Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Revs Offseason Update


First off, congratulations to Toronto FC on the MLS Cup win. Obviously with the USMNT ties through Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore people rooted for them, but I love Sebastian Giovinco. For as much as he absolutely pulls our pants down, he's such a joy to watch and I'm glad he got his title. In my mind he's the current talisman of the league, and a championship only reinforces that. 

Now, on to more pressing matters. First up...


A post shared by Kei Kamara (@2k3) on

Yeah, Kei Kamara got traded to Vancouver. Not a huge shock honestly. His contract was running out and with Brad Friedel now in charge we were bound to see this kind of turnover given the relative lack of production and poor results. Even Kamara was aware of this...


I was very excited when we first got him, thinking that with the talent around him he would be a 15-goal scorer at the least. He was still sneaky our top scorer last season with 12 goals, but it definitely seems like less given the expectations. What I did not take into account was Chris Tierney going through a shocking run of form, in which it was crucial we utilized his fantastic left foot for crosses to Kamara. This obviously did not end up happening.

So we get some draft picks in return to aid in Friedel's search for new talent. It's a bonus that we have two good forwards left on the roster though. Having Juan Agudelo and Krisztian Nemeth means the Kei became expendable without having to then go out and look for a new striker. We seemingly have the solution in house. And so, the Kamara Era in New England ends. I will never forget the time you twerked after a goal and got a yellow card.

Next up: the LAFC Expansion Draft. We once again went through the process of arguing over who should be protected and who should not. Or did we? Brad Friedel's roster moves (including those who had options declined, which I will get to later) left the team thin for this. Since Zach Heriveaux and Scott Caldwell are auto-protected due to their HGP status, the Revs were able to protect a total of 13 players. The total list: 
I think they got it very right. LAFC wasn't going to take Chris Tierney and I wouldn't have been distraught if they took Femi. We protect Our most important players through the spine of the lineup, and by protecting Farrell, Bunbury and Koffie, it would appear a few moves are around the corner. Farrell and Bunbury are out of contracts, so protecting them means they are actively working on new deals with the two. And Koffie's loan spell is up, so while we did not have an option to buy him after it ended it seems like they may be trying to get a permanent transfer done. In the end, no Revs were taken in the Expansion Draft.

Now, those with no contracts or options declined. Like Farrell and Bunbury, Brad Knighton and Daigo Kobayashi are out of contracts. I think Brad is a very good backup, but Friedel might be looking to give a younger guy the #2 role. To be completely honest, I do not know what the situation  with Matt Turner is (the same goes for a few other young guys). But he would be my next choice for a backup from the current roster, and with Friedel we could see him and Cropper really start to develop.

Daigo is one of my favorite players. He's the ultimate closer. Normally when you see him subbed in its because we are protecting a lead, a good thing. The few times he has to come in and get 6-out saves he can pull through with a goal or assist or maintaining possession that leads to a goal.

Those with options declined: Benjamin Angoua, Xavier Kouassi, Donnie Smith, Josh Smith, Je-Vaughn Watson, London Woodberry, and Brian Wright.

I thought Josh Smith and Brian Wright showed flashes of promise and wouldn't hate it if they came back on low-salary deals. The one I'm really upset about is Kouassi. I thought he was going to be our new Jermaine Jones and possibly a future captain. When he was healthy he was a destroyer. But injuries absolutely derailed his career. Hopefully this is just Mike Burns re-doing the contract to free up more money for other signings.

Next up is the SuperDraft, I'll cover that when it actually comes around.

And so, Go Revs.
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Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Revs Reportedly Hire Brad Friedel As Manager


GOAL-The New England Revolution have hired Brad Friedel as their new head coach, multiple sources have confirmed to Goal. 

 The former U.S. national team goalkeeper and long-time English Premier League standout will take over the Revs in what will be his first professional head coaching job. Friedel most recently spent the past two years coaching the U.S. Under-19 national team along with working as a television analyst for FOX.

We have the #WojBomb and the #ShamsBomb in the NBA. I think we need to officially start up the #IvesBomb. Big news from Ives Galarcep, one of the most trusted reporters in US soccer. Former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel will soon be announced as the 7th manager in New England Revolution history.

Friedel had a brilliant career that spanned over 20 years and, aside from a 38 game stint in Columbus, entirely abroad. His 544 professional matches saw him suit up for the likes of Turkish giants Galatasaray and England's Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played in 82 matches for the United States.

Former Rev and current ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman first broke the news that Friedel was at the top of the Revs wish list.


The news has proven to be polarizing early on. Some fans wanted a more proven choice with more managerial experience, while others argue that bringing Friedel in is just as risky as hiring a European manager like former Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti (not that the Revs had any chance in the slightest to land him).

Among the names in the running were New York Cosmos manager Gio Savarese, US national team assistant Pat Noonan, San Jose assistant Steve Ralston and US U-18 coach Omid Namazi. Bruce Arena, former LA Galaxy head man and USMNT manager from 1998-2006 and most recently November 2016 (following the firing of Jurgen Klinsmann) until his recent dismissal after the US failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, was the other finalist opposite Friedel.

Following his playing days, Friedel has worked as a broadcaster for FOX Sports while coaching the US U-19's not he side. Friedel has been at the helm of the U-19s since their inception in January 2016. Under the former US international, the Baby Nats hold an 8-8 record, though they have not played a match since a 2-1 win over El Salvador in early February 2017.

It may be fair to say he could be a bit rusty when it comes to being a head coach as a result. And the entire situation makes it fair to question the hire. You have a raw coach now with a team that got the previous manager in Jay Heaps, a Revolution legend, fired in September. This is not a rebuilding team in the slightest. I would be far more confident in the move if the Revs were starting from scratch and Freidel were really able to set his team up the way he wanted. But you currently have a squad full of MLS veterans, and good ones at that despite their underachieving nature we have seen the past few seasons.


So instead we get Friedel being thrown to the wolves and being expected to figure out how to get the likes of Lee Nguyen, Kei Kamara, Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez, Juan Agudelo, etc. to click. One thing I will say is that he inherits an interesting defensive situation. The back line has been a mish-mosh of personnel. Cody Cropper will be the likely #1 choice at goalie again next season, so hopefully Friedel can help the youngster take his game to the next level, while also helping the likes of Andrew Farrell, Antonio Delamea, Claude Dielna, Benjamin Angoua (if he comes back) and Chris Tierney gel into a better defensive unit.

Adding to the Revs problems, in my eyes, is the problem with the personalities in the dressing room. You have a lot of egos to manage, which is why Savarese was a hot choice among fans given his experience in that type of setting. We saw Tierney wear the captains armband a few times late in the season despite Nguyen actually being the captain. Hopefully Friedel can nail down the egos and get a strong identity starting with a captain who will wear the armband whenever he is on the field.

All in all, its not really a great situation for Friedel to come into as his first true professional managing gig.

Friedel is friendly with Revs GM Michael Burns as well, so there is some familiarity in that regard.
On Burns, prominent soccer agent Ron Waxman had choice words regarding the man and the hiring of Friedel.




The tidbit on other teams or agents not wanting to deal with the Revs (read: Burns) is the most  troubling thing in that thread. This would make Brad's job that much harder in trying to shape the roster to his liking. There was an unconfirmed report on Reddit that former Rev defender AJ Soares refused to come back to the team  few years ago as long as Burns was still involved, and these Tweets from Waxman only add to the legitimacy of the rumor.


It's an interesting time to be a Revs fan. We have a new, inexperienced manager who will try top deal with a roster in a weird place and a GM who apparently has no fans around the rest of the US Soccer community. Can Friedel set up a style of play suited for today's MLS? Can avoid the mistake of Jay Heaps and adapt fast enough to keep New England competitive and keep himself employed? What will this fresh mind do with this Revs roster?

The last two points on Friedel, one for and one against:

Against-He played for Tottenham and I, as an Arsenal fan, cannot root for him on principle.

For-He looks like Red Skull from Captain America.

Bonus Point-Hopefully he can add the Boston Accent to his already weird voice. 


It's not quite English and not quite American and almost sounds a bit Dutch. His accent doesn't have home. We will give your voice a home in Boston, Brad. Drop your R's and come home. 

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Monday, September 18, 2017

Jay Heaps Is OUT As Revs Manager #SackSzn



GOAL-The New England Revolution have parted ways with head coach Jay Heaps, sources confirmed to Goal on Monday night.

 If you haven't noticed, I haven't posted about the Revs since their 3-0 loss to Philly on July 2nd. The title of that blog was "It's Becoming A Chore To Watch The Revs". And I meant that because, like my chores, I stopped doing it. After that game I rarely watched the Revs. I kept up with results and transactions (Dielna and Nemeth, that KC bonehead getting sent off for an elbow against his old team). But they made me stop caring enough to actually follow and watch closely, and write about it. I was tired of it, fed all the way up with that club.

But now, maybe a breath of life? It probably should have happened earlier, but Jay Heaps is reportedly out as manager of New England Revolution. Ives Galarcep is the man reporting this, and he's considered very reliable in the soccer world. CSNNE, the longtime broadcaster of the team, is also reporting this now.

I'm a big Jay Heaps guy. He served the club loyally as a top player from 2001 to 2009, and was brought in as manager in 2011. He had exciting tactics that ended up turning the team around and getting them to the brink of an MLS Cup in 2014 before losing narrowly to LA Galaxy in the Final. But then something happened. It felt like the rest of the league caught on to Heaps and left him in the dust. His tactics no longer producing results, he was lost. Big name attackers like Kei Kamara, Krisztin Nemeth and Juan Agudelo (people forget he played with the Revs in 2013 and then came back in 2015) were brought in, but the goals seemed to never follow. Heaps and the front office finally tried bringing in defenders to fill the cracks. Antonio Delamea seems like he could be the real deal, but the jury (in my opinion) is still out on Benjamin Angoua and Claude Dielna. Its all too little, too late.

Aside from falling behind tactically, it feels like Heaps lost the dressing room. The players became too complacent and too comfortable with him. When you look at managers and coaches who hold long tenures, the Arsene Wengers, the Sir Alex Fergusons, hell, the Bill Belichicks, what do they have in common? They are ruthless (well, Wenger was once that, different topic for a different time). Players were on their toes constantly. The successes of the past did not factor into the future in any way but one: excellence was still expected. Those guys kept players hungry, and probably scared.

Like I said before, huge Jay Heaps guy. I loved the fire and the passion he brought. I think he really did put all he had into this job, he didn't pussyfoot around. He just wasn't able to adapt, both to changing league tactics and to a locker room environment that didn't want to win for him.

I'll always love Jay Heaps for what he did as a player and for the success he brought in the early years of his tenure at the helm. To quote a #WengerOut banner, "Thanks for the memories but its time to say goodbye".

As far as replacements, it's a good bet assistant Tom Soehn will be interim manager. The early rumor/hope on Reddit is for Giovanni Savarese, a Venezuelan who played for New England in 1999, appearing in 27 matches and scoring 10 goals. Savarese has been head coach of New York Cosmos since 2013.

As Reddit user AdamInJP wrote about Savarese: "The Cosmos are the Island of Misfit Toys. MLS cast offs, international imports that didn't like the structure of the real big league, kids in their way up, foreign players who are just a shade below MLS level. Savarese makes that eclectic group of players win. Also of note, he busted his ass last fall to find landing spots for his players when it looked like the team was going under. He did that after his pay checks ended. Players love him. I want that in a coach."

With the eclectic group we have and the egos in the locker room, it sounds like Savarese might be the right man for the job.  I'll update when coaching changes happen, but I won't be blogging about the games the rest of this season. Hopefully theres enough hope for next season to warrant regular blogs again.

PS-Burns and, unfortunately, Kraft need to be next out. At the very least Mike Burns needs to be ousted form the GM role. He STINKS. Getting an owner completely dedicated to the Revs would be great, but if we can get a GM who, along with a manager and team president in Brian Bilello, can convince Kraft to splash cash on the team in the hopes of creating even more revenue through winning, then I'm OK with Kraft remaining as owner.
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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Boy's Club, Men's League: Quarterfinals


The heavyweight bout we all knew was coming finally happened. Black had beaten us twice prior to this game. The first was a blowout, the second much closer, both going in their favor. Would this be the game that finally saw Maroon pull out a big win against their hated rivals? 

Actually Good
Squad depth. The full roster was there. Subbing out Jake for New Chris, of course. 

Actually Bad
Squad depth. We had 4 guys who do not sub out, and one who in this game barely subbed out. 

Actually Good
Black missing all their big guys, and only having five guys total. 

Actually Bad
They are still DEADLY from 3.

Actually Good
Emmett played the game of his life. He was an x-factor on offense and played good defense. 

Actually Bad
We missed Jake's scoring. Especially since we didn't really heat up that much until the second half.

The end result was a 2-point loss for Maroon, meaning the season is over. This matchup was the best chance we had against them, and they still pulled it out, so hats off to Black. We still don't like them, but whatever. 

In the end, Chris 1 fouling out in crunch time, New Chris not being near the scorer Jake was, and not playing Emmett on their best shooter all game hurt us a lot. Even two missed threes as a result of Emmett's defense in the first half would have been game-changing. We didn't get some bounces either, which sucks. It just wasn't our year. 

Who knows what incarnation Maroon will have next year. Who will be back? Who will be off to other ventures? For now, all we can do is look back on the past few months and wonder about what-ifs. And remember to always #BelieveInMaroon 
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Saturday, July 29, 2017

Boy's Club, Men's League: Playoffs Round 1


I haven't played in 3 weeks. Since my last game, I had to miss one due to an overnight at camp and then we had a bye before the playoffs started. Our final record stood at 5-3, which is not indicative of our actual talent and ability. We lost the first game without our full team, and lost twice to a team who might be the best in the entire league. Other teams did not have as tough a schedule as Maroon did, but you can only play who's on the schedule and thats what we did. The result of our first playoff game? A 112-72 win. 

Actually Good
Our win was actually a forfeit win, since the other team did not have enough players to play a playoff game. So there was no stress when we actually took the floor to have a little scrimmage. 

Actually Bad
It would have been nice to get some real playoff action in against a weak opponent considering it's gonna get real tough going forward. 

Actually Good
Evantz is back. After tearing his ACL nearly one year ago exactly, Evantz was back on the court for his first bit of real action. There's only so much that shooting against 10 year olds can do, so getting some real basketball against actual opponents in a stress-free game is exactly what he needed to knock some rust off. 

Actually Bad
Chris 1 apparently has a broken elbow or something? What is actually going on is pretty murky, I have no idea if thats true or not. If so, it would be a massive blow to our chances. He's great on defense and can contribute offensively. 

Actually Good
Our depth for next week. We have Jake for one game only and it is next week against Black, who has beaten us twice. Now that Evantz is back and we have another kid named Chris who is in the 6'5"-6'6" range, our best lineup with a full squad against black is likely: Jordan/Jake/Chris 1/Chris 3/One of Emmett, Evantz, Chris 2 or me. That should be able to get the job done against a very good team. 

Actually Bad
We are still playing Black and might still not have a defensive answer for them. New Chris (Chris 3) is tall, yes, but Black has someone just as tall and a lot more built and beefy, so we could still get punished down low. and then if we switch to zone to negate him, they can bombard us from deep. Need to figure something out. 

Actually Good
I made a 3 pointer. 

Actually Bad
I only took two shots in a scrimmage.

Actually Good
I had a p good stat line imo. 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks. Didn't even play that much either. 

And so, Maroon rolls on. Next week is like a championship matchup happening in the quarter-finals. We will likely not be playing a team as good as this one further down the line should we pull out a W. White could give us a run for our money, and so could Blue, but hopefully those two cannibalize each other like us and Black are likely to do. We need Jake to put up a monster game in his final appearance for Maroon. 

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Saturday, July 15, 2017

Boy's Club, Men's League: Week 8

Full disclosure, I was not in attendance for this game. I had an overnight at camp so I had to miss out. Regardless, I was told enough the day after that I can put together an abbreviated recap.

Actually Good

Winning by like 30. 

Actually Bad

Not having Jake. We only have a few games left with him and he likely will not be available for a possible championship. 

Actually Good

Winning by like 30 without needing Jake.

Actually Bad

Not being able to play in this game where I could have possibly put up a decent stat line. 

Actually Good

Winning by like 30 without Jake and against a team who is very bad.

I will be back in action next week. Hopefully my groin heals up by then.
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Saturday, July 8, 2017

Boys Club, Mens League: Week 7

Hard to believe we've been at this for like 9 weeks total now between games, scrimmages and bye-weeks, but we're starting to near the end of the regular season as the playoffs loom large. This week saw a new opponent, the absence of Jake and the return of Chris #2. 

Actually Good
Playing a lesser opponent when we needed a bounce back. Not something we could control, but after dropping a three-game win streak to a team who already blew us out once, we needed a confidence boost. I'm still waiting for the teams we could beat without any of our top players though...

Actually Bad

Help Defense. While it wasn't exactly the most offensively potent opponent we've faced, the defense this week was pretty good. One thing that wasn't good, and in fact actually bad, was the help defense. Aside from one guy who could hit a few threes, their entire game was getting it into the paint through post passing and driving through the middle. We just didn't talk or help on D. That'll kill us when it comes to better teams. 

Actually Good
Rebounding. It might have been a product of our opponent or a product of luck, but the rebounding was much better this game. There were still a few lapses where they got easy offensive boards and putbacks. But it at least shows potential is there to not lose 85% of rebounds per game. 

Actually Bad

Chris #2 does not have his scoring touch back. He had a good first few weeks, but has been off since then. He still can get his buckets, but nowhere near the volume he's capable of. If he gets back on track and hits a stride alongside Jake and Jordan, we will be deadly. 

Actually Good
Scoring inside the three-point line. We normally jack up a bunch of threes, mainly from Jake, that will go in. We still had a fair share of three's from both Chris's, Jordan, Brian and Jacob, but less than normal, and we ht a good amount of them. But a lot more of the scoring came from midrange jumpers, attacking the basket and especially free throws. We got to the line a ton, definitely more than previous weeks, and shot a very good clip from the line. 

Actually Bad 

Relative lack of scoring without Jake. We still put up good numbers, but not the 90 to 100 point outbursts of recent weeks. It's no secret Jake's our best pure scorer. Jordan has better handles and can absolutely score at will, but is more rounded than Jake. Jake is the guy who will drop 50 points with no assists, Jordan is the guy who can drop 50, but would rather go for 20 points and 20 assists, which is awesome but when he's the top scoring option we'd rather he go for the 50 than the double-double. 

Bonus Actually Bad

My groin. Like two weeks ago my right groin got super tight and despite stretching I would just aggravate it anytime I did anything more than walk. It got worse when I played kickball at camp and thought I damn near tore it off the bone. Well flash forward like a week and it still wasn't better, but I still decided to try and play. I played a fair amount to, but my God was I hurting after. Think I have a break this week since I won't be at our game, so that hopefully helps the healing process. 

Back on track with a good double digit win (writing two days after the games is not conducive to remembering the scores exactly). 4-3 on the season with playoffs coming. 
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Sunday, July 2, 2017

It's Becoming A Chore To Watch The Revs


A few days after a nice Open Cup win, the Revs were back in MLS action, visiting Philly and the Union. I guess I've been in a bit of denial this season, but the Eastern Conference standing that FS1 showed before the game woke me up. The Union went into the game in 10th place. The Revs, 9th. Actually bad! Classic Revs to have so much potential and completely piss down their legs (so far).

Looking at the Revs lineup, it was, well, a lineup...
A real interesting backline with Donnie Smith and Joshua Smith getting starts with Anguoa and Farrell, while Delamea and Tierney starting on the bench. Koffie somehow back from international duty with Ghana, even though he didn't play last night against the USA. Watson and Bunbury also get rare starts. The Revs were a bit depleted, with Kelyn Rowe and Juan Agudelo on international duty with the US, and Diego and Daigo out.

Right from the jump...


CJ Sapong puts it home from the spot.


THIS TEAM MAKES ME DRINK.

Philly almost made it two in the 9th minute, thankfully Cody Cropper made a great save to rush out and slide tackle the ball out of harms way.

Kei Kamara had a decent chance from a Bunbury strip-and-pass, but couldn't finish. Credit to Philly keeper Andre Blake for his positioning and quick close down time, but Kamara just cannot finish for shit.

CJ Sapong has always played well against us and nearly made it two (again), but Cropper came up with a another huge stop (again).

SCISSOR KICK!!!

There was minimal contact from Kei to Onyewu, but that absolutely could have been horrible.   Onyewu is super lucky he didn't get a cleat to the face.

Opening minutes of the second half annnnnnnndddddd.....


What a finish. This team still makes me drink.

Not that it would have even mattered but Philly had another good break that Andrew Farrell was able to track down and beautifully slide tackle out of bounds.

One thing that has been slightly annoying is the FS1 announcers saying Koffie like Coffee instead of Koh-fee.

Nail in the coffin...



This is where I will say Cuncel da Saeson without formally Cunceling da Saeson.

As much as I love Juan and especially Kelyn getting the call-up and Kelyn getting his first cap with the USMNT, we NEED them in order to be successful. It's so apparent they influence our play just as much as Lee or Diego. Kei Kamara is no longer a focal point of an MLS team. So without Diego or Kelyn or Juan, Philly was able to focus solely on Lee and snuff out his creativity.

I also think I have one foot on the Heaps Out Train. He needs to light a fire under this team, and needs to do it by Wednesday, or else his job and this season will be sunk before July ends.

Basically it's exactly as the title describes, this team has become a chore to watch when you haven't been tailgating for hours beforehand. They can't finish, continue to have defensive lapses, especially when Toni isn't in, and have the most frustrating potential ever. It's torturous. WE HAVE ZERO (0) ROAD WINS THIS SEASON. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???

Man of the Match
Nah. Andrew Farrell was a bright spot of sorts with a few really good tackles, but no way am I giving this award out.

Next up: Red Bull at home on July 5. Whatever.

REVS 0-3 PHILLY
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Saturday, July 1, 2017

Boy's Club, Men's League: Week 6

As life is for most people, you win some and you lose some. The same holds true for Maroon in the JCC Newton Men's Basketball League. Now, this was the first game after the start of camp for 4 (soon to be 5) of our players, so not to make excuses but we were a little tired. I was playing basically on one leg since I'm pretty sure I tore my groin completely off the bone playing kickball earlier in the day. But like I said, I don't make excuses. Going up against Black, who murked us in Game 2 before we ran off 3 unbeaten, we wanted to win more than ever before given the trash talking nature of their players (mainly one old guy in reality). 

ACTUALLY GOOD

We had enough people there to play since the four of us who had camp earlier in the day did not sleep through the game. Big time moral W. 

ACTUALLY BAD

Rebounding. 6 games in and we haven't exactly figured out rebounding yet. 

ACTUALLY GOOD

Jake was back and showing no ill effects of his collision last week. His stitches didn't rip either. Major Moral W.

ACTUALLY BAD

Defense. Turns out when you play a team that isn't totally one-dimensional, you will have a fair number of defensive lapses and moments where you really don;t know what to do to stop the other team from putting the ball in the net. 

ACTUALLY GOOD

Consistent scoring. Since getting blown out by this team 4 games ago, we've put up at least 90 points in every game, including this one. 

ACTUALLY BAD

Finding out Jake is leaving August 7 and will not be available for the playoffs. That's our leading scoring and probably put best player out. But...

ACTUALLY GOOD

Finding out we could have some MAJOR ringers reinforcements coming for the playoff run. Don't wanna get my hopes up yet, but rest assured if we pull it off we may not win by less than 25, let alone lose, ever again. 

We got murked again by Black, bringing our record back to .500 and halting our 3-game win streak. Next one will be a major bounce back, I can feel it. 
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Friday, June 23, 2017

Boy's Club, Men's League: Week 5

A week after rising to .500 on the season, there were a few questions to be answered. Could Maroon make it three wins in a row? Would there even be enough players to compete on the basketball court? Would anyone even be paying attention to the game with the NBA Draft happening at the same time? 

Down a few bodies and with 7 total players there, Maroon was lacking in numbers but not in talent and grit. Jordan and Jake were there, which is really all we need in terms of scoring. Emmett was there and then left at halftime to go to New York(??), dropping the number to 6. And we brought in a ringer in the form of Jordan's other friend who can also dunk. At this point I'm positive we have the most dunkers in the entire league, maybe more than the other teams combined. 

Anyway, this will be quick since we really controlled the game right from the get go. 

Actually Good

Jake. He is a good player at roundball. Can get buckets form literally anywhere on the court. 

Actually Bad

Our attention span. Constant checking in with the sideline for draft updates. Not great but thankfully this is the only time it will happen. 

Actually Good

Jordan. He's capable of taking over the game at any moment and had no less than 6 steals that he turned into easy layups. It helped that the other team telegraphed their passes like they were modern-day Samuel Morse, of Morse Code fame. 

Actually Bad

Jake. For getting hurt. Collided with another player and got a deep gash on his eyebrow that'll need stitches. Not only that but he's likely concussed, not great news since we're playing them team who blew us out in Week 2. 

Actually Good

Role players stepping up. With the depleted lineup, Chris A., Tyler and myself put in longer shifts than usual and contributed nicely, especially Chris who had a few important buckets.

Actually Bad 

The awkwardness of staring at the floor as the other team (all black guys) accused the two old white refs of being racists and stopping the game for a few minutes to do so. 

Double digit win means Maroon goes above .500 for the first time and are now riding high on a 3-game win streak. Next game is the first of Camp Season, meaning four (soon to be five) of us will be very tired heading into the game. Not ideal, but we will fight through it, that's a promise folks. 

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The Revs Have Problems Scoring Soccer Goals


I knew coming in this would be a tougher test than the win in Fortress Foxboro, and boy was I correct. Add in the fact Toronto had Jozy Altidore back while we went with a weaker lineup with the Open Cup in the middle of next week and a league match the following Sunday (and then another game in the middle of the NEXT week).

London Woodberry got the start at right back with Andrew Farrell moving over to left back, Je-Vaughn Watson was next to Gershon Koffie in the midfield, while Juan Agudelo got his first start up top since May 6 with Kei Kamara starting on the bench.

Toronto got on the board first through Drew Moor...
Watson... What in the blue hell are you doing? Really, what was that? You're embarrassing us out there man!

Since I was mean but correct there I will now say a nice thing. One thing I did like was then looking for Delamea on corners. When my strongest Slovenian son is on a hot streak, you ride it.

As has been the case with his team for a few games now, they started slow and picked it up as the first half went on. This is, in fact, not the best strategy. I know, I am also shocked at this revelation. The Revs had a few chances as the first half began to wane, but the final touch wasn't there.

They came out a lot better in the second half, though still down a goal. So what did Jay Heaps do? Get that BUM Je-Vaughn Watson out and put Kei Kamara in. The Juan/Kei/Lee trifecta was looking good for a bit before Juan was injured, so I'm hopeful they can pick up where they left off and, assuming none of them get injured, carry the Revs through the rest of the season. But back to the game.

Lee Nguyen made a fantastic goal-line clearance on a Sebastian Giovinco free kick that was surely going to go in had Nguyen's head not bounced it off the crossbar.

A sidenote, I am continually amazed at Diego's ball control. It's quite literally glued to his feet.

As much as I lambast London Woodberry, often deserved, he had a very nice play in shutting down Giovinco on a break and holding him up until Anguoa arrived to help. Not talking about any old ball player, we're talking about Giovinco here.

Now I could go into detail about every chance the Revs had in the second half to equalize, but it's easier to just say that Juan/Kei/Lee/Kei/Teal was INCHES away. For most good teams, the outlier game is when these chances don't break their way. In the case of the Revs, it's an outlier game WHEN they go our way. I am very close to declaring Kei Kamara a BUM, because when London puts in a good cross and you have a wide open chance, you NEED to put it away, especially with his salary and pedigree. This goddamn team...

To make matters worse, my strongest Slovenian son Antonio Delamea collided with Koffie and ended up having to be stretchered off. He's obviously though as nails so I am hoping it's nothing too serious,  maybe just a busted nose that a mask could cover. Avoiding a concussion or broken bones around the face is paramount.

And as the icing on the cake, we got vintage Giovinco at the end of stoppage time...

Oops, wrong clip...

Goddamnit......

Man of the Match 
No one. Look, you could maybe make a case for a few guys, but for me, no one really stood out enough and we didn't take any points. Just thought it was a poor overall performance.

Our finishing needs so much work. We need a left back prospect up with the first team. If we trot out Andrew Farrell or Kelyn Rowe out of position to play there out of necessity one more time my head will explode. We didn't address AJ Soares leaving for 3 years, I'd like to address Tierney's replacement now so it can be a seamless transition, even though seamless is for sure not what this team does.

Next game is the Open Cup on Wednesday hosting DC United at Harvard with a 730 pm kick off. Definitely expecting another B-squad type of lineup in that one, so buckle in for that rollercoaster.

REVS 0-2 TORONTO

 #SORREY
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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Creating a Basketball Team Made Entirely of Rappers


Writing the Quavo blog got me to thinking, what's the best starting five you can put together made up entirely of rappers? Now, we've seen some in NBA Celebrity games, charity games and on social media. Some played when they were younger. So there's a good amount of tape to put a squad together.

PG: Quavo

Quavo apparently doesn't have an agreed upon height, I've seen 5'10 and I've seen 6'1". Both are good for a point guard. As you can see in the video above, he seems to have good court vision and passing prowess, perfect for this team. He has a bit of an unorthodox shooting motion but it works for him. He's also a lefty, which may not matter but it's an intangible I like. 

SG: RiFF RAFF

RiFF is 6'2", which isn't bad given he's, you know, not an actual NBA player (though he's said more than once he thinks he could have gone pro if he put his effort into that instead of music). As you can see from the video, he's got a sweet shooting stroke and can lock in from deep. He's got a bit of range on that jumper to. I view him as almost a Kyle Korver type. Don't expect him to drive the lane too much, but he'll pull the trigger from beyond the arc, whether off the dribble or getting a pass from Quavo. RiFF RAFF is the 3-point specialist of the team.

SF: Lil' Dicky

Dicky is only 5'11", but the man has game for days. I think he's a good choice for a small forward, mainly because he can drive. While RiFF is a pure shooter, Dicky has the extra facets to his game. He has handles, can drive and has a soft touch when finishing around the rim. Add in the fact he's wet from anywhere on the floor, and opponents will have to respect that range which opens up the lane a bit, and you have a very good fit for this team. Dicky slashing with Quavo feeding him will be amazing.

PF: The Game

I LOVE The Game's game. I view him as a sort of Draymond Lite. He's 6'4" but has muscles on top of muscles and you know he isn't afraid to bang down low and fight for rebounds. I think that when it really comes down to it, he'd be a pretty gritty player. Based on the video above, you can tell he likes playing close to the basket, but he does have some three point range, which is good for this team since it'll be a bit of a Brad Stevens, 5-out offense. Whereas Quavo is more relaxed, and Dicky and RiFF are more humorous, Game brings the toughness and tenacity to the squad. 

C: 2 Chainz

Standing 6'5" and lanky as all hell, 2 Chainz will start at center for this team. He clearly fears no one considering he posted up KG in the first video. Also, he's maybe the tallest rapper I know of, which helps his case immensely. He played so well in high school that he got a scholarship but left after one year to do the whole music thing. As I have previously stated, we are running an offense that requires spacing, and I think Tity Boi brings that to the table. 

6th Man: Chris Brown
Chris Brown has maybe more footage and highlight reels than some actual NBA and college prospects. The dude LOVES playing ball. He's 6'1", meaning that not his team he can fill in at either guard, and probably small forward as well. So why is he on the bench instead of starting? Well, you'll be shocked to hear that I think Breezy isn't exactly a team player. I think Quavo is a better fit as a starter since he's more a traditional point guard and likes to actually dish the rock. Brown is easily the first guy I bring off the bench if we need a scoring burst though. He's almost like a Lou Williams but in a Jamal Crawford role. He's gonna get buckets, but will do better when he starts on the bench. 

Rest of the Bench: Snoop Dogg, Cam'Ron, J.Cole
Snoop Dogg is our grizzled veteran who brings the experience to the locker room. A guy who can take the younger guys like Quavo under his wing. Think of him a something of a PJ Brown on the 2008 Celtics. He can still give meaningful minutes if needed and won't be a huge cap hit, plus he brings some more length to the team at 6'4" and lanky, which is desperately needed since we are a short squad.
In his prime, Cam was arguably the best out of the entire team. He claims he was ranked in the top 25 players for his high school class (the validity of this claim is disputed). If you have time, I suggest reading this SLAM article on his basketball playing days. Fascinating stuff. Like Snoop, he'd be an older guy on the squad.


J. Cole has seemingly built an entire music persona out of the basketball narrative. Much like Michael Jordan, Cole was also cut from his high school team, but did play two years of varsity ball. He was also a contender to walk on to the team at St. John's but was cut. This article gives a good look into his basketball career. Then there's his dunk in the NBA Celebrity Game:

I think he'd be one of those guys that may not be the most talented, but still good enough, and a guy who just brings all the heart, hustle and desire in the world. He's also 6'3", which makes him a candidate to play as either a bigger small forward or a smaller power forward. 










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Is Quavo The Best Talent Of Our Generation? An Investigation


Quavious Marshall, better known as Quavo and one third of the hip-hop trio Migos, is a man of many hats. The 26-year-old is obviously a breakout star in the rap game. 


Now, you could say it isn't great that he likes to sneak off and do features without Offset and Takeoff, but that's not what we're talking about here. Frankly, I only brought that up because it's maybe my favorite thing ever on Twitter.





He's the iconic voice when it comes to Dabbing



And even made rapping about ranch flavored snacks hot fire


He's obviously a fashion trendsetter

But perhaps the best thing about Quavo is he is an athlete. Like for real, he's actually a good athlete





This article from Bleacher Report gives a good look at Quavo the high school quarterback.

And then this brief mention in the Augusta Chronicle: "...quarterback Quavious Marshall threw for 280 yards, 188 in the second half, including two TD passes."

The man can do it all. Music? Check. Fashion? Check. Trendsetter? Dab. Athlete? Check.

With all this information, I am inclined to say that yes, Quavious Quavo Marshall is, in fact, the most talented person of the generation.



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Saturday, June 17, 2017

Antonio Delamea Is Actually Good

After a convincing 3-0 win over Rochester Rhinos midweek in the US Open Cup, the Revs were back at Gillette in MLS action and taking on Chicago Fire, who came into the matchup sitting in 2nd place with 28 points, just one back of Toronto.

Chicago has been a team who, prior to this outburst in 2017, have always been towards the bottom of the league in recent years. A team others would see coming up on the schedule and be confident about a good result. Now to some extent that sentiment remains solely for the fact that they are, indeed, Chicago Fire and sometimes stigmas are hard to shake, kind of like the Revs choking in big games. So while they are a team that should undoubtedly be taken seriously, in the back the minds of the rest of the league and fans, in places you don't talk about at parties (mainly because if you talk about MLS at parties you'll look like a nerd and no one will want to be around you, this is from personal experience), you assume that Chicago will still bungle this.

The lineup remained what has become the de facto and preferred starting XI.
You can make the case that Kouassi instead of Koffie in the midfield and maybe Agudelo for Kei or Caldwell would make the actual preferred XI, but for right now, this is the best XI we can put out there.

On the Revs side, the first half was marked by good buildup followed by dud after dud int he final third. That last pass just was not there. One of those games where everything looks good right up until its time to finish, much like a date or a final exam.

On the Fire side, all the talk coming in was about German international legend, Bastian Schweinsteger, and with good reason. The former Bayern Munich man has been a stud in the midfield in his inaugural season stateside. He's looking like one of the highly touted singings that DON'T flop (see: Villa, David for one example).

But the man the Revs really needed to worry about was Nemanja Nikolic.


The Serbian-born, Hungarian international has been white-hot this season, bagging 12 goals heading into this match in his rookie season after transferring from Legia Warsaw in the Polish first division. Sometimes as a striker you need a bit of luck, and not hat goal Nikolic had all the luck in the world. Not to take away from his ability, because he has that in spades, but luck can be just as important.

Juan Agudelo came on for Caldwell to start the second half, and despite some more good looks with he extra attacking presence, it took away from the defense.


Anguoa basically gets forced to play the ball in the air and that leaves Solignac open for a close range strike.A defensive breakdown that suddenly changes the entire complexion of the game.

And you know what? We didn't see the Revs fold like a wet paper bag. Antonio Delamea put home what can only be described as a gritty goal.

Agudelo keeping it alive and Delamea clangin' and bangin' to get a head on it.

Teal Bunbury and Lee Nguyen both missed golden opportunities late in the game. And then in the 89th minute, off of a corner there were three shots and three blocks. Possible handball, but great defending overall from Chicago at the end, and on a set piece to. And the final chance from the Revs, at the death, after a phenomenal touch from Lee Nguyen, Gershon Koffie just puts one over the crossbar.

And that was it. Chicago takes all the points and ends the Revs 11-game unbeaten streak at home, dating back to August 2016.

I was again highly impressed by the play of Diego Fagundez. You can tell he has so much confidence in his game right now, and despite not being a 20-goal scorer right now, he's such a dangerous threat with or without the ball.

I was also impressed by Delamea once again. I love this guy. Tough as nails. It's been a big Delamea week. He got a call up with the Slovenian national team and played all 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Malta, apparently learned how to play goalie...

...had a fantastic quote:

And has now bagged his first MLS goal. All while being the best defender on the team. I was also going to comment on how it may be problematic that the goalie and two central defenders do not share a first language, but I had forgotten how good Delamea's English is. Like it's really good for someone who just moved to the United States. The MLS website even went as far as to say he's proficient in English, which is great when it comes to his communication with Cody Cropper. Benjamin Anguoa on the other hand knows little English and speaks French as a first language. Delamea knows a little French apparently, but building silent chemistry between the three will be the quickest way to bypass the language barrier back there.

Man of the Match
I don't know what to put for Toni's music so here is some Slovenian rap.

Another good game from Toni. As much as Diego did tonight, the goal really helps push Toni over the edge. Especially at the end of the match, the guy was all over the place. He'd be back on defense and race up to play offense, was flying around on corner kicks and the last free kick. He's a special one. He could have done better on the opening goal, but to be honest I also thought that ball would not bound directly back to Nikolic with an open net.

Next up is a rare Friday match as the Revs head to the 6 (remember when Drake tried to make that a thing?) to take on Toronto FC. Toronto will be back to full strength, so it'll be a much tougher test than the last time these two played. 

Revs 1, Fire 2
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Friday, June 16, 2017

Boy's Club, Men's League: Week 4

A week removed from a nail-biting, high-scoring victory to move to 1-2 on the season, Maroon was back at it looking to make it two straight and improve to .500 on the season. It was a full squad for the first time ever in its current incarnation, as Chris was back and in the starting lineup, while "Lonzo" Brian (he has maybe a weirder jump shot than even the real Lonzo Ball) also made his return and started on the bench. 

I'm going to test out a new system for these wrap ups, bear with me on this.

Actually Good

We felt we had good momentum coming into this game after a really nice win last week. Sometimes the mental game is just as important as the physical one, and we had the edge not he mental aspect from the second we got to the gym.

Actually Bad

Chris had just come from work, so he didn't have his won athletic shorts, nor any of his favorite shoes. He had these LeBron's he said were free and just in his car. You could instantly tell how uncomfortable he really was in these kicks. He was having trouble getting up for dunks and was missing a few, in game and during warmups, he would normally flush like a brand new toilet after Thanksgiving. 

Actually Good

New Guy Jake performed really well last week, and as the newest full-time member of the squad, he outperformed that this time around. I don't know the exact numbers, but I'm willing to bet he went 10-11 from 3, including pulling up from damn near half court and SINKING one in the first half. A few breakaway dunks to, just for good measure. I think he had over half our points, probably like 52? He was, in fact, actually good and not bad. 

Actually Bad

Our defensive communication is not there at all. We need to really work on that moving forward. Too many times this season lack of talk on the floor has led to easy buckets for the opponent. That and the lack of rebounding.

Actually Good

We were playing a team with one ringer who was their best player, and not even he played that well.

Actually Bad

To go off the last Actually Bad, our offense is basically try to run and gun on the fast break, and when we can't the ball goes to one of Chris, Jake or Jordan (or Emmett when he's on the floor) and they play 1 v. 5, basically. Some semblance of ball movement would be good to get them easier shots. There was actually a really good sequence where Jake had the ball and no dribble near the corner, I cut towards him and get the ball, he moves into a corner 3 spot and I shovel pass it to him and then set a screen on his man so he can pull up right away and drill it. Stuff like that, simple passing and building chemistry on the floor, will put us over the edge. 

Actually Good

Jordan continues to be the best and most consistent player on the team. He's a guaranteed 20 to 25 points minimum every time. While Jake can certainly go off, he might not be dropping 50 points weekly. With Jordan, you have an EXTREMELY high floor to compliment the high ceilings of Chris and Jake. 

A 92-69 (nice) win to go to 2-2. We have 2 players (Jake and Jordan) I would call World Class, one in Chris I would put just below them, and then another in Emmett I would say is on Chris' level or just below him. In the end, they're all A to A+ players, which is scary. You get those four on the floor together with a rebounder or defender and there are just too many options for the opponent to take away. Focus on Jordan? Jake will rain threes on you. Focus on Jake? Chris will use his strength to drive through the lane, body you, give you a noogie, and dunk on your corpse. Focus on Chris? Emmett will put you in a spin cycle and either find a cutter or finish at the rim. And focus on Emmett? Jordan will look like a left-handed Kyrie and hit a jumper in your face or kiss the glass with maybe the softest touch around the rim I have ever seen live. And we don't even have Evantz back yet, who I know from personal experience can get white hot beyond the arc. 

Next game will also be the first day of camp orientation. Hopefully we won't be too tired form camp days moving ahead, but we'll criss that bridge when we get there. 

DON'T LET MAROON GET HOT!!!!


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