Musket Rounds: Season Preview Edition

After a two-day hiatus, Musket Rounds make their triumphant return! The weekend was full of great news for the New England Revolution and soccer in general, but I've decided to skip most of that and bring you more modern news. More importantly, First Kick is this weekend! The Revs will begin their season away to San Jose on Saturday.

Revolution Links

Season opener brings an end to momentous offseason | New England Revolution
Mike Burns and Brian Bilello talked to Jeff Lemieux about the sweeping changes made this offseason and what they hope to expect going into First Kick this weekend.

Heaps focused on opener vs. San Jose - Boston New England Revolution Blog - ESPN Boston
Brian O'Connell spoke with Jay Heaps ahead of Saturday's opener with San Jose.

Humbled Nguyen happy to land with New England | MLSsoccer.com
Kyle McCarthy talked to Lee Nguyen about his experience so far in camp with the Revolution. Mike Burns also spoke briefly about the decision to waive Ryan Kinne and Zack Schilawski.

Brettschneider Revved Up For 2012 - New England Soccer Today
Revs newest striker excited to start season with new team. Sean Donahue caught up with Brettschneider to talk to him about transitioning to a new club.

Injury Report - March 6 | New England Revolution
Saer Sene is doubtful with knee swelling, and (as expected) Zak Boggs and Sainey Nyassi are out.

Revolution Supporters Speak out Prior to 2012 Season - The MLS Reserves
In a mantra we're all painfully familiar with, Evan Whitney (whom I'm sure many of us know) spoke with Luke Lohr and aired his considerable frustrations with the Revolution. Everyone's upset about something, and with good reason. Hopefully things look better this season.

Amadu Kunateh called into U.S. U15 National Team camp | New England Revolution
Revolution U-16 academy player Amadu Kunateh has been called in for the USA U-15 March training camp. He's one of 36 players who will be headed to Carson, CA.

Other Soccer Links

Aston Villa - Prophets And Losses - The Swiss Ramble
Not long ago I linked an article about the problems Randy Lerner's been having with his finances at Aston Villa. The Swiss Ramble has done an analysis, which, per usual, is incredibly in-depth.

Power Rankings: Who's the top team at First Kick? | MLSsoccer.com
MLSSoccer.com has released the season's inaugural power rankings. The Revolution are ranked 17th, but there is a sense that maybe the guys doing these rankings are optimistic New England could do better.

Bandini: How Michael Bradley became Chievo’s Captain America | The Footy Blog | Blogs | theScore.com
Paolo Bandini talks about Michael Bradley's Chievo experience, where "Captain America" is quickly becoming a fan favorite and a key component of the Chievo first team.

Soccer in Guantanamo – a duel between Republicans and Democrats - The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer
Those of you who have read TBM for a long time know that I'm a huge find of Mr. Dorsey and his blog. This is a great look at the controversy surrounding a proposal to build a soccer pitch in Gitmo for detainees.

Rangers' demise may add Bocanegra to Whitecaps - The Province
Marc Weber reveals that the Whitecaps tried to bring Captain Carlos to MLS before he signed for Rangers. Should Boca come back, the Caps are first in the allocation order.

U.S. women settle for third-place game after Algarve Cup loss to Japan - Soccer By Ives
The USWNT was shutout by Japan in a shock loss in the Algarve Cup semi-final. This will be the first time in 10 years the US Women miss the Algarve championship match.