The New England Revolution take on the Columbus Crew this Saturday in the biggest match-up of the dwindling MLS season. In the final of three meetings, the Revs look to avenge the embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Crew just three weeks ago and reassert themselves as a real contender for the Supporters’ Shield.

Earlier this month, New England suffered a serious thrashing at the hands of Columbus. Reaching the tenth of eleven games in a punishing 38-day stretch, an absolutely gassed Revolution stood little chance against the league’s top team. The Crew out-shot the Revs 27-4, forcing goalkeeper Matt Reis into making nine saves. (Almost makes a 4-0 scoreline look tolerable, considering…) MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto did the most damage, registering a goal and two assists. But looking back, it’s easy to see how Columbus picked apart an ailing opponent.

The Revolution played a 4-4-2 on September 9th. Coach Steve Nicol would reason that a flat back four would provide a more solid defense, but most Revs fans would beg to differ. With four in the back, Michael Parkhurst and Jay Heaps both played as central defenders –  a role Parkhurst is not used to sharing. This less familiar partnership causes inevitable errors in communication. Not only that, but Chris Tierney started at left back. Personally, I like the rookie and think he shows a lot of potential… but as a midfielder. His inexperience leaves him vulnerable as a defender, and he is prone to getting beat when it comes down to a footrace. And as far as the offense was concerned, Khano Smith was paired with Taylor Twellman up top. As frustrating as Smith can be, he can be a real threat on the left flank. But he needs the time and space to make his crazy, winding runs. And lastly, New England was without Steve Ralston. The Revs’ captain demonstrated his influence just five days later, registering a goal and two assists in the game against Chivas USA and earning MLS Player of the Week honors.

That said, this is easily the most significant of the Revolution’s five remaining games, and there is no doubt that they will come out of the gates flying. A potential playoff game-like atmosphere could present a true home field advantage, and paired with the revenge factor, may add real fuel for the fire. But the biggest key? If he plays, smother Guillermo Barros Schelotto. GBS sat out Columbus’s last game with a hamstring strain, and is still listed as questionable for Saturday. Gillette Stadium’s turf may be taken into consideration, as could the risk of further injury so late in the season. The Crew have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but the Supporter’s Shield may still be at stake. Perhaps the Revs can expect to see a GBS appearance in the second half, need be.

Expect a good game Saturday night. New England is 1-1-0 against Columbus this season, the first game proving that they can defeat the Crew (away, at that) when closer to full strength. And in the last game, two goals came from Columbus forwards riding the offside line or just plain catching the worn out Revs without enough numbers behind the ball. This time around, the Revolution is rested and should better eliminate those scenarios. And with two legitimate forwards and Steve Ralston back in action… My prediction? 2-1 New England. Let the race for the Supporters’ Shield begin.

Coming off a much-needed 4-0 win against Chivas USA last week and a welcome nine-day break between games, the Revolution go west to Colorado for a notoriously difficult competition Saturday night. Even with the return of key players (finally including some semblance of an attack) and some well-deserved rest, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park has regularly proven to be a tough venue for the Revs and likely will tonight, as well.

The two teams last met in April, and New England suffered a frustrating 1-0 loss at home. Despite out-shooting the Rapids 17-4, the Revs allowed a goal on a set piece (a common occurrence during this portion of the season) and blew several quality scoring opportunities. But that said, it was three days after an away game at Kansas City and the Revs were without three key veterans in Chris Albright, Steve Ralston, and Taylor Twellman. Not to mention the chaos that ensued when then newly signed Argenis Fernandez was subbed in, pushing Khano Smith out to the right…

But this meeting is as good a time as any to reverse the Colorado curse. New England does not typically fare well in Commerce City. With a dismal all-time record of 3-11-1, the Revs tend to cite the travel and mile-high altitude as the cause. Well, what better way to battle that than with nine days of rest?

With Gabriel Badilla back in the fold, New England will likely deploy a 4-4-2. Steve Ralston may start up top as the recuperating forwards continue to work toward match fitness, but ideally (though not necessarily likely) a second half substitution could see a move to a 3-5-2 with Ralston sliding back into the midfield and Kenny Mansally or Kheli Dube coming in at forward. Either way, the Revs need to put the ball in the back of the net early on, before the thin air fatigue sets in.

Hey ya’ll! I hope that everybody is doing well! Once again I am sorry that I am just getting to write my blog, our schedule has been jam packed with games and lots of travel here recently, so I’m just getting to it.

ON THE FIELD:

In my last blog I talked about our second leg game against Joe Public in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament and how we would be ready to avenge ourselves. I meant what I said, about how we wanted to show Joe Public who we really were, but boy was I wrong about the outcome and quality of our play. I would probably put it up there as one of the worst loses of my career. We got outplayed from start to finish and they waxed us by a score of 4-0. They were a step ahead of us all game and our play did not help us one bit. As I have talked about before, in sports, like life, there are many ups and downs, and this was a very low point for the boys and me. It is hard to describe in words how disappointed I was after that game, I’ll just leave it at that. Granted we did not have our full roster out there, we still fielded a good enough squad to beat them, and I can’t use that as an excuse. It just was not our night!

That weekend we faced the number one team in the league, the Columbus Crew, on Saturday. To put it plainly we got spanked, again! They played very well and put a 4-0 whoopin’ on us. I made the trip out to Columbus, but woke up sick on game day and the coach made me stay back at the hotel. Our coach is pretty cautious about sickness on the team he insists that if you are sick that you should stay home and away from the rest of the team. It is understandable though, he doesn’t want any of the other players getting sick. Do not know what to really say about the game except that we were not up for the task and that Columbus was by far the better team on the night. To put things into perspective, we split our two away games there, with a win and a loss, so it isn’t all that bad. That being said, no one likes losing, especially 4-0, so we will look to get some revenge when they come to our turf here in a couple weeks.

         We look to turn things around this week as we face Chivas USA on Thursday. Always seems to be a pretty good and scrappin’ match whenever we face off. An important match for us I believe, so the boys I know will be coming out firing on all cylinders ready to get after it.

OFF THE FIELD:

         Seems like all I have been doing these days away from the game is just resting and trying to get over all the sickness that has plagued me over the past several weeks. It is getting close to hunting season though, deer hunting season that is, and I sure have been itching to go hunting. Steve Ralston shares the passion and love for hunting that I do, so we have been talking about our excitement, plans, and hopes for the upcoming season. Steve knows some people who let him hunt on their land, so whenever we have the time we try to get back out in the sticks to mess around and enjoy God’s wonderful creations. We went out the other afternoon scouting and checking out signs and messing around with some of his deer stands. The older I get the more I realize how much of a country boy I am, the more I realize how much I love the land and being away from all the hub-ub and noise of the world. A little piece and quiet in God’s creation really does wonders for my mind and soul. Other than on the soccer field and being back in North Carolina, being in the country on the land is where I feel the most at home, the most myself, and the closest to the Lord. We have a farm in Bethel, NC, where my mom grew up. Growing up the whole family, extended family and all would gather there to spend Thanksgiving together and do some hunting. It is definitely one of my favorite places in the world! I would love nothing more than to settle down there and build a family when my playing days are done. When the season ends I head straight there to meet up with my cousins, uncles, and the rest of the family to get in as much hunting as I can. I have learned while living in Massachusetts and near Boston that the city just isn’t for me. I’m not knocking the city at all, if its what you love that’s all good, but the crop fields, small southern towns, and simple ways of North Carolina are where my heart is and longs to be!

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

Much of TV, the news, and radio these days have been focused on politics and on the upcoming presidential election. I was a politics major at Wake Forest, so am somewhat in tuned to what is going on and all. I have found that the older one gets the more interested and more concerned one becomes about politics-mainly because the issues discussed concern you when you start making your own money and are on your own. When you “leave the nest,” so to speak, you have to deal with new things concerning all that hablab. I am not going to get into a discussion about the nominees or any issues or anything like that, because even though I majored in politics I still feel like I know diddly about it all, and also it is the last thing I really care to write or talk about. It is on my mind now only because today I was watching the program “Road To Redemption” about the Olympic basketball team as they prepared for the 2008 Olympic games. The coaches had invited some soldiers who had been injured in battle to come speak to the team about teamwork and sacrifice. I tell you what, it was moving-bout brought me to tears! As bad as it sounds, the truth is, there are so many days that go by where I do not even think about or recognize all the sacrifice, dedication, and duty our soldiers and military personnel have done! No matter what side of the political spectrum one stands on, I think we all should have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for all that they have done and continue to do for our freedom and our country-I know I sure do! Whenever I put on that Revolution jersey I am filled with a sense of pride to be representing the team and to have made it to where I am, but I feel it pails in comparison to how each and every one of our soldiers feels when they wear their uniforms. I can at times get so wrapped up into the game and how things are going with my career that I do not realize that there are things that are so much more important and so much bigger than what I am doing, than the battles that I am facing. I guess in some sense it is easy to forget about war when it is in a far off country. I think we all need to be more aware and grateful for the services our military personnel continue to do for our country and for each and everyone of us on a continual daily basis. We live in a wonderful country, the best country, and too many times I feel people can get wrapped up in the politics of it all and forget about all the real heroes out there who are risking their lives for us. I thank God for them and all that they have done-they are the real heroes!

QUESTIONS:

1. Wells,

You never cease to amaze me with the effort you put out when you play. Each and every game I watch only inspires me to work harder and harder with my training in hopes that I can someday achieve what you have. I was at the game Saturday night against LA and just being able to watch you play was incredible, all of you. It was such a blessing, truly. So thank you. And for my question, really random, I was reading something online that said you played ice hockey when you were a kid back home? If true, that’s so awesome, I play too! And yeah, I’m a girl. Haha. Well, you’re amazing, keep doing what you’re doing.

-Alexa, East Longmeadow

         —Alexa, thanks so much for your response and all that you had to say-I sincerely appreciate that! I have put and continue to put a lot of effort, energy, passion, sweat, and time into becoming a better soccer player. I love what I do and I love the game. It is always nice to hear compliments and gratitude from fans for all the hard work that we all do. I think I speak for all the boys we I say how grateful we are for all our fans and ya’lls continued support and devotion to the club. So again, thank you so much for that! Now to answer your question-yes, I did play ice hockey while growing up. I can’t tell you how much I loved that experience and playing the game. My dad will tell you that I definitely have some ice hockey in my soccer game. I love getting stuck in and mixing things up a little bit. A lot of people are shocked when I tell them that being from North Carolina that I grew up playing hockey. We were actually pretty good too. In fact, I have a buddy of mine who I grew up playing with that played at Harvard. I firmly believe that the cross training of all the sports I played was no doubt invaluable to my growth and development as a soccer player. As I grew older I began to understand though that my true passion in sports was for soccer. That, and ice hockey was not my best sport-I think I spent more time in the penalty box than my whole team combined. Thanks for the response and support! Hope to hear from you again!

2. Wells, do you see the Revs making any new additions to the team before the end of the season? Any tips on any potential players? I heard the team was interested in Benny Feilhaber at one point as well. lovin’ the blog!

-John F.

         —John, I wish I had some inside information I could let you in on, but sorry to say I have no idea about possible additions to the team. We have struggled over the past several games due to our lack of forwards, so there is definitely a possibility the coaches are looking for help up top to get us through the year. We recently just acquired the Costa Rican national team member Gabriel Badilla. I think it was a fantastic pick up for the team. The little that I have seen him play and been around him, I have to say that I am very impressed with his efforts on the field and also how he has carried himself off the field. I feel he could be a vital contributor to the team down the home stretch of the season. If I hear anything new buzzing around ill be sure to let you know!

Thanks for listening and hope yall enjoyed! Until next time, take care, God bless, and be easy!

Wells

It has clearly been a tough week to be a Revolution fan. Unlike other supporters, however, I am not cursing Steve Nicol and the team he fielded on Tuesday night, nor am I threatening to stop spending my time and money on the club. No, I believe that Coach had the Revs’ best interest in mind that night. While allowing some team from the Caribbean with a goofy cartoon logo (Joe Public, was it?) to trample one of MLS’s best at home was so horrifying that it was borderline hilarious, I get that Nicol did what he had to do.

The Revs have played 32 games this season and it has become pretty obvious. All four of the team’s forwards are on the current injury report, as is team captain Steve Ralston. The rest of the team, well, they’re just running on empty. Can anyone who has watched the past few games honestly say that six extra fixtures all over the western hemisphere sounds feasible? The Revs still have eight more MLS games and (hopefully) a good run in the post-season ahead.

Yes, I understand that CONCACAF Champions League was an opportunity for the Revolution and Major League Soccer in general to showcase their progress on an international stage. I also get that they blew the U.S. Open Cup semi-final by fielding a team almost entirely composed of reserves. But the Revs got the opportunity to participate in these tournaments by being a top team in MLS. They won SuperLiga, a competition against renowned Mexican sides. That’s certainly something. Now it’s time to focus on the final stretch- a time during which one win can land you at the top of the conference, and one loss gives multiple teams the opportunity to leapfrog you in the standings.

Rather than accusing all but two players of having no desire, and questioning the athletic abilities of rookies, New England fans should be acknowledging the club’s focus on attaining that elusive prize: the MLS Cup. One game a week should allow the Revs ample time to get back on track and healthy for the play-offs. Until all is righted (or rested) as far as tired legs go, relax fellow ardent Revolution supporters. As Shalrie Joseph assured us as he descended the stairs to the locker room Tuesday night, “It’s going to be all right, everybody.”

We have had a very busy week this week. We went to Toronto on Friday and played them on Saturday. The following morning we headed off to Trinidad for our first game in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament against Joe Public on Tuesday.

For me, it is always fun and a pleasure playing in Toronto due to the fan base and all their support. We understand that soccer is not the most popular sport in America so appreciate all the wonderful support and fans that we do have, but it is definitely a different level in Toronto, and even though the fans are against us, the environment and atmosphere is topnotch. I was also excited to be in Toronto because I was getting the start, due to extenuating circumstances. It had been too darn long since my last start and I was eager and prepared to get out there and bust it. We also went to a 4-4-2 formation as a result of our lack of forwards. My good buddy Adam Christman was not able to make the trip because of an injury, so we were left with only Taylor Twellman as a forward. That meant that Ralston pushed from central midfield to a more forward position. I really was not too concerned about the change, especially when it is Ralston doing the moving around. I don’t care what position Ralston plays in, he can not only play them all, but he plays them all very well. He is one of the best players I have ever played with and he only continues to amaze me by his ability and skill despite his age and the amount of games he has played. It was a decent performance by the team. We went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage as a result of Chris Tierney delivering a gorgeous ball to the head of Twellman. The game was back and forth quite a bit and they ended up striking even off a fantastic finish from Chad Barrett.

My former Wake Forest teammate and roommate Brian Edwards is the back up goalie for Toronto, so we got to catch up and have a few drinks after the game. One of the best parts about traveling is being able to catch up with old teammates and friends. Business is business, we all want so desperately to win, regardless of who is on the other team, but as soon as the game is over it is back to being friends and paling around and all that. I consider Wake to be one of the premier programs in the country, I don’t think many can argue with that, and they have produced a significant amount of pros over the past several years. Justin Moose, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley, Ryan Solle, Pat Phelan, Julian Valentin, Steven Curfman, Amir Lowry, Scott Sealy, and Will Hesmer, to mention a few all come from Wake Forest. It always makes things a little more interesting when you are facing off against a good buddy or former teammate.

Toronto was the first leg of our trip. We then took off to Trinidad early the next morning. To tell you the truth, I do not mind traveling much at all. Some of the guys hate it, and I can understand if you have a family or are scared of flying or for whatever reason, but for me it isn’t so bad. I try to catch up on my reading on the flights, since I do not get to that much in my free time while at home. I just recently finished the autobiography of Steven Gerrard and I am almost finished with the autobiography of Ricky Hatton. Both are fantastic books and I recommend them to anyone who loves sports or likes a good read. I always love reading about other sports figures. I find that you can find a lot of inspiration and motivation through others stories. Besides reading, there is always a card game or two going on. The only thing that really stinks about traveling is the toll that it takes on your body and mind. You can definitely feel the affects on your legs and mind after a long flight. I do think that all the traveling and our busy schedule played a major role in our loss to Joe Public of Trinidad. Joe Public was our first opponent in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. I think we took them too lightly and they came out strong and proved to be more than a worthy opponent. They were quick, fast, and seemed to have a step on us all night. I am not one for making excuses but I do believe that all the travel was the reason for all of that. In the second half they opened up the scoring with two quick counter attacks. We got one back when Castro tucked home a penalty kick that was given when Shalrie was taken down in the box in the late stages if the game. It is a home and away series so we have a game to redeem ourselves and show them who we really are. I am confident our guys will not take them so lightly this time, and I suspect that we will come out on top. But we will see. First we have to concentrate on the Galaxy who we play this weekend. I am looking forward to the game. Anytime David Beckham comes to town there is always a wonderful atmosphere and bigger crowd.

1.

Heya Wells, is the team excited about the CONCACAF Champions League? or is anyone worried about what a more packed schedule could do to the teams playoff aspirations?

-Craig, Somerville

-Ha, good question and well that all depends on whom you ask. I think it is a fantastic experience playing teams from different countries and teams that we would not play otherwise. I think that everyone will agree on that. The prize would be fantastic so that is another positive, but in the grand scheme of things it does make things a lot harder on all of us. All the extra travel and games in an already packed schedule bothers and worries a lot of the guys. This is coming from a younger player as well, so you can only imagine how the older guys feel. Our main goal is to win the MLS Cup and I think that everyone would agree on that, especially considering how close we have been over the past several years. The bottom line is that the extra tournaments, this one and Superliga, take an extra toll on our legs and whether it is too big of a toll we do not know. We just know that we want to be fresh and rested going into the remainder of the season and this tournament is making it hard for that to happen.

2.

Mr. Thompson, do the guys talk about any soccer websites in the locker room? About rumors or anything else?  Always interested to know, Thanks!

-Belinda W

-Mr. Thompson huh? I like that, ha! Coming from the south I was raised to say sir and mam and Mr. and Mrs. so I can appreciate that kind of respect, whether you meant it that way or not. Believe it or not, in my experience in the North many people do not like it when I say those sorts of things, but it was the way I was raised so there’s no changing it, ha. Really the only website that is talked about is mlsnet.com. I know a lot of the guys, me included, check various soccer websites daily, such as foxsports.com, ussoccer.com, espnsoccernet.com, as well as our own website. Honestly we do not talk about the websites too much unless it concerns new news concerning our league or news about transfers and so forth. Of course we are all interested in the scores of other games around the league and news concerning our opponents. If something new in our league comes out it will for sure make its way around the locker room.

3.

Hello Wells, could you tell us more about the SuperLiga trophy presentation, and what ended up happening with the prize money? I assume you know since you’re on the team, keep up the great work and good luck this season!

-Brenda, Brookline

-I so wish I could tell you about the SuperLiga trophy presentation, but because I was really sick I was not able to make it to the game and therefore missed the presentation. It was bad timing in getting sick, to say the least, because it is such a wonderful experience celebrating and enjoying in the moment. We work hard day in and day out and to see all that hard work pay off is why we work so hard. We all know that these moments do not come around too often which makes it that much more special. Some of my fondest memories last year were celebrating our championship of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and the Eastern conference title, so I know what I was missing out on. I hope though that we will have more celebrating to do this year after we win the MLS Cup, and I can only look forward to that. I do not care too much to talk in detail about what happened concerning the prize money, but ill try and fill you in. Basically our reward for winning the SuperLiga was smaller than the amount a Mexican team would have gotten if they won. All the MLS teams were competing on an uneven playing field because our incentive was significantly smaller than that for the Mexican league teams. We tried to fight it the best that we could because it was not right or fair, but in the end there was nothing that we could do about it. In our most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) the league had already determined the details and the structure of the winnings, so in the end we had to accept that and move on. There will be a new CBA in a year or so and our players union will hopefully be able to work something out for us that will be fair for everyone. I do not think I should, and do not even know if legally I can, go into much detail about the whole ordeal, but I hope that that helps.

4.

Hey Wells, how you doing up there.  We all miss you man, can’t wait for you to come home.  I have just one question for you.  How do you feel that fans are in Mass relating to the situation in Boston?  I mean do you ever feel like the world is just looking down at the sport in Boston as a whole?  It just seems very special to me man.  When do ya’ll get to experience that with everything going on?…Thanks buddy, keep up the stellar work.

-Smith

—Well that is a very interesting question smith! But let me ask you this, “Come back yesterday?” I bet many people who would have read your question would have had no idea what you were talking about, but since I am your cousin I think I might get where you are coming from. The fans in Boston are fanatics about their teams, for the most part anyway. I would call them die-hard fans. We do not get the amount of fans out to a game that say the Patriots or Red Sox do, but we have great fans. It has been wonderful getting to know and interact with many of them. I have made lots of friends with some of the wonderful fans that I have gotten to know; friends that I can honestly say I will stay in touch with for the rest of my life. One of the greatest things about our sport is the opportunity that we have to interact and get to know our fans. It always helps when the teams you are supporting win, and all the Boston teams have done that. There are usually opportunities for us throughout the year to take in other teams games, so that is always fun. Not sure if I answered your question like you wanted, but hope that helps. Sometime the kitchen run down in the woods, get it?

Hope yall enjoyed the blog! Yall take care now! God bless and until next time be easy!

Wells

If you have any questions or comments for Wells send them to Wells@americansoccerreader.com !

Hey ya’ll!

On The Field

Our last game was against San Jose this past Saturday. It was a game that I think all the boys would like to forget. We got quite the whoopin’! We ended up losing 4-0. The score does not really reveal how the game really went. We did not play well by any means, but we did not deserve to lose 4-0. Hey it’s just one of those games you try to learn from, but also one where you kind of just have to forget and move on. We have to understand that there are going to be games like that from time to time. We just must make sure that we learn our lesson from that game and make sure that it does not happen again. We were missing a couple key players on our team, which in my mind no doubt hurt us. We have plenty of depth on the team and guys that can step in and not miss a beat, but we sure did miss Micheal Parkhurst and Shalrie Joseph in San Jose. “Parky” was just getting home for the Olympics and Shalrie was serving a one game suspension for his red card against Chicago the week before. Sometimes you do not really notice or realize how much a player means to the team until they are not out there. I realized that about Parky and Shalrie in San Jose. Look, I understand that it is a team game and that every player is vital to the team’s success. I am a big proponent of the team concept and believe that should be stressed with every team. But I also realize the importance of certain players. I can’t say enough about Shalrie and Parky as players and as people. They are very vital to the team and our success and I fully realized their importance to our team in their absence against San Jose. It will be good to have them back for our upcoming game against DC United on Wednesday.

Off The Field

Off the field not too much has been going on with me over the past week or so. We have been traveling quite a bit, so mainly I have just been resting up and taking it easy. I put a lot of importance on soccer. It is something that I am passionate about and I want to do the very best that I can. I am very competitive and have very high standards for myself so I want to win every game and I want to play the best I can in every game. It doesn’t really always work out like that though. In fact, things here recently have not been going that way at all. Sometimes I can put so much into soccer that it affects my life outside the game. A bad practice or game or lose can turn my world upside down. Now, for the most part I am a positive and sensible person, but sometimes I just lose it. You know the saying “leave all your work at work when you leave?” Well I have been trying to apply that to my life. I was becoming somebody that I did not want to become. I was miserable to be around at times. Now I am not saying by any means that I have lost my competitive edge or anything at all like that, I am just saying that I am trying to adapt to the pressures and demands of the professional game in a better manner. There are a lot of ups and downs in sports, just like there are in life. I believe, among other things, that what separates athletes is how they deal with things when they are down. I had a good first year, it would have been great if we won the Cup, so coming into this year my expectations and goals were much higher. I wanted to establish myself as a starter and a premier player in the league. Things have not gone like I had planned them, but I believe in myself and have faith that God has plans for me and that he will take care of me. I know that sulking and doubting will only hurt me further, so I am trying to continue to work hard and try and look on the positive side of things. Like I said, I believe in myself, and I know that without a doubt I can be a good professional.

So like I said, our next game is Wednesday against good ‘ole D.C. United. I really can’t stand DC so I am looking forward to the game and hoping to put them in their place. They are a good team and have some really good players, but they are not the quality that we are. I do not say that to be arrogant, I just believe it to be the truth. I don’t consider myself an arrogant man at all, in fact I feel that I am very humble.I definitely owe that and accredit that to my upbringing and my parents. My parents raised me right. I cannot thank them enough for all that they have done for me, sacrificed for me, given me, and loved and cared for me. I owe all that I am and all that I have and have become to my parents. They have always stood by my side, no matter what. I am so grateful for the hours they put into driving me to tournaments, washing my stained and dirty uniforms, and their love, sacrifice, and support for me following my dreams. There was a time in my life when I would not have been able to express that. As I have gotten older and matured, I have begun to realize more and more how blessed I have been and am to have such wonderful parents. I hope one day I can make millions and take care of them like they have of me. Somewhat kidding, but that would be nice huh? I hope one day I can be the kind of parent to my kids as my parents were to me.

-Hope ya’ll enjoyed this week’s blog! Have a great rest of the week-Take care, God bless, and be easy!

-wells

Hey there! It is good to be back! I hope that everyone is doing well and that life is treating ya’ll well!

I decided that I needed to make a few changes to the blog, something small. I am taking a page out of my boy Julian Valentine’s book and going to apply some order here. I am going to try and break my blog down into sections like he does. Like so; 1-On the field

2-Off the field,

3-random, whatever comes to mind. Hopefully that will make it a little easier to follow. Enjoy

Things have not been as I would have liked them to be lately, but again how often are things really like you want them or plan them out to be. Life got in the way again and knocked me for a little loop. What I am referring to is that I have been, and still am, under the weather. Even though I have been struggling off the field with my health and all, the team has continued to take care of business on the field. We won our first piece of hardware for the year, by beating Houston in the Superliga Final. I unfortunately was not able to even make it to the game because of my illness, but am so proud of the boys for their work in the hard fought final. After regular time the game remained tied at 2-2. After two scoreless extra periods, we finally clinched the game and the Superliga championship on penalty kicks. The team took a little slide after that big win. We ended up losing to the Chicago Fire 2-1 in a very disappointing game for us, and we just recently lost to DC United in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. We have a real busy schedule coming up here over the next few weeks, so I am going to try and get healthy so I might be able to play a little bit. With the shoulder problem and the sickness it seems like I have not played in ages, so I am dying to get back out there on a regular basis again.

I love music! I am mainly a country music man, but I really love and appreciate it all! It definitely speaks to me. One of the up sides about playing in Gillette is the extra curricular activities, like concerts and other games, that come that we usually get to enjoy. I had the opportunity to enjoy Country Fest and Bruce Springsteen the other week. Both were great, but I bet you can guess which one I enjoyed the most. A bunch of friends and I packed my big ole’ truck up with all the necessities for a tailgate and went to the stadium early to partake in some of the festivities before the concert. I feel at times that I can stick out like a sore thumb being from the south and all, but I fit right in at Country Fest. I tell you what, it was great, a whole day of being and doing country! You really do not find too much country music up this way. In North Carolina every other station is a country channel, whereas I think there might only be one up this way. But sometimes I hear something and it touches me, or it reminds me of what I believe and stand for. These are a couple of new artists I recently discovered, their music and lyrics spoke to me, so I wanted to share it with ya’ll, for whatever it was worth.

“I aint a star. I’m nothing like (Clint Dempsey or Kaka)- I got a funny sounding name and I don’t wanna be famous, I don’t make a lot of change. My heart has been changed, I just wanna know Jesus man! To make it plain I got a message penetrating my soul, it is the message that the Father gives me generating my soul. The credit aint ours, its all His! “Amen—The Christian Rap singer Lecrae

“This song is for everybody to know whether you are from a small town, the hood, the big city, it don’t matter. Everybody’s got their dreams they wanna follow, some people are ashamed where they’re from, they don’t know where they are suppose to be. Everybody find your place in life, be proud of who you are, don’t let nothing hold you back.”

—Country singer Colt Ford

Hope ya’ll enjoyed the blog this week! Please keep the questions coming, the more the merrier! Ya’ll have a good week, take care and God bless! Until next time, be easy!

-Wells

1. Hey Wells, do you go into Boston often? Have any favorite hotspots? Good luck for the rest of the season!

-Troy S

-Troy, what’s up man, thanks for the question. I do not go into Boston as much as I would like. I try to get in every Sunday, if my schedule permits, to attend service at Park Street Baptist Church. I live in Wrentham, right near the stadium, so going into the city can sometimes be more of a hassle than I would like. Traffic isn’t always good, I drive a big truck and have a hard time parking in the city (It doesn’t fit in parking garages either), not too mention my truck guzzles gas, so all those annoyances keep me away from the city. To tell you the truth as well, I am not much of a city boy. I am quite content hanging around Wrentham, fishing on the lake and keeping busy around those parts, so it doesn’t really bother me too much I don’t make it in much. If I want to go out though there isn’t much open past 12 around Wrentham so I do like to get into Boston to mix it up occasionally. Been to Whiskeys a few times, Joshua Tree, McFaddens. Don’t necessarily have a favorite place, as long as the beers flowing, there are some women, and the people are nice, I’d like it there!

2. Wells, I’m always interested in players pre-game preparations, do you have any pre-game rituals or traditions?

-Craig F

Appreciate the Question Craig, that’s a good one! I have had bunches of rituals over the years. Many were normal, like eating a good pre-game meal and hydrating throughout the day and things of that sort, but I have to admit I have had some crazy ones over the years.  The older I have gotten though, the more I have tried to rid myself and my routine of those types of things. I found myself at times before games a wreck because I was trying to get everything right, if I did not get things right I would almost be consumed with that and I felt it affected my performance. That being said I do have a few things I still do besides the normal. I have and still use the same shin guard sleeves from college. Even though they are all tattered and probably don’t smell the best, I still hang on to them. I re-tie my shoes during warm-ups. I also make sure I kneel down and pray in front of my locker before I head to the field before game time. With me, a lot depends on how I am playing and how the team is doing at the time. I find that I pick up and drop little superstitions throughout the year depending on how things are going. Like I said though, I feel it mentally taxes me too much sometimes, so I hope to get rid of all of them soon.

3. Wells, Karvonen here…So glad to see your blog, keep up the good work buddy! hoping the shoulder heals quickly. Other than outside middy, what other positions did you excel at….oh and what about hockey, a little birdy told me you were quite the scrapper on the ice..any comments on that???

-Chris, what’s up man, great hearing from you and appreciate your support and comments! Growing up I played a little bit of forward but mostly center midfield my whole life until college. College was when I made the transition to outside midfield. I was not happy at the time about the move. I thought and still think central midfield is the best position on the field, but I have grown to appreciate and enjoy being on the outside now.                                                                                                                                                                                          I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed a playing hockey as a little guy. A lot of people do not think about kids playing hockey from North Carolina. But we were quite good, even competed in Lake Placid a few times. Hockey was by no means my best sport, but I loved the action. I loved the physical nature of the game. If you talked to some of my former teammates they would probably tell you I spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice. It might have been true, I loved the physical nature so much I tended to get a little out of hand at times. I no doubt think that my soccer game reveals some hockey nature in it. I also believe that my experience with hockey and the skills required there helped my soccer game and translated onto the pitch. I always encourage parents to push their kids to play as many sports as their kids want to. I think it only helps kids develop skills they did not already have and also nourish those skills that they already might possess. 

-Wells

Do you have a question or comment for Wells? email them to Wells@americansoccerreader.com

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The past week has not been easy for a team with standards as high as the Revolution. Last Saturday marked the Revs’ first loss in 10 games, in front of 19,000+ at home. Not to mention Tuesday’s showing at the Open Cup semi-final in D.C… Steve Nicol’s team (composed almost entirely of reserves) practically gifted the United their title and trophy. But looking forward, New England looks to redeem themselves with a more convincing performance in San Jose this Saturday.

The Revs last met the Earthquakes on May 17th. Kheli Dube’s first MLS goal and James Riley’s embarrassing miscommunication with Joe Cannon and consequent own goal saw the home Blue walk away with a 2-0 win. The speed of Sainey Nyassi on the right flank and the general work rate of Dube proved to be key in the team’s success.

However, three months later, things could be (and are) different. The lineup San Jose has been fielding as of late contains roughly half the players the Revs met in May. And the Quakes’ new look must be working for them, as they are currently riding a month-long unbeaten streak.

In a weekend filled with MLS match-ups that could really shake up the Eastern Conference table, the Revolution need this victory to stay on top. And it’s doable. New England is 6-2-1 while away, topping San Jose’s 2-3-3 home record. More good news? The Quakes are going to be without defender Ryan Cochrane due to yellow card accumulation. The bad news? The Revs’ Jeff Larentowicz and Sainey Nyassi are both one booking away from being in the same boat. The biggest question mark is New England’s front line, though. On the injury report, Kheli Dube is listed as out, Kenny Mansally as doubtful, and Taylor Twellman as questionable. That leaves a slightly rusty Adam Cristman to be partnered with either Twellman, or maybe even Steve Ralston as a withdrawn forward? With Shalrie Joseph suspended, a withdrawn forward scenario could be likely in a more defensive-minded formation.

My predictions? A lot depends on New England’s goal production. Michael Parkhurst’s absence has left the back line a little leaky, so the Revs will likely have to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities to go home with the full 3 points.

We’d been hearing murmurs all morning, and it looks to have come to fruition, as reported by SBI. The New England Revolution have re-signed Forward Pat Noonan and have traded him to the Columbus Crew. The Revolution will receive a 2009 First-round draft pick, some allocation money, and future allocation considerations. Noonan left New England for Norwegian club Aalesund, making 3 first team appearances for the Norwegian club. Noonan will move to a Columbus Crew team that seems poised to make the playoffs, and should be considered a contender for the MLS Cup. More details should be coming to light soon, what do you think of the move?

The New England Revolution defeated Mexico’s Atlante FC and survived a post-match melee on Wednesday night to move on to this year’s SuperLiga final against a familiar rival, the Houston Dynamo. This will be the third time the clubs have met in a final in just under two years, the previous two encounters having ended in Houston’s favor. But this could be the one for the Revs.

The Revs are undefeated in SuperLiga, the only team in the entire tournament with such bragging rights. And while Houston isn’t far behind with one loss, the teams’ MLS records paint a more vivid picture. Houston is 6-4-8 and New England is a telling 10-4-3. Not to mention, the Revs thumped the Orange 5-0 in this season’s 2-game series.

Personnel-wise, it’s not quite clear which team has the advantage. As the Revolution’s injury list is finally shrinking, Houston has added Richard Mulrooney and Eddie Robinson to theirs. Both teams also have players in Beijing (New England’s Michael Parkhurst and Houston’s Patrick Ianni and Stuart Holden). But with Jay Heaps suspended, the Revs are presented with a few question marks. Jeff Larentowicz has already slid into the center back position with Parkhurst gone. Who will join him in the makeshift back line? Perhaps the recovering Pat Phelan. Will Steve Nicol continue to employ the 4-4-2? Can Larentowicz step up and communicate and organize as well as his missing teammates? And who will keep on a sometimes spacey Amaechi Igwe, if not Heaps?

Another big factor to be considered; this is a home game for New England. Home fans, no travel, and almost a week between games. The Dynamo, on the other hand, had an MLS match-up Saturday night and now must travel the almost 2,000 miles to Massachusetts for the Tuesday night SuperLiga final.

My prediction? 2-1 New England. The past two meetings have been fast-paced and have seen many scoring opportunities for both teams. If the Revs can continue to capitalize on the speed of Sainey Nyassi and Mauricio Castro on the wings, and the patchwork defense can hold it together, they might just take the SuperLiga title.