![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nesoccertoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/stolica2.jpg?resize=177%2C300\" "\\"stolica2\\"")
<\/a>Ilija Stolica has been offering encouragement and advice to the Revs' rookies. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA\/aduama.com)<\/p><\/div>\n
With most of the youngsters still trying to earn a contract, the training matches have been extremely competitive. Unsurprisingly those players show clear frustration when they make a mistake and do their best to get involved on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n
That attitude has proven contagious among the veterans as well, making for some spirited contests.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s at it, so that probably does give it an edge,\u201d said Revolution Head Coach Steve Nicol.<\/p>\n
For the coaching staff, that competitiveness has proven that the team has come into camp in shape and ready to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s lively,\u201d said Nicol \u201cEverybody obviously is desperate to play.\u2026 It\u2019s a different game indoors than it is outside, but everybody\u2019s at it. Everyone looks keen and ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just the coaching staff paying attention. The team’s veterans are also keeping a watchful eye on the young players, hoping the new blood can help the Revs return to the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time you have a preseason, there is a fight for spots,\u201d said veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis, who has been with the team since 2003. \u201cObviously, there are quite a few more spots open to be had. It\u2019s not the same old Revolution that you\u2019re used to so we need to really find those guys and get them integrated into the team and move forward. It\u2019s a new beginning and it\u2019s something we all need to be pushing for to make the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
A couple of those guys are rookies Ryan Kinne and Andrew Sousa,\u00a0a pair of players\u00a0who grew up fans of the team and are anxious to impress some of the same veteran players they grew up watching,\u00a0 not to mention\u00a0Nicol.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been fantastic to play with the players,\u201d said Kinne, a two-time First Team NSCAA All-American who played his college soccer for Monmouth University after growing up in Naugatuck, Conn. \u201cA lot of players are new, but just to play under Stevie Nicol is an amazing feeling. He\u2019s one of the all-time greats and a great coach. To come play for him is a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sousa had the opportunity to pair up with Shalrie Joseph, a player he mentioned going into camp he was hoping to learn from.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve talked to [Joseph],\u201d said Sousa, a Fall River, Mass. native and a product of Providence College. \u201cThe first few days we paired up together in the midfield and I was basically playing with him and just learning the way of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
For both, the veterans have been supportive and helped ease the move to the professional level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve made the transition easy,\u201d said Kinne. \u201cEveryone\u2019s been welcoming. They\u2019ve made it very easy for me so all I\u2019ve had to do is go out there and play my game. It\u2019s been a very easy transition thanks to the veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few players in particular have been quick to offer the rookies advice.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Ilja] Stolica before the game [Thursday] gave me a little bit of advice,\u201d said Sousa. \u201cHe said \u2018have fun, do your thing.\u2019 He was basically saying \u2018you\u2019re a good player, just keep it up and you\u2019ll be alright.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For Kinne, fellow New England native and fourth-year midfielder Chris Tierney has been among the most helpful.<\/p>\n
\u201cChris Tierney\u2019s been very good [at giving advice],\u201d said Kinne. \u201cZack Schilwaski\u2019s also been great. Those two have been very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
That advice and encouragement, along with the two players\u2019 already strong confidence in their own abilities, has the pair believing in themselves early on in camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve been playing really well,\u201d said Sousa. \u201cThe first day was a bit hectic for everybody: first time playing with the ball, played 8 v. 8 on a big field, but I think I\u2019m settling in well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kinne echoed the same feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing well,\u201d said Kinne, who has seen most of his time as an outside midfielder in the Revs intra-squad scrimmages. \u201cI need to pick it up a little bit, but I feel like I\u2019ve been playing well.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Nicol wasn\u2019t ready to reveal too much on his assessment of the\u00a0Kinne’s and Sousa’s\u00a0performance, he appeared happy with what he\u2019d seen so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve come in and obviously they\u2019ve been looking after themselves,\u201d said Nicol. \u201cThey look sharp. Again it\u2019s indoors. They\u2019ve looked good indoors. Once we get outside we\u2019ll have a better idea, but certainly both have done real well at what they\u2019ve done so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair is among a group of\u00a0five unsigned\u00a0rookies hoping to earn preseason contracts this winter. That\u2019s led them to assume a different frame of mind than fellow rookies A.J. Soares and Stephen McCarthy, who entered camp with contracts in hand.\u00a0Suffice to say, Kinne and Sousa\u00a0can\u2019t afford to go unnoticed if they\u00a0hope to\u00a0find themselves\u00a0on the First Kick roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d think there definitely has to be a different mentality,\u201d said Kinne. \u201cSome guys are guaranteed, so they should be wanting to get into the starting XI, but they\u2019re not fighting for a spot on the team, they already have one. Definitely fighting for spots is a big deal. If you don\u2019t bring it everyday, the coaches will notice and they could cut you at any second.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a competitive atmosphere here,\u201d said Sousa. \u201cEveryone\u2019s trying to get a spot on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
While that attitude should serve the rookies well, they can take some relief in knowing Nicol has no intention\u00a0of making cuts\u00a0anytime soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not thinking about any of that at the moment,\u201d said Nicol. \u201cBasically, all preseason [they will be with us] I would guess. It\u2019s unfair on them to be chopping someone after two weeks, particularly when we\u2019ve been indoors. It\u2019s not something we\u2019re thinking about. Obviously, we do have to make some decisions, but at the moment we\u2019re just seeing how everybody levels out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outdoors will prove the real test. The team traveled to Orlando Monday and is set to begin their preseason schedule on Friday against the University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely looking forward to getting into warmer weather, getting on some grass, and opening it up a little bit,\u201d said Kinne.<\/p>\n
The schedule gets more challenging on Wednesday, February 23rd<\/sup> as the Revs take on F.C. Dallas. The decision to play other MLS teams this preseason is a bit different from past precedent, but Nicol believes from past experience whether the Revs play MLS teams or those from outside of the league it really doesn\u2019t make a difference, especially now that teams face each other only twice over the season.<\/p>\n Nicol isn’t the only one\u00a0holding that viewpoint, as Reis expressed similar sentiments.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore when [MLS had fewer] teams, you would play these guys three or four times in the regular season,\u201d said Reis. \u201cNow you\u2019re just playing them twice. I think Stevie never really wanted to add more times because you\u2019ll play them in the Open Cup, you\u2019ll play them in other tournaments, so I think he tried to shy away from that [in the past].”<\/p>\n \u201cI think now when you only play them twice it\u2019s not that big of a deal and we just need quality games,\u201d Reis added. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to get that playing a college team or the under-17s. You\u2019re going to get that playing against the MLS teams and international teams.\u201d<\/p>\n While for the veterans, the excitement of playing an MLS team in preseason may not be there, it provides a unique opportunity to the rookies to get their first taste of MLS opposition.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a good chance to get some experience against other MLS teams right away rather than just playing my teammates out here,\u201d said Kinne.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to playing FC Dallas, especially, if I get to play,\u201d said Sousa. \u201c[It would be great] to see the pace of other teams in the MLS.\u201d<\/p>\n With 28 players now in camp with and midfielder Osumane Dabo expected soon, along with two other signings in the works, finding playing time could be hard and those without contracts will need to make the most of what they can get. If anyone fails to impress, Nicol isn\u2019t ready to rule out even more signings before the season starts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will depend on who is available to be honest,\u201d said Nicol. \u201cIf somebody is available that we think is better than what we\u2019ve got, then we\u2019ll bring him in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With several roster spots still up for grabs, Revolution preseason practices are proving to be spirited affairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nesoccertoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/preseasontrainingfeature.jpg?fit=490%2C225","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3224"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3243,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions\/3243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}