10 Things the Revs Need for Christmas
- Updated: December 24, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
By now, most of us have finished our holiday shopping, or are close to it. Some of us, of course, haven’t yet started, and that’s fine too. Better late than never.
With many items on our shopping lists crossed off – or about to be, one way or another – we look at what’s on the Revolution’s Christmas list – or at least should be.
1. A new no. 8. Given that Jermaine Jones doesn’t look like he’s in any hurry take an apparent 80 percent discount to stay with the Revolution, now would probably be a good time to start seeking out his replacement.
2. Some good PR. Nothing creates more headaches for a pro sports team than its superstar chirping about contract negotiations on Twitter. With Jones putting the club in a Scrooge-like light, the Revolution will have to make a shrewd signing or two to appease a fanbase that’s only growing more concerned about the direction of their club going into 2016.
3. Another winger with pace. There’s no denying that the club has talent on the flanks in Diego Fagundez, Teal Bunbury, Kelyn Rowe and even Juan Agudelo, when the occasion calls for it. But if there’s one thing they could sure use more of, it’s speed. Bunbury is the only formidable winger with pace, which only makes the jobs of opposing fullbacks easier.
4. A defender…or five. It’s been over a year since A.J. Soares departed for Europe, and yet, the Revolution are still searching for his replacement. But finding one is only the tip of the iceberg. With Kevin Alston gone, and Jeremy Hall’s future uncertain, the Revolution are going to need to make a number of signings to address their further-depleted defensive corps.
5. A marquee signing. With Jones likely out, it would be foolish to believe that the supporters – a.k.a. the paying customers – will be content with a handful of low-profile winter signings. The Jones signing was a long-overdue development, something that showed the front office was finally willing to make a real splash. Yeah, they’ll need to make another one to appease their fanbase.
6. Another assistant coach. At the moment, the Revolution coaching staff currently consists of Jay Heaps, Tom Soehn and Remi Roy. Why is this important? Well, when Soehn and Roy serve as de facto talent seekers when they’re not helping Heaps prep for gameday. An additional well-connected and respected coach to lure talent to Foxboro can only help the locals in their quest for that elusive MLS title.
7. More media coverage. It’s no secret the Revolution are no. 5 among the top 5 pro clubs in Boston, something that won’t change overnight. While winning helps (see: autumn 2014), the Revolution simply have to help themselves in this department. To do this, see item numbers 2 and 5.
8. Green pants for the red jersey. Don’t get us wrong: the red kit was a nice deviation for the standard white away kit that we’d grown accustomed to over the years. However, there is such thing as too much red. As such, we recommend a contrasting pair of shorts, with green being the color that would combine the best, especially with red boots. Hey, this is a Christmas list after all.
9. A formation that allows Juan Agudelo and Charlie Davies to get on the field together more often. While Heaps doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to tinker with the 4-2-3-1 formation he’s gone with for the better part of the last two seasons, there has to be a way to get Davies and Agudelo as close to goal as possible. We’re not saying it has to be a straight 4-4-2, but rather, something to the effect of a diamond formation employed by Real Salt Lake during the Jason Kreis days.
10. A technical director. Love him or hate him, the fact is that Revolution general manager Michael Burns often has too many things on his plate to focus all of his attention on the first team (see: Youth Academy). To assist him, ownership would be wise to hire a helper in the form a technical director, someone who’s sole focus is the improvement of the first team, and can assist in locating new players.
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