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New England Revolution

Revs travel to Austin, Texas for a week of outdoor training and their first preseason match of 2009

February 23, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution will travel to Austin, Texas today, Monday, Feb. 23, for the club's first preseason training trip of 2009. After three weeks of local indoor training in the Foxborough area, the Revolution will spend the next week training outdoors in Austin ahead of the club's first preseason match against USL-1 team Austin Aztex FC on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

NEWS & NOTES

REVOLUTION TO VISIT TEXAS WITH 26-MAN TRAVEL ROSTER

The Revs will bring 26 players to Austin, Texas for their first preseason training trip of 2009, providing the Revolution's coaching staff with plenty of talent to evaluate during the week-long trip ... of the 26 players who will travel with the Revolution to Texas, all but one will travel with the club today, Monday, Feb. 23 ... defender Gabriel Badilla, who has been limited in the opening weeks of preseason training because of lower back pain, will join the team on Tuesday, Feb. 24 ... New England began the 2009 preseason with 27 players on its training camp roster, but goalkeeper Brian Visser is no longer in camp.

REVS TO GET FIRST TASTE OF OUTDOOR TRAINING IN AUSTIN

After spending the first three weeks of preseason training indoors in the Foxborough area, the Revs will train outdoors for the first time this week when they hit warmer climates in Austin, Texas ... the Revolution has six training sessions scheduled between Tuesday and Friday, although it's more likely that the club will train just once a day for a total of four sessions ... the week training on grass - which concludes with the Revolution's first preseason match against Austin Aztex FC on Saturday, Feb. 28 - will provide the coaching staff with its first opportunity to truly evaluate the players, especially those fighting for roster spots ... head coach Steve Nicol has stated publicly that he wants to wait until the club is training outdoors before judging the players' abilities.

AUSTIN AZTEX FC PROVIDES REVOLUTION'S FIRST TEST OF 2009 PRESEASON

After three weeks of indoor training in New England and one week of additional training in Austin, Texas, the Revolution will finally take the field for its first preseason match of 2009 at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 28, when the MLS club will take on Austin Aztex FC, a newcomer to USL-1 ... the match will be the first for the Revs in almost four months, as they last played on Nov. 6, 2008, when they were eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs by the rival Chicago Fire.

MATCHES AGAINST WAKE FOREST, CAROLINA RAILHAWKS TO FOLLOW

Following their stay in Austin, the Revs will return to Foxborough briefly before departing for North Carolina for a 12-day preseason training trip (March 4-15) ... the excursion will be the club's second and final trip before opening the season at San Jose on March 21 ... the Revs will be stationed in Greensboro for the first four days of the trip and will play a match against 2007 NCAA Champion Wake Forest University at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 ... the club will then travel to Cary for the remaining eight days of the trip, which will conclude with a match against the USL-1 Carolina Railhawks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 ... the Revolution's full preseason schedule is as follows:

Revolution Preseason Schedule* (as of Feb. 23, 2009)

Saturday, Jan. 31: Report date/entrance physicals

Monday, Feb. 2 - Sunday, Feb. 22: Local indoor conditioning and training

Monday, Feb. 23 - Sunday, March 1: Austin, Texas

Saturday, Feb. 28: at Austin Aztex FC (Nelson Field, Austin, Texas, 7:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 4 - Sunday, March 8: Greensboro, N.C.

Saturday, March 7: vs. Wake Forest University (Macpherson Stadium, Greensboro, N.C., 7 p.m.)

Sunday, March 8 - Sunday, March 15: Cary, N.C.

Saturday, March 14: at Carolina RailHawks (WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C., 7 p.m.)

*subject to change; visit revolutionsoccer.net for the latest preseason information

FORMER AZTEX UNDER-23 PLAYER SALVAGGIONE RETURNS WITH REVS

Austin Aztex FC fans will notice a familiar face on the Revolution's side of the field when the two clubs square off in a preseason match on Saturday, Feb. 28 ... forward Chris Salvaggione, who was drafted by the Revolution in the third round (38th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, spent the summer of 2008 playing with the Austin Aztex FC Under-23 team in the Premier Development League ... after spending last summer with the Aztex, Salvaggione returned to UNC-Charlotte for his senior season before being drafted by the Revs in January.

REVOLUTION ANNOUNCES 2009 SCHEDULE

The Revolution's 2009 regular-season schedule - a 30-game slate that begins March 21 and ends on Oct. 25 - was announced in late January ... the schedule features 15 home matches at Gillette Stadium and includes a three-week break from MLS action so that the Revs can defend their SuperLiga title beginning in mid-June ... following road trips to San Jose and MLS Cup runner-up New York to open the season, the Revolution kicks off the 2009 home schedule against FC Dallas on Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. ... ESPN2 will televise New England's road match at rival D.C. United on Friday, April 17, at 7 p.m., before the club returns home on Sunday, May 3, to host the Houston Dynamo at 3 p.m. ... the LA Galaxy will come to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 8, in a nationally televised match on Fox Soccer Channel, while the Revs will close their 2009 regular-season home schedule against bitter rival, the Chicago Fire, on Saturday, Oct. 17 ... eight of New England's matches will be nationally televised on one of MLS' three broadcast partners - ESPN2/ABC, Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Soccer en Español and Telefutura - while TV38 (WSBK-TV) will carry 24 matches.

REVS FINALIZE 2009 HOME SCHEDULE

The Revolution has finalized its 2009 home schedule, confirming the times and dates for its two July matches at Gillette Stadium ... originally listed as a TBA kickoff, the Saturday, July 11 match against the Kansas City Wizards is now scheduled for a 4 p.m. start ... the match against Chivas USA will be played at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, after the contest was originally listed as TBA on either July 18 or 19 ... TV38 is scheduled to televise both contests.

REVOLUTION LAUNCHES $200 SUPPORTER'S SEASON TICKET

The Revolution has announced a new initiative to offer its most ardent and vocal supporters a special $200 season ticket ... the Supporter's Season Ticket, which will include standing-room seats in "The Fort," gives the club's hard-core supporters the chance to attend the entire 20-game home schedule (regular-season and special event games) and be located with like-minded fans in one area of the stadium - the north end of Gillette Stadium, under the lighthouse ... the $200 Supporter's Season Ticket is part of a larger initiative to engage the team's adult fan base, as the club has also launched its "Defend the Fort" campaign, which has kicked off on the team's official web site, revolutionsoccer.net, and will soon include a Revolution social network for members and non-members alike, as well as downtown supporters' events at popular social establishments.

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