NE Revolution missed chance, too late now?

Wrote this for New England Soccer Journal. Some new info in here about proposed stadium in Boston, plus a partial list of players Revolution have missed out on, for one reason or another: 

After the 2014 MLS Cup, the future seemed bright for the Revolution. Sure, they had fallen short – for the fifth time – in the final. But Jay Heaps had constructed a skillful, young team, and Jermaine Jones had provided remarkable dynamism and leadership. The Revolution dedicated billboards to Jones, and they had realistic hopes of returning to the final and, maybe, winning it.

Two years later, things are not looking so promising. The 2016 season marked the Revolution’s first failure to advance to the playoffs in four years. Management failed to significantly improve the team, and after treading water in 2015, the Revolution began sinking.It didn’t have to be this way. I wrote after the 2014 final the Revolution should seize the moment, bring in a couple more high-profile players, hire coaching staff. They were in a position of strength, and should have capitalized on the situation by making bold moves. Instead, austerity was invoked.

I used the Galaxy as the standard by which the Revolution should gauge themselves. Since then, the Galaxy have fallen short of the MLS Cup final, despite aggressively pursuing players and surrounding Bruce Arena with support staff. But no one is questioning the Galaxy’s ambition, and that is not the case with the Revolution.

The Revolution are not at the forefront of MLS’ recent “innovations”: scouting, etc. Nor do they plan to be. Of course, should the team gain approval for its planned stadium in Boston, the dynamic could change. Meanwhile, Revolution administrators and coaches will have to make do with a blueprint similar to the one the team had in 1996. And that lack of ambition is what frustrates supporters, many of whom are not convinced the Revolution are doing everything they can to be the best in MLS.

Among the highlights of the season was the Revolution’s U.S. Open Cup run. But even that ended badly, a 4-2 loss to FC Dallas showcasing many of the Revolution’s weaknesses. There are similarities in the Revolution and FC Dallas organizations, rooted in the fact the Kraft family based much of its philosophy on those of Lamar Hunt. Neither team is willing to splurge on players, but FC Dallas has done the next best thing – establish an identity as a talent producer.

In any case, I’ve interviewed both Arena and general manager Michael Burns in the last year regarding the Revolution’s situation, and both said most teams would be quite satisfied with having reached the MLS Cup five times.

But the problem with losing five MLS Cups is the Revolution can’t afford to return to the finals and lose a sixth. So, even if they improve enough to advance that far, they will have to have earned home field advantage to give themselves a chance to break the hex. And that means getting off to a strong start to the season and winning the Supporters Shield – neither of which is likely, especially without making major additions.

My prediction for 2017 is the Revolution could well hit the ground running, thanks to the 4-4-2 alignment that produced results late last season. But the team has to solve the central defender problems that have not been addressed since A.J. Soares departed after the 2014 season.

The most significant move the Revolution could make remains the proposed stadium. The Bayside Expo site has seemed a long shot, mainly because of infrastructure costs. The working figure to upgrade Kosciusko Circle has been listed at $120 million-plus, based on figures from Boston Olympics planning. But a recent unofficial estimate has come in well under $100 million, according to a source. If that is accurate, there could be hope for the facility to be built. Unless and until ground is broken, though, expect little to change in the Revolution operation.

Still, should the Revolution remain ultra-conservative, there is hope for game-changing talent to be acquired. Recently, I compiled a list of players the Revolution had unsuccessfully courted, or who had expressed interest in playing for the team but were unable to come to contract terms. The list had some impressive names on it, among them that of Robbie Keane. Confirming whether there was a strong possibility of Keane coming to the Revolution is difficult, but it is true his agent made an inquiry to the team, according to a source. Keane, of course, would have been a natural fit with the Revolution. Going back to 2000, people around Boston were wearing Inter shirts with his name on the back. Pretty certain there was a lot less of that in Los Angeles.

Anyway, there are many players of Keane’s caliber that would be interested in moving to the Revolution. Sometimes, factors beyond the team’s control prevent a signing. Years ago, the Revolution made a play for Luis Figo. The team kept the negotiations low key but this would have been considered possibly the most important signing in MLS history at the time. In the end, Figo refused the offer because of family reasons. The Revolution have talked with other major stars, usually players near the end of their careers, trying to squeak out one more big payday. They have also been close to acquiring lower-profile, high-performance types such as Julio Cesar De Leon, Juninho Paulista and Guillermo Barros Schelotto, whose first inquiry to the league was through the Revolution. That was before Barros Schelotto went on to lead the Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup title.

These are the caliber of players the Revolution should be pursuing – and signing. Jose Gonçalves was their equivalent and Xavier Kouassi could be, as well. But they might not be enough, not unless they bring in several of them.

When the Revolution reached the 2014 MLS Cup, the organization had overachieved. Heaps was getting the most from the team’s talent, and a major piece of luck landed Jones. Good fortune and overachieving should be encouraged, but the Revolution will not be winning any championships without investing significantly in coaches and players, and making major changes to the organization’s dynamic.

http://digital.nesoccerjournal.com/nxtbooks/seamans/nesoccerj_201612/index.php?startid=cover1#/12