both of these players are a complete crapshoot and not signing a proven goalkeeper may come back to hurt New York.

The other main addition by New York is the trade to get Kenny Cooper for a 2013 first round draft pick and allocation money. Still unable to replicate his blazing form while playing for FC Dallas, Cooper joins a team with the firepower of Thierry Henry, Luke Rodgers, and Juan Agudelo already on the roster.

Overall, the Red Bulls look good for next year with the exception of goalkeeper. Jan Gunnar Solli and Roy Miller will continue to be solid fullbacks and New York haven't lost any midfielders. By dropping Rost, New York has cleared up cap space and a DP spot and the cuts of Albright, Coundoul and Mendes clear up almost another $380,000. With this amount of talent, there should be no reason why New York can't make a strong run to the playoffs. The big question is if they all can keep their heads on straight. There was no reason why New York couldn't make a strong run to the playoffs in 2011 either.

Philadelphia Union

IN: Nizar Khalfan, Josue Martinez, Jimmy McLaughlin, Gabriel Gomez, Porfirio Lopez, Chandler Hoffman, Greg Jordan, Raymon Gaddis

OUT: Justin Mapp, Stefani Miglioranzi, Veijko Paunovic, Faryd Mondragon, Sebastien Le Toux, Kyle Nakazawa

Minutes XI Returning: 7/11

Minutes Gameday 18 Returning: 9/18

Talk about a team that has gone backwards during the off-season. Philadelphia will begin the season without their leading man in games played, games started, minutes, shots, shots on goal, goals, game winning goals, and assists in Sebastien Le Toux. The closest players Philly had in terms of offensive production was Carlos Ruiz's six goals (now off the team), Justin Mapp's three goals and four assists (now off the team), and Danny Mwanga's five goals and four assists who has only started 13 of the 28 games in which he has appeared.

Not only have they lost Le Toux, but they also lost Faryd Mondragon who started 27 games in goal and commanded the Union defense into allowing only 28 goals in those 27 games. A large, experienced presence like that will not be replaced easily, but they will try with Zac MacMath. In fact, seven of the top 15 minutes leaders will not return to the team in 2012. As the main man Tweed already pointed out with the Fire's roster turnover of 2011, any time a club loses a considerable amount of minutes, hard times are ahead.

Looking at who has been brought in though, Josue Martinez has the potential to fill in those attacking outputs missing by the loss of Le Toux. Martinez is 21 years old and already a Costa Rican international, Gabriel Gomez is a midfielder who had a large role with Panama in their 2011 Gold Cup run , and Porfirio Lopez is another Costa Rican who plays left back.

These roster changes depend on mostly on goalkeeper MacMath and the ever mercurial Freddy Adu to lead the attack for Philly. As Adu already makes DP money, almost $500,000, it is well past time for him to earn it. Thankfully for the Union, they have managed to clear up almost a million dollars of cap space from all of their departures and prevented spending more on Le Toux as he wanted a DP contract. Whether or not these moves pay out in the long term remain to be seen, but for now it looks like Philadelphia will have a long season of adjusting and gelling ahead of them.

Toronto FC

IN: Jeremy Hall, Reggie Lambe, Luis Silva, Aaron Maund, Miguel Aceval

OUT: Danleigh Borman, Nathan Sturgis, Mikael Yourassowsky, Andy Iro, Peri Marosevic

Minutes XI Returning: 6/11

Minutes Gameday 18 Returning: 10/18

Another team looking to turn around their dreadful season from 2011 is Toronto who offloaded five of their top 15 players with the most minutes played. Toronto is always a revolving door of on field talent and this time they will be without four of their six most played defenders from last season and considering their defensive struggles last season, that may be for the better. Yourassouwsky and Iro were constantly getting burned and upgrades at centerback are certainly necessary.

Miguel Aceval may be the best chance Toronto has at fortifying their back line. He is a six foot defender who recently earned his first cap with the Chilean national team. Toronto also drafted Aaron Maund from Notre Dame with their 12th pick, but as college soccer wizard Joe Mauceri points out, Maund may take some time to develop. If there's one thing the Toronto fans need right now is immediate success.

At least the attack looks like it will be immediately successful as Toronto added Luis Silva whom Mauceri noted was "the best playmaker in the draft". The Toronto attack didn't need much bolstering, maybe just some depth, and they got it with the Silva pick and Reggie Lambe who is an attacking right winger.

If there's a big question with Toronto's recent signings it will be how long they will last at the club before they are inevitably traded away. Their salary cap situation didn't adjust too much as mostly players in the mid to high five digit range were cut.

Montreal Impact

IN: Nelson Rivas, Evan Bush, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Hassoun Camara, Jeb Brovsky, Bobby Burling, Brian Ching, Josh Gardener, Justin Mapp, Sanna Nyassi, James Riley, Seth Sinovic, Collen Warner, Zarek Valentin, Justin Braun, Gerson Mayen, Tyson Wahl, Bryan Arguez, Davy Arnaud, Donovan Ricketts, Ian Westlake, Miguel Montano, Greg Sutton, Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Andrew Wenger, Calum Mallace, Shavar Thomas

OUT: James Riley, Seth Sinovic

Minutes XI Returning: N/A

Minutes Gameday 18 Returning: N/A

The most recent expansion team opens their season with a brand new look, brand new players, and soon a brand new stadium. It appears the Impact will hold on to NASL players of goalkeeper Evan Bush, ex-Red Bull Sinisa Ubiparipovic, and midfielder Hassoun Camara. The big signing here is defender Nelson Rivas from Inter Milan at no cost who became the first ever Montreal Impact player. Unfortunately for Montreal, his health has been spotty in the past and he is currently nursing a thigh injury sustained in a pre-season game in Mexico.

As an expansion team, Impact head coach Jesse Marsch filled out a major portion of his roster through the Expansion Draft picking up Brian Ching, Justin Mapp, Zarek Valentin, and Collen Warner as the notable pickups. Valentin was a player that many were shocked Chivas USA left unprotected and Warner is Real Salt Lake that can step right in the starting line up or provide solid depth in the midfield. Justin Braun and Brian Ching will both provide the target forward option, and Sanna Nyassi will likely play on the right wing with Mapp on the left.

Through some nifty trades, Marsch also acquired Tyson Wahl, Davy Arnaud, and Donovan Rickets. These trades are rather solid as they received a left back, center midfielder, and goalkeeper who could start and contribute solid minutes throughout the season. Through Arnaud, they get the captain of Sporting Kansas City who will provide leadership from the center of the midfield. That formula worked well for the expansion Portland Timbers last year.

Montreal also had two picks in the 2012 SuperDraft and used it to get defender Andrew Wenger and midfielder Calum Mallace, two players who will greatly benefit from minutes in their rookie season. Wenger could become an elite centerback in the league and Mallace is a hard-nosed holding midfielder who may outright win playing time right away.

Montreal could do a lot worse than what they have right now. A strong SuperDraft and Expansion Draft with shrewd trades could have Montreal in a surprisingly high position by the end of this season. Expansion teams' first seasons are hit or miss (the Fire's being the ultimate hit, Chivas USA's being the ultimate miss), but Montreal may surpass Vancouver and possibly Portland for success in their freshman year.

No Beast in the East

The East Coast has gone through some changes with Philadelphia looking like a team ready for free fall. D.C. may be on to something with their additions and could finally challenge for a playoff spot after 4 years of no post-season play. Montreal is off to a solid start. New York has too many forwards but they have stayed relatively even in midfield and in defense. If head coach Hans Backe can solve the goalkeeper issue, they could be legitimate contenders like they were in 2010. New England and Toronto may continue their battle out of the Eastern cellar as neither have done much to immediately fix their flaws. Toronto may have the advantage based on pure attacking power, but they look to leak goals and leave Stefan Frei exposed all season yet again. It looks like the East Coast still has catching up to do to produce a serious title contender.

Comparing the Off-Seasons of 2011's Two Worst Teams

Corey E. Major — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:03:06 -0000

The 2011 MLS season saw two teams tied for last place across the league, the New England Revolution and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Because of this, I got to thinking about how the off-season has been approached by these two clubs and how they compare so far heading into the 2012 season.

To start, both clubs parted ways with their head coaches, although Vancouver did so before the end of the season, and both hired on new ones. The Caps brought in Martin Rennie who had a fruitful 2011 season coaching the Carolina Railhawks from the NASL. Rennie's playing career was cut short due to injury and led him to obtaining a prestigious coaching degree at the same institute as Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Meanwhile, the Revs hired on Jay Heaps, a former player as well with no coaching experience or degree whatsoever.

Rennie, only a year older than Heaps, has so far made over 25 roster moves since taking over for the Whitecaps. Notable additions have been Lee Young-Pyo, a left back from South Korea who has played for PSV, Tottenham Hotspur, and Borussia Dortmund (to name a few), and also made 127 appearances for the South Korea national team.

Rennie also managed to acquire Lee Nguyen, a former US National Team midfielder, through weighted lottery, as well as Argentine defender Martin Bonjour. With a -20 goal difference in 2011, the same as New England, Vancouver clearly made some big moves to address their defensive issues.

The Revs made some defensive additions themselves, bringing in John Lozano from Colombian side America de Cali to pair with AJ Soares. They also acquired Tyler Polak in the 2012 SuperDraft draft to fill a big void at left back, but who most expect will not be plugged into the starting lineup come March 10^th. The point here is that, while Lozano seems to be a decent signing for the Revs, his addition compared to Vancouver's additions of Young-Pyo and Bonjour is a bit underwhelming.

Most recently, the Caps were able to acquire Sebastian Le Toux from the Philadelphia Union, adding him to their corps of quality forwards which also includes Atiba Harris, Omar Salgado, Long Tan, Eric Hassli, Camilo Sanvezzo, Etienne Barbara, and the highly-touted rookie Darren Mattocks.

On the other side of the continent, the Revs added 30-year-old Colombian striker Jose Moreno, a journeyman forward with some question-marks surrounding both his injury history and the number of clubs he has been bouncing around at for the past few years. Moreno joins Zack Schilawski as the Revs' only true forwards/strikers.

Both clubs have parted ways with Designated Players from 2011. Mustapha Jarju came to a mutual agreement with the Whitecaps to move on. Meanwhile, Argentine striker Milton Caraglio exited New England (along with Rajko Lekic and Monsef Zerka) surrounded by mystery and lots of unanswered questions.

So, what's the point of all these comparisons you ask? Well, I guess I just wanted show the two clubs' off-seasons thus far to demonstrate how active Vancouver has been to try to assure themselves a decent chance at improving in 2012 while the Revs have done very little to show the fans that they are committed to significantly improving in their 2012 season. Two teams at the bottom, and one clearly making big strides in the off-season to get to the top.

I'm just glad that we only have to play Vancouver once this year. Just saying..

Revolution Officials Deny Zerka Reports

Steve Stoehr — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:31:29 -0000

Sean Donahue issued a short announcement last night over at New England Soccer Today explaining that New England Revolution officials have denied the reports he gathered from his source concerning the way the Monsef Zerka contract situation was handled. Through the media relations department, the team asserts that they made efforts to keep the Moroccan winger at the club.

Despite these denials, Sean trusts his source completely, and after conferring with that person, has restated that the source stands by the reports "100%." The source also added the following, paraphrased in Sean's article:

Further, the source advises that Zerka wanted to remain with the Revolution. But after preliminary contract talks were conducted, the source asserts that the club repeatedly stalled during the negotiation process before it eventually notified him that it had decided to go in a different direction.

I'm a little bit closer to the situation than I'm willing to let on at this point, so I'll just say this: I trust Sean's integrity and I trust his source. It's not that I don't trust the Revs media department - my relationship with them has always been a good one - but I know Sean, and I know he doesn't just make things up. He has a hard time separating his own desire to be a totally impartial journalist long enough just to put together an opinion piece; he wouldn't suspend his professionalism like that. And I know his source would have knowledge of this situation, so take all of this as you will.

What I don't like is that these allegations make it seem as though the Revs are still negotiating contracts like it's 2004. We all remember what happened with Jeff Larentowicz when the Revolution (negotiations led by Mike Burns, the common denominator through everything, although Steve Nicol had personnel control) low-balled him and caused him to jump ship for Colorado. More recently, there was the Marko Perovic fiasco, and Rajko Lekic leaving the Revs at the negotiating table because they were unwilling to offer him more than a semi-guaranteed deal. Sometimes good business is going to make these situations look callous and inhuman; such is the business of sports. However, the Revolution organization already has a league-wide reputation as one of the most hardheaded and needlessly-cold negotiators in the league, a reputation that is going to continue to scare quality players away from Foxborough.

Either way, the Revs are saying none of this happened. A good source says it did. Journalism, am I right?

Revolution Pass On Monsef Zerka, Show Zero Ambition

Steve Stoehr — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:28:50 -0000

Our friends over at New England Soccer Today are once again flexing their muscles and showing off their superior sources, and today's piece does not disappoint. Few people were probably expecting Monsef Zerka to return this season, but most were operating under the assumption that the front office was at least making some attempt to bring him back at a reduced salary. Most were wrong.

Sean Donahue is reporting that Zerka was never actually in Jay Heaps' plans for the 2012 season. According to Donahue, "the team never had serious discussions to try to bring Zerka back." So unlike the cases of Rajko Lekic and Milton Caraglio, who had some negotiations with the Revs after their options were declined, Monsef Zerka has essentially been an afterthought since December.

Let's stop for a moment and review some stats. Monsef Zerka joined the team late in the 2011 season but made his impact immediately, scoring a goal on his debut in a 4-4 draw with the Philadelphia Union. He went on to score two goals and tally an assist in seven appearances down the season's stretch run, showcasing a level of class on the ball that had been missing on the wings since the heyday of Steve Ralston.

Now let's dig a bit deeper. Although Zerka never actually went a full 90 minutes in a Revolution uniform (I think), he managed 551 minutes in the 2011 season. Adding together his goals and assists (and counting them equally as 1 point each), the Moroccan managed a points-per-90 ratio of 0.528. That's good for the best points-per-90 ratio on the entire team for the 2011 season, barring players who logged less than 500 minutes (Diego Fagundez had a 0.859 ratio in just 314 minutes, and Marko Perovic's ratio was also great, but he is obviously now inconsequential to this discussion).

The rest of the team leaders in that category are as follows: Benny Feilhaber (0.483), Milton Caraglio (0.454), Rajko Lekic (0.34), and Shalrie Joseph (0.283). Not only was Zerka the most productive player in a Revolution uniform last season (again, barring Diego), but two of the 2011 top-five are gone for 2012. The Revs next-most productive wide midfielder? Chris Tierney at 0.247. Inspiring.

This would be a lot easier to take if the Revs camp had sat down with Zerka and discussed future options, and the winger had set his price too high. If it was a business decision, the fans could be justifiably upset about it, but there's an element of logic and a sense of "hey, at least they gave it a shot." Here, though, the Revs gave up. They somehow decided that last season's most productive offensive player was not only expendable, he was unwanted. This after they also let go of their two first-choice striker options in Caraglio and Lekic.

It's tough to see this in a positive light. I want to sit here and say that Jay Heaps has a plan that will make sense, but the fact is that on February 1^st, with the first preseason trip of 2012 already in the books, the Revs are sitting at a roster of just 22 players and most of them are retreads from a 2011 team that we'd all be better off forgetting about. Addition by subtraction can often be beneficial in sports, but subtracting the cream of the crop without any prospect of replacing it hardly seems a sound strategy.

In fact, it seems to be a decidedly unambitious strategy. The Revs are an MLS original who have become the butt of all the worst MLS jokes, and their decline has been as catastrophic as it has been sudden. Without a healthy dose of ambition, 2012 will become yet another exercise in futility for a club that is floundering in mediocrity and market obscurity. Decisions like this don't give any of us a reason to hold out for better days.

Poll

Should the Revs have had serious negotiations with Zerka this offseason?

Yes

44 votes

No

7 votes

51 votes | Poll has closed