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MLS New England Revolution

New England Revolution Season Review

November 11, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution was eliminated from the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-0 loss to the arch-rival Chicago Fire last Saturday night at Toyota Park, marking the second straight year in which the Revolution's season came to and end in Chicago at the hands of the Fire. Chicago claimed a 3-2 aggregate-goals victory in the two-game series after New England earned a 2-1 win in the first meeting on Nov. 1 at Gillette Stadium.

While the club is disappointed to have a second straight campaign end in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after setting the bar by reaching six consecutive Eastern Conference Championships from 2002-07, the season was filled with impressive accomplishments and moments to remember. Despite amassing 121 man-games lost because of injury in the regular season - including season-ending injuries to Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston and Chris Albright - the Revs secured their eighth straight postseason berth with a dramatic win over Supporters' Shield winner Columbus on the final day of the season, extending the longest active streak of consecutive playoff appearances in Major League Soccer. Additionally, the Revolution followed up its SuperLiga 2008 title with another appearance in the tournament's semifinal round, while the club also participated in the U.S. Open Cup during a busy summer.

On the individual front, midfielder Shalrie Joseph had a career year, registering team-high marks in both goals (8) and assists (8) en route to being named one of three finalists for Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player. Ralston was also a factor in the league's season-ending awards, claiming individual Fair Play honors for the third time in hisillustrious career. Despite only making two substitute appearances because of injury, Twellman became the youngest player in MLS history to score 100 career goals with a two-goal performance against the New York Red Bulls in June. Finally, 2009 Revolution Defender of the Year Jay Heaps was rewarded for his stellar season with his first-ever caps for the U.S. National Team, playing four times as the Americans advanced to the title match in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

A batch of exciting newcomers - including rookie defenders Kevin Alston and Darrius Barnes, and midseason signings Edgaras Jankauskas and Emmanuel Osei - contributed heavily to the club's accomplishments in 2009. Combined with the Revolution's core group of veterans and under the guidance of head coach Steve Nicol, the club is ready to reload and make yet another run for an MLS Cup title in 2010.

NEWS & NOTES

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: SEASON ENDS AT TOYOTA PARK

When the Revolution traveled to Toyota Park last Saturday night with a 2-1lead in the aggregate-goals, Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against Chicago, it was viewed as a shot at redemption after the 2008 season ended on the same field at the hands of the Fire... unfortunately for the Revs, it turned into a case of déj=E0 vu, as the Fire eliminated the Revolution from the postseason for the second straight year... the clubs have now met in the playoffs for five consecutive years and have yet another contentious postseason series to stoke the flames of an already passionate rivalry.

PREPARATION FOR 2010 BEGINS NOW

If there is a positive to be taken from the end of the Revolution's season, it's that the Major League Soccer offseason is one of the shortest in American professional sports... the MLS SuperDraft is set to take place on Thursday, Jan. 14, and players typically report for preseason by the end of January, so there are really only nine weeks until the 2010 season kicks into gear... because of the quick turnaround, preparation for next season has already begun, as the Revolution coaching staff departed for the Atlantic Coast Conference men's soccer tournament to scout college talent just days after the 2009 season ended.

JOSEPH NAMED A FINALIST FOR VOLKSWAGEN MLS MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Shalrie Joseph is one of three finalists for Major League Soccer's Volkswagen Most Valuable Player award, along with LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan and FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham... Joseph almost single-handedly guided the Revolution to a postseason berth with career-high marks in both goals (8) and assists (8), leading the team in both categories in the absence of Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston for much of the year... this is the third time in club history that a Revolution player has been a league MVP finalist, as Twellman was a finalist in 2002 and won the award in 2005... the three finalists in each award category earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media... the winner of the Volkswagen MLS MostValuable Player will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 19.

PLAYOFF STREAK EXTENDED IN DRAMATIC FASHION

Entering the final weekend of the 2009 regular season, it looked as if it would take a minor miracle for the Revs to reach the postseason, but a series of remarkable results - capped by a Revolution victory over 2009 Supporters' Shield winner Columbus in the final game on the MLS schedule - vaulted New England into the playoffs for the eighth straight season... it was the Revolution's 10th appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs in the league's 14th year of existence (1997, 2000, 2002-present)... the Revs' current streak of eight straight postseason appearances is the longest active playoff appearance streak in MLS, while head coach Steve Nicol is the first coach in MLS history to lead a team to the playoffs for eight straight years.

REVS KEEP BOSTON'S LONGEST CURRENT PLAYOFF STREAK ALIVE

Boston is known as a sports-mad city with a rich history of championship success, and never more so than in recent years... however, of Boston's five major professional sports teams - Revolution, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox - the Revs hold the longest current streak of postseason appearances... having secured eighth straight playoff appearances, the Revs have topped the city's other pro outfits for recent postseason success... the Revolution has been in the postseason every year since 2002, while the Sox have reached the playoffs each of the last three seasons... both the Bruins and Celtics have qualified for the postseason for two straight years, while the Patriots had a string of five consecutive playoff appearances snapped last year.

PAST SUCCESS DRIVES REVS INTO THE FUTURE

After reaching six consecutive Eastern Conference Championships from 2002-07, the Revolution has fostered a winning culture within the organization and has gained a reputation around the league as a consistent contender... while that certainly still holds true, two straight early exits in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series in 2008 and 2009 have forced many of the players and staff to cope with an unusual sting of defeat and a longer-than-expected offseason... having experienced such an unprecedented string of success from 2002-07 - and having missed out on that success the last two years - the Revs will surely be eager to return to the summit next year.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR REVOLUTION'S YOUNGSTERS

With the addition of rookie defenders Kevin Alston (First Round, 10th overall) and Darrius Barnes (Third Round, 40th overall) last January, the Revolution was easily one of the most successful teams in the 2009 SuperDraft... both Alston and Barnes locked down starting spots from the start of the season, combining to help shore up a backline in transition... second-year forward Kheli Dube tied for the team lead in scoring with eight goals, while fellow second-year pros Pat Phelan and Chris Tierney continued to contribute on a regular basis... third-year players Brad Knighton, Wells Thompson, Nico Colaluca and Amaechi Igwealso saw increased playing time... add to that the continued development of 20-year-old Gambians Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi, and the Revs appear to have a solid base for the future.

REVAMPED BACKLINE IMPRESSES IN 2009

Despite losing the services of All-Star defender Michael Parkhurst to a transfer last offseason and missing veteran back Chris Albright for all but one game because of injury, the Revolution's resilient backline held up remarkably well this season... rookie defenders Darrius Barnes and Kevin Alston locked down starting roles alongside newcomer Emmanuel Osei and longtime stalwart Jay Heaps... the quartet combined with goalkeeper Matt Reis to concede just 37 goals for a goals against average of 1.23... what's more, without two outliers in which they conceded six goals to Real Salt Lake (April 25) and four goals to Kansas City (Sept. 5), the Revs allowed 27 goals in the other 28 games for a GAA of 0.96.

EMBATTLED REVS SUCCUMB TO INJURY BUG

While the Revolution will never be fully satisfied with simply making the playoffs, some solace has to be taken in the fact that the club qualified for its eighth straight postseason despite missing many of its top players for the majority of the season... the club's all-time leading goal scorer, Taylor Twellman, made just two substitute appearances before being added to the disabled list with a concussion... Major League Soccer's all-time assists leader, Steve Ralston, missed 10 games because of various injuries, including a torn right ACL which ended his season on Sept. 26... additionally, veteran right back Chris Albright was limited to just one appearance, missing most of the season with a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee... all told, the Revolution lost 121 man-games because of injuries in the regular season, easily more than the 94 man-games lost in 2008, when the team had a 28-man roster compared to the current 24-man roster.

TWELLMAN BECOMES YOUNGEST-EVER TO 100 GOALS

Taylor Twellman was the main attraction on an historicevening at Gillette Stadium on June 7, as the Revolution's all-time leading scorer became the youngest player in MLS history to score 100 goals in a 4-0 win over the New York Red Bulls... Twellman reached the century mark at 29 years, 100 days - besting Jeff Cunningham's previous mark (31 years, 360 days) - while he achieved the milestone in just 174 games, fewer than any of the previous four players to score 100 goals... unfortunately, the historic performance was Twellman's last of 2009, as he suffered a relapse of his prior concussion symptoms and missed the remainder of the season... Jay Heaps and Matt Reis also reached milestones that night in June, as Heaps became the ninth player in MLS history to make 300 appearances and Reis became the seventh goalkeeper in league history to record 50 shutouts.

BARNES MATCHES ROOKIE HISTORY

When rookie defender Darrius Barnes was chosen as the 40th overall selection at the 2009 MLS SuperDraft in January, he only hoped to make the Revolution's opening day roster... less than a year later, he's etched his name into the MLS record books, as he became only the second rookie in league history to play every minute of his rookie season... ironically, the only other player to accomplish that feat in his rookie season is the player Barnes essentially replaced in the Revolution backline - Michael Parkhurst, who played every minute of his first year with the Revs in 2005 on his way to rookie of the year honors... amazingly, Barnes was the only field player in the league to play every minute this season, joining goalkeepers Jon Busch, Kevin Hartman and Pat Onstad.

NICOL TO BEGIN 2010 SEASON TWO WINS SHY OF CENTURY MARK

Head coach Steve Nicol finished the 2009 season with 98 career wins and will begin the 2010 campaign needing just two wins to become the third coach in MLS history to record 100 career victories... Nicol guided the Revolution to 11 wins this season, marking the seventh time in his eight-year career that he has helped the Revs to a double-digit win total... the Liverpool legend is currently third on Major League Soccer's all-time wins list, behind only Seattle Sounders FC's Sigi Schmid (125) and current U.S. National Team head coach Bob Bradley (124)... Nicol has taken the Revolution to the playoffs in each of eight seasons at the helm, including six Eastern Conference Championship appearances and four MLS Cup appearances... New England has also won the first two trophies in club history under Nicol (U.S. Open Cup 2007, SuperLiga 2008).

REIS QUIETLY HAS A CAREER YEAR

Although he didn't receive quite as much league-wide attention this season as he has in years past, goalkeeper Matt Reis quietly had yet another stellar season for the Revolution... Reis led the league in saves (114) and save percentage (.814), and was fourth with a career-best 0.96 goals against average... this marks the first time in Reis' 12-year career in which he finished the season with a goals against average under 1.00... his previous career-best GAA was 1.09, which he established in 2006... Reis recorded eight shutouts in 24 appearances this season, averaging one clean sheet every three matches.

RALSTON HONORED AS MLS FAIR PLAY AWARD WINNER

Captain Steve Ralston was voted the winner of the 2009 Major League Soccer Fair Play Award... the Fair Play Award was determined by equal voting from MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media... Ralston was one of three finalists along with Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad... this is Ralston's third individual Fair Play Award, having previously earned the honor in 1999 and 2000 while with the Tampa Bay Mutiny... he is the league's first three-time winner of the Fair Play Award... this is the third straight year in which a Revolution player has won the league's Fair Play Award, after Michael Parkhurst claimed the award in both 2007 and 2008.

JANKAUSKAS IN THE RUNNING FOR AT&T GOAL OF THE YEAR

Edgaras Jankauskas is one of 10 finalists for Major League Soccer's AT&T Goal of the Year courtesy of his 64th-minute strike against the Kansas City Wizards on Sept. 5 at Gillette Stadium... trailing by two goals and playing a man down following Shalrie Joseph's first-half red card, Jankauskas turned a half-clearance from the Wizards' defense into a spectacular finish, as he struck a dipping volley from 25 yards out into the far side netting... Jankauskas' goal was originally one of 40 finalists for the award after it won MLS Goal of the Week honors for Week 25, and has now been selected as one of 10 finalists through fan voting... voting for the 2009 AT&T Goal of the Year will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and the winner will be announced the following day on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

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