Jan. 21, 2005 – Revolution acquire goalkeeper Doug Warren from D.C. United

Jan. 21, 2005 – New England Revolution acquire goalkeeper Doug Warren from D.C. United in exchange for a draft choice; sign Joe Franchino, Marshall Leonard, Steve Ralston, Matt Reis

The Revolution took care of business in the off-season and got off to their best start ever in ’05. The Revolution had perfected the art of finishing strong, but this was the first time they got off to a fast start, going unbeaten in their first 11 games. The team’s early success was extraordinary, considering it had produced only one plus-.500 season in nine years. The Revolution went on to finish 17W-7L-8D (59 pts.) but lost, 1-0, in extra time to the LA Galaxy in the final in Frisco, Texas. Shalrie Joseph was named Revolution MVP and Taylor Twellman, who led the league in scoring with 17 goals, was named MLS MVP.

My opinion? I thought Joseph should have been named MLS MVP in ‘05. But Joseph was not among the finalists. Twellman should have been named MLS MVP in 2002; the award was determined before the final, when Carlos Ruiz converted the deciding goal for the Galaxy. Twellman probably should have been MLS MVP in ’07, also; but was not listed among the finalists, D.C. United’s Luciano Emilio earning the award.

Some credibility questions there.

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY