The Bent Musket: All Posts by Corey Major

"#FreeNyassi" is Officially Over, Gambian Waived by Revs Today

2013-05-16T14:50:36Z

The New England Revolution announced via press release today that they have decided to waive Gambian winger Sainey Nyassi, who has been with the Revs since 2007.

Nyassi, 24, made 104 regular-season appearances for the Revolution, including 75 starts since signing with the club as a then youth international player on August 31, 2007, following the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada. The Gambia international scored eight goals and added four assists in regular-season action with the Revs. He also made four postseason starts in his career. Nyassi has four caps with The Gambia National Team.

"We want to wish Sainey all the best as he moves into the next stage of his career," General Manager Michael Burns said. "Sainey was always a professional in his time with us and we wish him well."

The mystery surrounding Nyassi for the past two seasons has been palpable, and many Revs fans and media outlets alike (ourselves included, of course) have been scratching their heads for sometime in regards to his role on the team. Although he spent most of 2012 injured, the winger returned to fitness towards the end of the season, playing in a number of reserve league games and even scoring a handful of goals in those matches as well. That same season, Nyassi attained his U.S. citizenship (along with then-Rev and fellow Gambian Kenny Mansally) and no longer took up an international spot on the New England roster.

Under Steve Nicol, Nyassi played pretty much exclusively as a right-sided midfielder, often utilizing his speed and pace to stretch defenses in the final third. However, with the roster turnover that occurred once Jay Heaps took over, Nyassi found himself at the bottom of the pecking order with midfielders like Ryan Guy, Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez, and others occupying that spot in the starting XI.

As the 2013 season began, Nyassi did not appear to be in Heaps' plans after not making any appearances and being selected for the game-day 18 only once. This even furthered the enigmatic and curious nature of his presence on the Revolution roster, and prompted The Bent Musket team to create the #FreeNyassi twitter hashtag to garner support for starting the Gambian with the idealistic hopes that he might be able to help cure the Revs of their scoring woes.

This move frees up a roster spot for the Revolution, and begs the question as to how the team plans to fill that spot. Is this a preemptive move with sights on a big signing in the summer transfer window, or does the Revolution front office have plans to fill the spot even sooner than that? Are there plans to add anyone at all, or is this purely a salary cap-driven decision (Nyassi was making ~$95,000 guaranteed according to the 2013 MLS Player Salaries released by the MLS Players Union earlier this month)?

There are many questions indeed. Regardless of what this decision may lead to down the road, The Bent Musket would like to bid a fond farewell to Nyassi and thank him for his years of service on this team. Good luck, Sainey.

Post-Game Hangover ('it still hurts' edition): RSL @ Revs

2013-05-10T19:54:01Z

I almost didn't even write this, because who would really want to be reminded of Wednesday's heartbreaker against Real Salt Lake? Alas, here I am with my two cents. Let's make this quick.

Wednesday's game raised, in my opinion, a variety of red flags. Steve touched upon some of the initial ones alreadyin regards to both Chad Barrett and Kalifa Cisse--two completely healthy off-season acquisitions--being excluded from the game-day 18 (Cisse being the more staggering exclusion, but one could argue he is being saved for Saturday). Aside from who did and didn't make the game-day roster, Revs fans were provided with plenty of other reasons for worry, such as poor performances (perhaps the poorest of the season so far) from two of our highest paid players, Juan Toja and Jerry Bengtson.

Now, I'm not going to get into my Jerry Bengtson rage bubble, because I think just about everyone is concerned about the Honduran DP, who just may be an all-time low in a Revolution jersey (yet he continues to start games). But for Toja, someone who was expected in the beginning of the season to orchestrate our attacking offense, he almost single-handedly lost the game for New England on Wednesday night. With both players, you can see, ever so subtly, their teammates' hesitations in getting them the ball. I'd argue that Bengtson has lost the trust of his teammates to put away chances within the 18-yard box (and with very good reason--not putting away golden opportunities in the 7th and 49th minutes is totally unacceptable), and Toja seems to be suffering from what I call "Shalrie Joseph Syndrome", which occurs when a soccer player's legs react a step and a half behind what their brain thinks and wills them to do (note: this is 2012 Shalrie I'm talking about).

Aside from the obviously disappointing factors from the match, there were also some bright spots, such as Ryan Guy. Guy's goal is of course the obvious highlight, but the beating that he took from RSL just goes to show his continued, workman-like dedication to this club. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Guy is a leader on this team in many ways, but mostly in the way that he serves as an example for everyone else both on and off the field. If it were up to me, his spot in the starting XI would absolutely be guaranteed until further notice.

The rest of midfield wasn't quite on the same page, however. For starters, as much as I like Scott Caldwell, I just don't quite get why he is being employed in the lone defensive midfield position. He is an accurate passer, sure (though not so much in this game), but at 5'8" and 150 lbs. he doesn't have the muscle or the general physical presence to break up plays like Cisse (6'2", 180) can. And perhaps that points to an even bigger problem from Wednesday's game: the Revs simply don't have the same physicality that they did when they first took the field on March 9th against the Chicago Fire. Perhaps it is the exclusion of Cisse and the absence of A.J. Soares that is devolving us back into the timid team that we were in 2012, but maybe it's something else.

Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen certainly didn't lose their spots on Wednesday, but they most definitely played below the bar that we know they can reach. Nguyen, however, showed once again that he can execute the dangerous through-ball a la Benny Feilhaber, further emphasizing the benefit of having him employed centrally. Now all we need is a forward that isn't afraid to pull the trigger after connecting with the pass.

Whatever was going on with the New England Revolution on Wednesday night, let's just hope that it was a tiny blip on the radar. This team is better than the one that we saw lose out on what should have been three points at home. A reasonable and simple remedy may be benching those who are under-performing and giving those hungry to prove themselves a chance to do so. But will Heaps go that route? As always, it'll be wait-and-see. At least we don't have to wait that long this time.

Why Francesco Totti Would Be The Best Thing To Ever Happen To The New England Revolution

2013-05-06T19:29:36Z

Totti is a name that's recognized and revered the world over. He is a world-class talent and a Serie A, World Cup, and UEFA Champions League veteran. Now, at age 36, there is talk that he might leave his beloved AS Roma for a new challenge, and that new challenge is beginning to look like it could be MLS.

Now, the title of this post is misleading, because, honestly, Totti would probably be the best thing to ever happen to A LOT of teams in the league (most). But for New England, who don't really have any player that comes close to the legend or pedigree of someone like Totti, could benefit immensely from his addition to Jay Heaps' squad.

Just within the context of this current 2013 season, the Revolution are lacking a true goal-scoring force. The squad does not have a true # 10 to create and string together attacks, though Juan Toja, Lee Nguyen, Ryan Guy, and Kelyn Rowe have all tried to play that part. Totti, a textbook example of a # 10 or "trequartista", would fulfill that role flawlessly. And even at 36 years old, the Italian has proven that he still has plenty of soccer left in him, scoring 33 goals (in all competitions) this season alone.

His value on the pitch is undeniable, but his value off the pitch would perhaps even greater. Totti is the kind of name that would put butts in the seats at Gillette Stadium in Saturday (and the occasional Wednesday) nights. Totti is the type of player that can generate enough buzz here in the United States that things could really start to reach that next level for the club he signs for. For New England, they need to reach that next level as badly as anybody, perhaps more than any other club.

A far-fetched fantasy it may be, but I could see Totti Partnering with Saer Sene up top, or sitting in front of Kalifa Cisse or Andy Dorman/Clyde Simms as a withdrawn forward, much like Toja has been utilized this season. I can just see it now--scoring deft goal after deft goal against the likes of New York, Chicago, LA, Houston, DC, and so on, and so on. Totti would in all likelihood run rampant on MLS; he could be the league's next Thierry Henry.

The hypothetical idea of him signing with New England, however, comes with a myriad of questions--questions such as: Could signing Totti prompt the New England brass to buy more talent to surround him with? Could Totti be the type of player that could help the Revolution, by virtue of buzz and ticket/merchandise sales alone, secure a Soccer Specific Stadium deal? Would Totti even want to play on artificial turf? Would it be weird for someone as young and inexperienced (at coaching) as Jay Heaps to coach a world-class star of the same age? Indeed, the questions are plentiful.

Is it even somewhat likely that the Revs could lure Totti to Foxboro? No, probably not. But it's fun to daydream about, because it really would probably be the best thing to ever happen to the New England Revolution.

Poll

Would you want to see the Revs try to sign Francesco Totti, or do you think it would be a recipe for disaster?

Post-Game Hangover: Revs @ Timbers

2013-05-03T19:18:55Z

One thing can certainly be said after last night's 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers, and that's that Jay Heaps has started to really figure out how to assemble a gameplan, but also how to get his team to stick to it. In fact, Heaps said himself post-game, "We wanted to take away the middle a little bit more than last week; we didn't want to get stretched. As the games go, I think we are going to get a little bit more comfortable."

I think that last bit is important to note. Jay seems to recognize that the team is getting more comfortable sticking to gameplans. I think that says even more when you consider that he was working without his first-choice backline.

Many will argue that New England "parked the bus" last night against the Timbers, but I wholly disagree. The Revs hit the ground running and countered the Portland attack with an attack of their own. Granted, the visitors typically generated their attack on the counter, but, again, that was the gameplan. A point at Jeld-Wen Field is nothing to sneeze at, even if we should have stole 3.

The draw, which may have nodes of a win to some (myself included), was largely thanks to the stunning and exemplary performance of Bobby Shuttleworth. Shuttleworth, who spent the past five seasons with the Revolution behind long-time starter Matt Reis, has been an absolute revelation lately. With Matt Reis sustaining a nagging injury as well as dealing with the traumatic aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, Shuttleworth was presented with a clear opportunity to take the starting goalkeeper spot as his own, and he has done just that. Not unlike the way that the Columbus Crew's Andy Gruenebaum emerged last season in the wake of Will Hesmer's injury, Shuttleworth may find himself in a very similar situation.

Bobby's game against Portland last night was one that we will likely talk about for some time. He has now essentially set the bar for himself. Anything less than what we saw at Jeld-Wen Field will be met with disappointment and criticism. But we shouldn't expect to be disappointed, rather we should expect more of the same. This could very well be the season that creates a stud out of Bobby Shuttleworth.

Last night's captain, Jose Goncalves, also deserves plaudits, as he's proved to truly be the glue of this stout Revolution defensive backline. Goncalves has all the traits that Jay Heaps and his staff were hoping to find in a center back this off-season, and certainly they will be delighted to see him proving to be all that and more in a New England jersey.

Although we may want to sing the praises of our defense, as we so often have so far this season, we also should touch upon the offense as well. In many ways, the Revs showed once again that they can still generate attack (thanks in large part to Jay Heaps' reworked formation, a 4-1-4-1). The ailment now seems to be finishing. Despite a handful of clear opportunities to take a lead, the Revs failed to capitalize and could not get the ball in the back of the net. Jerry Bengtson, Kelyn Rowe, and Saer Sene are all guilty of this.

The clinical finish is the missing piece, it seems. And what is becoming more and more apparent is that Bengtson is not the piece that fits in this puzzle. Bengtson's night was once again flat and disheartening. But he did get new life when Heaps injected Saer Sene into the mix in the 67th minute. Simply put, Bengtson can't do it on his own. But Heaps' new 4-1-4-1 formation does not allow for a striking partner for the Honduran. So what is the answer? Bench Bengtson? Use him purely as a second-half sub? Move him into a different position? A solution might not be apparent just yet, as Travis discussed yesterday, but it's quite clear that something needs to change... and soon.

So, with this result, the Revs secure their 9th point of the season and look onwards to a 2-game home stretch against Real Salt Lake next Wednesday followed by a rematch with the New York Red Bulls next Saturday. Getting a point on the road is one thing, but ensuring three points at home is something different, and New England needs to do just that if they plan to keep pace with the other heavy-hitters in the Eastern Conference like Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo. Keeping this momentum will be absolutely paramount, and could be the difference between climbing the mountain or sliding back down it.

Post-Game Hangover: Union @ Revs ('Back In The Saddle' edition!)

2013-04-29T16:53:03Z

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That's just what the Revs did this weekend against Philadelphia. Jay Heaps' tactical and positional changes, almost as if he's been reading the Bent Musket lately, were just what the doctor ordered, it seems.

In many ways, this win was bigger than just three points. It came at a time when Revs fans were near the brink of what seemingly could have been a full-out riot. After last weekend's debacle in New York, Jay Heaps guaranteed a win against the Union, and he did just that--convincingly. Let's also not forget that this weekend marks the Revs' first ever win against Philadelphia, a feat that has not been conquered by any other New England squad to date.

And then of course there is the fact that this game marked the Revolution's home-coming since the tragic and unfortunate events of the past two weeks. As Diego Fagundez said post-game, "...getting this win for Boston and Kevin (Alston) probably felt good for everybody." And he couldn't be more right. It feels great.

Fagundez's successful game came after a not-so-great outing last week against New York. The difference maker, aside from being back on home soil, might just be the tactical switch out wide on the right, where Fagundez has shown in the past that he can excel. Without the pressure of having to play with his back to goal up top, the youngster was able to play a more technical, pass-happy game and link up with the likes of Kelyn Rowe, Andrew Farrell, and Lee Nguyen, among others. Out wide, Fagundez is able to stretch the Philadelphia backline wider (with of course the help of Ryan Guy on the left as well), creating spaces for Rowe, Nguyen, and Jerry Bengtson to get into good positions and find more opportunities on goal.

Yes, Jay Heaps should indeed be applauded for his game plan on Saturday. The midfield play was excellent and lived up to everything that is expected from this group. But let's not forget the pivotal duties of Kalifa Cisse, who held down the defensive midfield duties all on his own for the first time this season. Working as the link between the backline and the attacking midfielders, Cisse brought his A-game on Saturday and was a key factor in keeping possession and helping to secure the shut-out. His communication with the Revolution centerbacks seems to get better every game, and he's proving to be one of the most important acquisitions of this off-season.

Arguably the other most important acquisition is Jose Goncalves, who put in yet another stellar shift on Saturday. Without A.J. Soares in the lineup, JoGo had the task of keeping the defense on the same page (a duty usually assumed by Soares), and he succeeded with flying colors. Bobby Shuttleworth and Stephen McCarthy were no slouches either. Shuttleworth, in particular, had perhaps the best game of his career. And McCarthy shook off the rust from last week and stepped into Soares' role almost seamlessly. Bravo to the Revs' defensive backbone in this one.

Another disappointing outing from Jerry Bengtson has many feeling restless. However, Saer Sene is looking sharper every game. He doesn't have the same deceiving speed that we saw last season, but it's safe to assume that it'll return in the foreseeable future. Dimitry Imbongo saw his first action of 2013 and he was an active contributor to many of the Revolution's attacks and counters later in the game. Imbongo looks fit and has a knack for holding up the ball in the attacking third. Perhaps he's due for more time, especially considering Bengtson's disappointing rut of late.

As many will echo, it is unwise to get too ahead of ourselves, as fans. Good teams, after all, not only win games, but win them consistently. If the Revs can mimic their performance from this weekend against the Portland Timbers on Thursday and secure even a point, then there may be reason to believe that they are on the right track. But for now, let's just enjoy the winning life while we can.

Nyassi-Gate 2013: What Plans Might Heaps Have for the Gambian Speedster?

2013-04-26T20:14:30Z

Evidence suggests that at one time or another, and likely on several different occasions, Jay Heaps has had plans to use Sainey Nyassi as a striker.

It all started in pre-season camp last year when the Revs made their first trip to Arizona. New England played a staggered match against their hosts, FC Tucson, which was separated into 2 "halves" of 35 minutes each and then another 45-minute half. During those first 35 minutes, Nyassi partnered with Mike Roach up top on a 4-4-2. He scored the first of New England's 2 goals in that game (in the 37th minute when he was actually shifted out wide). After the match, Jay Heaps had this to say about Nyassi (forward to about 1:00):

Postgame: Revs 2, FC Tucson 1 (via NERevolutionsoccer)

This is our first piece of evidence that Jay Heaps was interested in utilizing Nyassi as a striker. Heaps speaks to his speed (obviously) and his ability to get behind defenses. Nyassi himself talks about playing the first 35 minutes as a forward and, for the most part, seems to be open to the idea.

Then of course Nyassi's 2012 season hit a brick wall before it even really started when he sustained an unfortuante right hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for about four months.

But the Gambian rehabbed it, with the help of Revolution strength and conditioning coach Nick Downing, and eventually was able to see some time in the Revs' Reserve league matches. And, in fact, he was a pretty key factor in several of those games.

On June 17th, 2012, Nyassi played his first minutes since his injury in the Revolution's Reserve League match against the Columbus Crew. He played only the second half, and was employed in the midfield (as opposed to up top), but he ended up scoring the game-winning goal in New England's 1-0 victory that night.

Nyassi saw his next minutes again in Reserve League play against Toronto FC where he assisted the Revs' only goal of the match. He was once again used in the midfield.

On July 8th, however, Nyassi returned to the forward position for the first time since that fateful FC Tucson pre-season match in a Reserve League game against the New York Red Bulls. The Revs drew 1-1 that night, thanks to a goal by none other than the rehabbing Nyassi. Here we see Heaps' experiment at play (literally) once again.

So, you may be asking, "what does it all mean, Corey?" Well, not much, unfortunately. But I believe there is enough evidence last season to indicate that Heaps was interested in using Nyassi as a forward, or at the very least evidence that Nyassi can be a contributor to the New England attack. As Abram suggested earlier in the week, perhaps Sainey Nyassi could be the savior of our currently dismal offense. Maybe he is just what we need to get back to scoring goals and generating an attack. Maybe, just maybe, Nyassi could help the Revs stretch defenses as a forward, or even a winger, and help his teammates get into better goal-scoring positions.

Maybe Jay Heaps just needs to #FreeNyassi. (Or maybe we're just crazy.)

MLS Intra-League Loans: Some Considerations for New England

2013-04-25T14:10:14Z

Last week Major League Soccer announced an intra-league loan system that would allow clubs to loan players to other clubs within MLS for a full season. The hope of this new endeavor is that players who aren't currently seeing much playing time for their club could spend time with another club where they would be more likely to see meaningful minutes and subsequently gain valuable game experience (like any loan deal, in essence).

In order for a player to be loaned, they must be 24 years old or younger and can only be dealt during the primary MLS transfer window. There is no limit to the number of loans that a given team can be involved in, whether incoming or outgoing, and roster slot/budget considerations are able to be negotiated between the two involved clubs on a case-by-case basis.

In a typical soccer league, introducing a new loan system for the first time would normally take some significant time to warm up to, especially in a young league like MLS where teams are a bit closer competitively (mainly due to its salary cap). But MLS has one advantage in its inherent structure that would allow this new system to be embraced right out of the gate; and that advantage is that it has two separate conferences. As you all well know, in MLS' current structure, teams of opposite conferences only play each other once a season. With that in mind, I would argue that loans between teams of different conferences makes even more sense in that they have even less of a likelihood that the move could significantly hurt the loaning club.

So, with all that in mind, we here at the Bent Musket have identified some prime candidates from the Western Conference that could help the Revs cure their scoring issues...

1) Omar Salgado - Salgado, a product of the Chivas de Guadalajara youth system and first overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, is a known commodity that spends most of his time on the Vancouver Whitecaps bench. At only 19 years old, Salgado certainly has a world of promise but needs the playing time to prove it. Vancouver boasts an impressive forward corps of Darren Mattocks, Camilo Sanvezzo, and DP Kenny Miller in addition to other young prospects like Kekutah Manneh and Corey Hertzog. Simply put, Salgado is quite low on the striker totem pole (if not at the very bottom), so why not bring him to Foxboro and see what he can do?

2) Jack McBean - McBean has more games under his belt than Salgado, but must compete with world-class talent like Robbie Keane, Mike Magee and Landon Donovan in Los Angeles. Not only that, but his fellow home-grown player Jose Villareal who has been lighting it up with the United States U-20 team lately. Just this year the 18-year-old scored against Herediano in the CONCACAF Champions League and by all accounts is finally coming into his own as a player. McBean is a fairly classic target striker with a big build and a nose for goal, traits that the Revolution arsenal currently seems to lack. The Galaxy may not be all that likely to part ways with McBean at this stage in his development, but Revs fans might even settle for Chandler Hoffman or Boston College alum Charlie Rugg.

3) Jonathan Top - The 20-year-old striker was signed as FC Dallas' fifth homegrown player in 2011 but has failed to see any significant minutes since then. His outlook in 2013 doesn't look much better for him, with Dallas utilizing Kenny Cooper, Blas Perez, and Eric Hassli as their main options up front. Those are some big names to contend with. The United States U-20 product may not have the same pedigree as McBean or Salgado, but he could prove to be a smart acquisition for a team that is struggling to even get shots on goal at this point.

4) Eriq Zavaleta - Yeah, that guy; the guy that many anticipated New England might draft in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. Zavaleta, a hybrid center-back/target-striker is all kinds of thoroughbred American soccer player. His youth career includes the IMG Soccer Academy as well as time with the Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA, and the Columbus Crew youth academies. Oh and he won the national title with Indiana University last year, notching 18 goal, 4 assists on the way. The Seattle Sounders may not have room for Zavaleta on the field just yet, with players like Eddie Jonson, David Estrada, Sammy Ochoa, and their newly acquired DP Obafemi Martins to contend with. Zavaleta is yet another prime candidate for a loan, and New England could be a viable suitor.

So, there you have it. Some options that the Revs might want to consider bringing in on loan for the season to help them get some goals into the back of the net (or even just some shots on frame). Although the front office has hinted at an international striker taking up their 30th roster spot in the summer transfer window, it just might be too little too late by that point (unless, of course, Saer Sene returns to form sooner rather than later). We could also try to give Sainey Nyassi a run out, too, right?

Let us know which targets YOU would like to see New England consider in the comments section below!

Post-Game Hangover: Revs @ Red Bulls

2013-04-22T14:25:12Z

After a week of unspeakable chaos, turmoil, and heartache, Revs fans were looking to Saturday's match for relief. Unfortunately, they were met with more frustration instead as they watched New England get truly spanked by the New York Red Bulls.

I typically like to use this column to write about positive takeaways from each match, but it is truly a challenge after this weekend's disappointing display. I, like many others, was hoping that the Revs would find a way to channel all the emotion from the week that was in Boston into a heartfelt result, maybe at least a couple goals. But instead, I was left pounding my fists with a 4-1 shellacking and not even a legitimate Revolution goal to speak of.

As the lineups came out, I was gleefully optimistic about Jay Heaps' starting XI. It was almost as if he was reading Revs fans' tweets all week, many of which have been calling for Clyde Simms to be benched in favor of a more attack-minded player like Andy Dorman. Not only that, but Juan Toja was benched as well in favor of Diego Fagundez who was surely inserted into the starting lineup to help stretch the New York defense and provide a more dynamic and unpredictable element to the attack.

Dorman, while quiet for long stretches of the match, was an accurate passer (27 of 31 passes completed) and I think paired quite well with Kalfia Cisse (who had an impressive passing stat himself, completing 72 of 77 passes). Dorman deserves another start in my opinion, but his starting role is far from guaranteed at this point. Cisse, on the other hand, certainly looked dominant in the midfield and showed just how commanding he can be in the center of the pitch. He may not be Shalrie Joseph 2.0 exactly, but he is a sorely needed presence for the Revs. Now if only he could play as well on turf, too.

Unlike Dorman, Diego Fagundez was highly disappointing. The youngster may have stretched the field, and by all means was able to keep the New York backline guessing, but he wasted opportunities in the final third over and over again. On top of that, he was muscled off the ball easily and took far too long to get going. Coming into this past pre-season camp, Fagundez looked poised for a breakout 2013 season. But from what I've witnessed so far, I can't really see him as anything more than a late-game bench option. Unless Heaps plans to move boy wonder into the midfield, I simply can't find any justification to start him up top for the foreseeable future.

Fagundez's striking partner, Jerry Bengtson, was no better. Bengtson looked unenthusiastic and punchless (boy have I been using that word a lot lately). He may make good runs, but he couldn't possibly be any less clinical in front of the net. Unlike previous games this season, this was not a case of lack of service. Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe were on point and generated plenty of chances. Bengtson, however, couldn't make himself useful on any of them. And his best chance, which came in the 31st minute, was picture perfect--the kind of chance that any Designated Player should be able to put away with ease. Yet Bengtson took too many touches to round Luis Robles and instead crossed the ball into a virtual abyss on the right side of the box.

To put it plainly, Jerry Bengtson needs to step up his game. Big time. As of now, despite scoring our only goal of the season, he is making his case to be sold in the summer. And if you ask me, that's the best thing that could happen as things stand now. The reasonable adjustment period is over. It's time for Jerry to show us some goals or time for the Revs to show him the door.

Unfortunately, the same broken record for New England continues to spin after this weekend. The improved performances of Nguyen, Rowe, and Cisse as well as the continued success of Jose Goncalves are balanced out by the disappointing outings from Fagundez, Bengstson, Andrew Farrell (who seemed to wholly forget about Henry a few too many times), and Stephen McCarthy.

Although it's still early and the Revolution are only 6 points out of a playoff spot, the season already seems like it might be slipping away from us. Things need to turn around sooner rather than later. It may not be time to hit the panic button yet, but surely many hands are hovering over it after this weekend.