Jan. 12, 2007 – Revs draft Thompson, Igwe, Adam Cristman
Post by frankdellapa@gmail.com
Today in NE Soccer History
Jan. 12, 2007 – Revolution select Wells Thompson No. 5, Amaechi Igwe No. 12 and Adam Cristman in the fourth round (48th overall) in MLS SuperDraft
Cristman looked to be carrying on a tradition of overachieving late-round Revolution picks, playing as a reserve in two of the biggest wins in team history, the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and 2008 Superliga finals. Thompson started and scored in the Open Cup final, a 3-2 victory over FC Dallas, and Igwe went the distance in central defense in a 2-2 tie and penalty kick win in the Superliga title match against the Houston Dynamo.
Cristman totaled 10 goals in 46 Revolution appearances before being traded to Kansas City. Cristman played a crucial role in the Revolution’s run to the ’07 MLS Cup, partnering up front with Taylor Twellman, compensating for the absence of Pat Noonan for much of the season.
Revolution players overcame an extraordinary amount of injuries in those days. Cristman scored at least one goal while playing with a broken foot on Gillette Stadium’s artificial turf. Twellman scored two goals on a broken foot on the synthetic turf of Dragon Stadium in Southlake, Texas, in 2003. Cristman’s career was eventually cut short by injuries following the 2012 season, when he was playing for the LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy acquired Cristman in 2011, going on to win the MLS Cup. It seemed fitting Cristman was in the starting lineup for the Galaxy’s 1-0 win over the Houston
Dynamo in the final at the Home Depot Center Nov. 20, 2011. Among Cristman’s most impressive performances for the Revolution was a two-goal game in a 2-1 road win over the Galaxy on July 4, 2008. Cristman converted in the 33rd and 37th minutes and David Beckham countered in the 66th minute. The victory gave the Revolution a 10W-3L-4T (34 points) record, their best-ever point total at that stage of the season.
The Revolution seemed poised to make a run at a fourth successive MLS Cup final appearance. But the Revolution won only twice more that season, Twellman sustaining a concussion in a game against the Galaxy in August.