The New England Revolution, or the Revs as they are called, are one of the best teams in the history of MLS, but they have very few trophies to show for it. In fact, other than their SuperLiga title (2008) and one US Open Cup win (2007), their mantle is bare. They are definitely the Buffalo Bills of MLS, having lost the MLS Cup Final four times.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not bashing the Revs. I think Steve Nicol is a great coach. Since he took the reins in 2002, they have qualified for the playoffs every season and last year was the first during his tenure they failed to make it to at least the semifinal. But, one cannot deny that his team has failed to show up on the biggest stages.

NER still has played some consistently good soccer though. Taylor Twellman, Sharlie Joseph, Jay Heaps, Matt Reis and Steve Ralston have made the team a perpetual contender. Earlier legends also made the team strong, including John Harkes, Jose Cancela, Clint Dempsey, Andy Dorman, Joe-Max Moore and Alexi Lalas.

But, until the Revs hoist the MLS Cup, they will never be considered a truly great team. It’s a shame too because Nicol and his core group deserve a title. Maybe it will come in 2009, who knows? If not, I am betting owner Robert Kraft (who also owns the New England Patriots) will be patient. Unlike many owners who are quick to throw a coach under the bus, he has stood by Nicol and I am betting Stevie will eventually reward him with a title.

The New England Revolution will open up their 2010 Major League Soccer season at the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, March 27, 2010.

The 2010 MLS Regular Season will see each team play a 30-game regular season, followed by playoffs among eight qualifying teams. The 2010 regular season will conclude Oct. 24. The MLS Cup Playoffs will culminate in the championship match, MLS Cup 2010, on Nov. 21.

New England Revolution 2010 Schedule

Saturday March 27, 2010: New England Revolution at LA Galaxy – Buy New England Revolution Tickets

April
Saturday, April 3, 2010: New England Revolution at D.C. United
Saturday, April 10, 2010: Toronto FC at New England Revolution - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
04/17 – Saturday at San Jose
04/24 – Saturday Colorado Rapids - Buy New England Revolution Tickets

May
05/01 – Saturday FC Dallas - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
05/05 – Wednesday Chivas USA - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
05/08 – Saturday at Columbus
05/15 – Saturday San Jose - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
05/22 – Saturday at Toronto FC
05/29 – Saturday New York Red Bulls - Buy New England Revolution Tickets

June
06/05 – Saturday at Seattle Sounders
06/26 – Saturday Chicago - Buy New England Revolution Tickets

July
07/02 – Friday at Real Salt Lake
07/10 – Saturday LA Galaxy - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
07/31 – Saturday at Philadelphia Union

August
08/07 – Saturday D.C. United - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
08/14 – Saturday Houston - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
08/18 – Wednesday at Chicago
08/21 – Saturday at Kansas City
08/28 – Saturday Philadelphia - Buy New England Revolution Tickets

September
09/04 – Saturday Seattle - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
09/10 – Friday at Chivas USA
09/18 – Saturday at Colorado
09/22 – Wednesday at FC Dallas
09/25 – Saturday Columbus - Buy New England Revolution Tickets

October
10/02 – Saturday Real Salt Lake - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
10/10 – Sunday at Houston
10/16 – Saturday Kansas City - Buy New England Revolution Tickets
10/21 – Thursday at New York

Recap: After a hot start, NER faded from their position of prominence to finish third in the East and tied for fourth overall. Their playoff appearance added insult to injury (literally). Hey, at least they didn’t lose in the Cup to match the Buffalo Bills for most inept franchise in consecutive championship finals. Overall, they get a C+ for ’08.

Offense: The Revs normally strong attack fell impotent this year. They scored a meager 40 goals all season and finished tenth in the league when it came to finding the net. Sure, it hurt that Twellman missed a lot of the season, but NER still couldn’t score even after he returned, so they get a C+ for the attack.

Defense: NER’s defense was uncharacteristically poor this year, ceding 43 goals (more than they scored) to finish ninth in the league in goals allowed. When they lost they didn’t just lose, they got killed. Matt Reis played well in goal for a huge portion of the season, but he didn’t finish very strong. They get a C+ for defense.

Needs: The Revs main target in 2009 will be to stay healthy, as injuries to Ralston, Twellman and Cristman largely derailed their 2008 season. They also need to play more consistent defense, and to do so they will need to bring in someone to help Heaps and Albright. They can return to prominence, but they need more talent.

It took four years but the Chicago Fire finally knocked the New England Revolution out of the MLS playoffs.

The Fire comfortable defeated a weakened Revolution 3-0 on Thursday to advance to the conference finals against either the Columbus Crew or the Kansas City Wizards, who will play the second leg of their conference semifinal series on Saturday. The first leg finished in a 1-1 draw.

The Fire scored two goals on either side of half-time to put this game out of reach of New England.

The Fire were able to break through in the second minute of injury time when Chris Rolfe knocked home the opener after Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis spilled a shot from Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Reis mistake showed why he was not voted goalkeeper of the year by MLS.

Then four minutes into the second half Chicago doubled their lead when a Justin Mapp free kick was met by Wilman Conde who header found the lower left corner of the net sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

Gonzalo Segares put the finishing touches on an impressive Fire win by knocking home a cross from Rolfe in the 74th minute to give Chicago its 3-0 margin of victory.

The Fire, who out shot the Revolution 14-8 in the game were by far the better team over the two legs and I expect them to play the Columbus Crew in the conference final.

It took four years but the Chicago Fire finally knocked the New England Revolution out of the MLS playoffs.

The Fire comfortable defeated a weakened Revolution 3-0 on Thursday to advance to the conference finals against either the Columbus Crew or the Kansas City Wizards, who will play the second leg of their conference semifinal series on Saturday. The first leg finished in a 1-1 draw.

The Fire scored two goals on either side of half-time to put this game out of reach of New England.

The Fire were able to break through in the second minute of injury time when Chris Rolfe knocked home the opener after Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis spilled a shot from Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Reis mistake showed why he was not voted goalkeeper of the year by MLS.

Then four minutes into the second half Chicago doubled their lead when a Justin Mapp free kick was met by Wilman Conde who header found the lower left corner of the net sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

Gonzalo Segares put the finishing touches on an impressive Fire win by knocking home a cross from Rolfe in the 74th minute to give Chicago its 3-0 margin of victory.

The Fire, who out shot the Revolution 14-8 in the game were by far the better team over the two legs and I expect them to play the Columbus Crew in the conference final.

Chicago vs New England Highlights

The New England Revolution and Chicago Fire drew 0-0 in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Thursday night at Foxboro Stadium. Chicago now are firm favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference finals with the return leg taking place November 6th in Chicago.

The Revolution have knocked Chicago out of postseason each of the last three years, including twice in the conference championship, but this is Revolution team that is decimated by injury and suspension. Last night the Revolution were playing without injured captain Steve Ralston (broken leg) and forward Taylor Twellman (concussion-like symptoms), while midfielder Khano Smith was suspended two matches by the league for what it called “an egregious challenge” on Kansas City Wizards forward Herculez Gomez last weekend.

“It’s the playoffs, I hope guys step up,” said NE goalkeeper Matt Reis. “We got to play our best otherwise it’s going to be an early exit. Like I said, (Revolution coach Steve Nicol) brought us in, we have a game plan going, and we followed it and we really did good job out there.”

Chicago Fire coach Denis Hamlett was happy with the tie:

“We are glad to be going home and use the home field to our advantage. That is why we fought so hard during the year to finish in second place. We need to get back home and take care of business. We knew that they were going to put a competitive team on the field. They are still the defending Eastern Conference champions. We knew that this was going to be a hard game. We didn’t come in here thinking that with missing all these guys that it was going to be an easy game, because if we did that, we would have basically just set ourselves up for failure.”

Five yellow cards were distributed in this one. Midfielders Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Logan Pause and defender Bakary Soumare were carded for Chicago, while forward Kenny Mansally and midfielder Mauricio Castro were also issued yellow cards.

MLS Fan Sites Reports

• Chicagoland Soccer News
• Windy City Soccer
• New England Soccer News

Forbes.com recently released a report that looked at the economic side of MLS and also put a value on each of the Major League Soccer franchises.

At a macro level, things are looking up for MLS. Seven of the league’s 14 teams play in soccer-specific stadiums, five of which have been built since 2002. Expansion franchises in Seattle and Philadelphia recently agreed to pay $30 million each to join the league, three times what Toronto FC paid to join MLS three years ago. Commissioner Don Garber says the next two expansion teams, to be announced in 2009, will cost $40 million. Some team owners are even floating a $50 million price tag.

As expected, Forbes estimates that MLS is not yet profitable, with its 13 teams posting an operating loss (in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation) of $20 million on revenue of $165 million. In 2007, the three teams that were in the black–Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto FC and FC Dallas–had a combined operating profit of $6.7 million.

Interestingly, Soccer United Marketing, a separate business owned by investors in the league, runs the league’s national television deals ($23 million last season from ESPN, Fox, HDNet and Univision), as well as the commercial rights to a bevy of soccer properties (such as the U.S. rights to the FIFA World Cup) distributed less than $1 million to each team last season. That means that to be successful in MLS, a team has to generate a lot of cash from its stadium and local television and sponsorship deals. That is easier for some teams to do than others.

One team that is making money is the Los Angeles Galaxy, who are worth $100 million according to Forbes. David Beckham is responsible for a lot of the corporate money flowing to the Galaxy. Two months after his arrival last year, weight loss firm Herbalife agreed to a $4 million-a-year jersey sponsorship deal, twice what any other team commands.

The Galaxy also generates substantial revenue at the gate. The team’s stadium, Home Depot Center, has 48 suites that lease for as much as $150,000 a season. The 1,500 club seats cost an average of $4,500 per season. Sponsors like American Express, Delta Air Lines and Valero Energy bring in another $6 million annually for the team. Think all these corporations would be associating themselves with the Galaxy if Beckham was not playing? Not al these levels.

Surprisingly number two on the list is Toronto FC. Forbes estimates Toronto is worth $44 million, up four-fold in just three years. The team turned a profit of $2.1 million in its inaugural season last year, when it sold every ticket at 20,500-seat BMO Field.

The value of playing in a soccer specific stadium cannot be overstated. Real Salt Lake is moving into a new soccer only stadium and RSL forecasts that revenues will increase from $7.6 million to $20.3 million in 2009, its first full year in its new stadium. The team will control the stadium and get more money from sponsorships, concessions and non-soccer events. That is a huge revenue increase.

A soccer only stadium is however not helping the Columbus Crew who cannot find sponsors and only generated just $6 million in revenue. Chivas USA only had $10 million in revenue because they are tenants of the Galaxy at Home Depot Center.

Team By Team Valuations

No. 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
Value: $100 million
Revenue: $36 million
Operating Income: $4.0 million

The Galaxy was already the league’s marquee team before the arrival of David Beckham, soccer’s most renowned superstar, last summer. Now they’re in another stratosphere–L.A.’s $36 million of revenue in 2007 was double that of any other team.

No. 2 Toronto FC
Value: $44 million
Revenue: $17 million
Operating Income: $2.1 million

Hailed by the commissioner as a model team, Toronto FC sold out every game in its inaugural season. The average spectator spent $4.03 on souvenirs a game–that’s a higher rate than MLSE’s flagship sports property: hockey’s Maple Leafs.

No. 3 Chicago Fire
Value: $41 million
Revenue: $16 million
Operating Income: -$3.1 million

In exchange for $98 million of public financing to construct Toyota Park, the Fire share revenues from parking, premium seating and general ticket sales with the Village of Bridgeview, Ill. The upside for the team: no debt service on a state of the art soccer stadium, which is a far cry from cavernous Soldier Field, where they once went 53 days between home games, playing second fiddle to the NFL’s Bears.

No. 4 FC Dallas
Value: $39 million
Revenue: $15 million
Operating Income: $0.5 million

The franchise once known as the Dallas Burn, which for a time called a high school football stadium home, has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. Highlights include moving into a soccer-specific stadium in 2005–complete with a 20-year, $25 million naming rights deal–increased TV exposure and, of course, the new name. The next step in their extreme makeover: trying to secure a jersey sponsorship.

No. 5 New York Red Bulls
Value: $36 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$4.5 million

The Red Bulls hope their days as a small fish in the big New York sports pond will be over once they begin play at Red Bulls Arena in Harrison, N.J., next year. The Austrian energy drink giant is betting big on a turnaround: paying $150 million for the team, its naming rights and construction costs since 2006.

No. 6 D.C. United
Value: $35 million
Revenue: $13 million
Operating Income: -$3.0 million

The most storied team in the league’s brief history is languishing in 47-year-old RFK Stadium. “The stadium does not generate enough revenue on game day because it’s so antiquated,” says Kavin Payne, the team’s president. The team is in talks with both the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md., and hopes to announce plans for a new stadium in the fall.

No. 7 Houston Dynamo
Value: $33 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$1.8 million

The Dynamo attracted a strong following after winning the MLS Cup in both seasons since moving to Houston from San Jose, Calif. A partnership that includes famed boxer Oscar De La Hoya bought half the team last year in a record deal that valued the club at $45 million. Now the Dynamo just needs a new stadium to justify the high price.

No 8. Colorado Rapids
Value: $31 million
Revenue: $11 million
Operating Income: -$2.2 million

By establishing a commercial partnership with famed English Premier League team Arsenal, of which Kroenke owns 13%, the Rapids added instant credibility to their brand. Yet challenges remain: The team took a loss airing games on local TV last year when production costs outweighed advertising revenue, despite having favorable terms with Kroenke-owned broadcast partner Altitude Sports & Entertainment.

No. 9 Real Salt Lake
Value: $30 million
Revenue: $7 million
Operating Income: -$2.1 million

The opening of a soccer-specific stadium next month in Salt Lake City suburb Sandy will usher in a new era for the team, which is currently a tenant at the University of Utah’s football stadium. Real Salt Lake became the first MLS team to acquire a jersey sponsorship, reaching a four-year, $4 million deal with XanGo, a dietary supplement company, before the 2007 season.

No. 10 New England Revolution
Value: $27 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$1.5 million

The Krafts are hoping that the success of their other team, the NFL’s New England Patriots, will rub off on the Revolution. Management is exploring options to construct their own stadium–a necessary step to keep pace with the league’s other big market teams, many of which have already moved into cozier, more soccer-friendly confines.

No. 11 Chivas USA
Value: $24 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$1.0 million

Established as the sister organization of a famed Mexican team, Chivas targets the millions of Hispanic soccer fans on the West Coast as its primary audience. Riding the coattails of the more popular L.A. Galaxy has proved both a blessing and a curse; packaging the teams has translated into higher TV rights and more premium seat sales, but Chivas retain a much smaller cut of revenues.

No. 12 Columbus Crew
Value: $23 million
Revenue: $6 million
Operating Income: -$4.5 million

Columbus set the blueprint for MLS teams when they opened the league’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999. How times have changed. Playing in the league’s second-smallest market with a dearth of sponsors and non-soccer events held at their stadium, nowadays the Crew set the standard in just one category: operating loss.

No. 13 Kansas City Wizards
Value: $22 million
Revenue: $5 million
Operating Income: -$2.9 million

Better days appear ahead for the Wizards, who left a horrendous situation at gaping Arrowhead Stadium during the last off-season. Initial approval of $275 million in public incentives toward the construction of an ambitious retail complex with a soccer stadium as its centerpiece (to be ready in 2010) was granted by the city council last December.

The Columbus Crew were the only Eastern Conference team to win and by doing so moved to the top of the division and the MLS overall table to round out Week 23 of the Major League season.

LA Galaxy 2 New England Revolution 2
Landon Donovan scored a pair of goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but Shalrie Joseph’s first goal of the season helped the New England Revolution grab a 2-2 tie.

Joseph’s goal in the 71st minute helped New England (11-6-5) extend the Galaxy’s (6-9-7) winless streak to 10.

D.C. United 0 Red Bulls 0
A missed penalty kick by D.C. United’s Jaime Moreno allowed the New York Red Bulls to leave RFK Stadium with their unbeaten streak at six games.

D.C. United’s (10-10-2) playoff push has been hampered by injuries and D.C. added another name to the list when top scorer Luciano Emilio left in the first half with an apparent puled groin.
The Red Bulls (8-6-8) are 3-0-3 in the first past six games.

Crew 2 FC Dallas 1
Guillermo Barros Schelotto had two assists, giving him a league-leading 16 on the season, to give Columbus the MLS lead with 40 points.

The Crew (12-6-4) overtook New England, which tied Los Angeles earlier Saturday.
The loss kept FC Dallas (6-8-8) winless in its past three games

Chivas USA 2 Toronto FC 1
Atiba Harris scored deep in extra time to give Chivas USA a 2-1 victory and deny Toronto a rare road point.
Harris scored in the fourth minute of an announced four minutes of stoppage time for Chivas’ first win in eight games. The win moved Chivas (7-9-6) into third place in the Western Conference, while Toronto (7-10-5) fell to 2-9-0 on the road.

San Jose Earthquakes 2 Kansas City Wizards 1
Darren Huckerby scored again to lift San Jose out of last place in the Western Conference for the first time all season.

The the expansion Earthquakes are on a seven-game unbeaten streak (3-0-4) that has pushed them one point ahead of Colorado.

The loss left the Wizards at 6-8-8 and bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Houston 2 Chicago 1
The Houston Dynamo’s two-month surge to the top of the Western Conference has included five wins, five shutouts and one loss in eight matches.

Behind Brian Mullan’s go-ahead goal Sunday evening, Houston(9-5-8) improved to 7-1-3 at home this season as they beat the Chicago Fire (10-7-5) 2-1.

Scoring for Chicago for the first time was U.S. star Brian McBride who was making his first start of the season.

A look at the scores and match reports from this weekend’s games in Major League Soccer.

Columbus 2 FC Dallas 1
Jeff Cunningham became the fourth player in MLS history to reach 100 goals when he scored in his first game for FC Dallas, but midfielders Brian Carroll and Brad Evans netted second-half goals to give the Crew a 2-1 win Saturday night.

Cunningham’s 35th-minute tally was his first for Dallas since being acquired from Toronto FC Aug. 8. It also was his first goal against the team for which he played eight seasons.

With the win Columbus (10-6-4) moved to top of the Eastern Conference while FC Dallas (6-7-7) fell to third place in the west.

D.C. United 1, Chicago Fire 0
Fred scored in the 27th minute off a corner kick from Jaime Moreno, leading D.C. United to a win over Chicago.

Recently signed goalkeeper Louis Crayton stopped two shots for D. C. United (9-9-1), which handed the Fire (9-6-5) their first loss in eight matches. Crayton spent the last 11 years in the Swiss league before signing with United on Friday.

Dynamo 4, Real Salt Lake 3
Brian Ching had a goal and assist to help the Dynamo beat Real Salt and move into first place in the Western Conference.

Nate Jaqua, Ricardo Clark Brian Mullan also scored for Houston, which has won three straight and is unbeaten in six games. The Dynamo ended Real Salt Lake’s four-game unbeaten streak. Kenny Deucher, Yura Movsisyan, Javier Morales scored for Real Salt Lake.

With the win Houston moved to 7-4-8, while Real Salt Lake fell to 7-7-6.

Rapids 2, Wizards 1
Conor Casey scored twice, leading the Colorado Rapids to a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night.

Casey’s unassisted second goal in the 47th minute broke a 1-1 tie. Casey scored in the 11th minute, after his first shot went wide left, to give the Rapids (7-10-3) the early lead. Terry Cooke and Mehdi Ballouchy assisted on the goal.

Michael Harrington evened it up for Kansas City (6-7-7) in the 44th minute on an unassisted goal.

Earthquakes 4, Revolution 0
Ronnie O’Brien had two goals and an assist, and San Jose beat New England for its first winning streak of the season.

Scott Sealy and Ryan Johnson also scored for San Jose (5-9-6), which has won two straight after snapping an eight-match winless skid. Darren Huckerby had two assists to help the Earthquakes defeat New England, which came in with the MLS’ best record.

New England lost its second consecutive game for the first time this year, and lost player of the year Matt Reis, who had played every minute in net for the Revolution since Sept. 3, 2005, forced to the bench by a strained right adductor.

Red Bulls 2 Toronto 0
Mike Magee and Juan Pablo Angel scored goals to lead the New York Red Bulls to a 2-0 win over Toronto FC on Sunday.

Goalie Jon Conway made four saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and the 19th of his career as the Red Bulls (7-6-7) won their second straight match.

Magee got his third goal of the season in the 37th minute after he ran down a long pass from Seth Stammler and beat Toronto FC goalie Greg Sutton from about 10 yards out.

Angel then sealed the win with a goal off a breakaway pass from Dane Richards in the 92nd minute. It was Angel’s seventh goal of the season and his fifth in five games.

Toronto FC (7-9-4) had its best scoring chance in the 24th minute when Conway made a diving one-handed save on Nana Attakora-Gyan’s header off a crossing pass.

A look at the week 19 in Major League soccer where NY Red Bulls upset DC United.

New York 4, DC United 1

Juan Pablo Angel scored two goals to lead the New York Red Bulls to a surprising 4-1 win over D.C. United on Sunday.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic added his first career MLS goal and Mike Magee also scored for the Red Bulls (6-6-7), who snapped a five-game winless streak.

“It was a must-win game because of the circumstances,” Angel said. “I think it was extremely important for us to get a positive result.”

With the loss D.C. United fell to 8-9-1.

Toronto 1, Colorado 0
Greg Sutton made 10 saves and Chad Barrett scored in the 44th minute to give Toronto FC a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. It was the first road win win for Toronto (7-8-4) in 10 tries this season. The Rapids (6-10-3) missed a last chance to score when Herculez Gomez took a shot in the 89th minute, but Sutton was there for the save. Colorado is now 1-5-3 in its last nien matches.

Fire 2, Revolution 1
The New England Revolution retunred to MLS action this weekend and threw away a one gaol lead to lose to Chicago 2-1. New England took the lead 3 minutes into the game when Taylor Twellman headed in a corner kick by Mauricio Castro. But then midfielder Shalrie Joseph was red-carded 15 minutes from time, setting up a dramatiuc last ten minutes where Gonzalo Segares and Wilman Conde both scored Chicago.

With the loss New England fell to 10-5-3 while Chicago improved its record to 7-5-5.

Wizards 3, Chivas USA 2
Claudio Lopez and Davy Arnaud each had a goal and an assist for Kansas City, which broke a three-match winless streak. With the victory Kansas improved its record to 6-6-7 while Chiva’s record fel to 6-8-4.

Sir Alex can talk about winning the double this year but New England Revolution coach Steve Nichol is trying to do him one better by winning the triple. The first leg in the triple was the SuperLiga championship which New England won 3-2 last night in a penalty shoot-out with  the Houston Dynamo.

Houston had beaten the New England Revolution in past two MLS Championship matches so it was not a surprise when Nate Jacqua opened the scoring for the Dynamo in the 18th minute. NE tied the game up might before half-time when Steve Ralston scored.

That is how the teams stood until extra time when Houston regained the lead when reserve forward Kei Kamara headed in a cross from the left side from Brian Ching in the 98th minute. But, in the 102nd minute, New England’s Shalrie Joseph headed in the equalizer for the Revolution, converting an indirect kick from the left side by Steve Ralston.

We headed to penalties where New England player of the year, goalkeeper Matt Reis tipped a shot by Corey Ashe off the crossbar in the eighth round of penalty kicks to give the Revolution the 3-2 victory.

The Revolution who are defending U.S. Open champions meet D.C. United at RFK Stadium in Washington on August 12th. A victory in the nations capital would make the Revolution firm favorites to win their second U.S. Cup of August 26th against Charleston or  Seattle.

The third  leg in the Revolution’s quest for the triple crown is the MLS Cup where New England has suffered heartbreaking loses in the final in the last two years. The Revolution have the best record in Major League soccer at the half-way point of the season and have to be favorites to make their 3rd MLS Cup.

I have criticized Revolution coach Steve Nichol in the past, but he has quietly built a perennial contender in New England with little fanfare or press. He does a fantastic job scouting and young (and cheap)finding players to plug into his system.