Are The Revs Penny Pinching?

Yes, I don't think it will make a huge difference over time (maybe for one or two games). Not here in New England. (I'm a season ticket holder, so maybe I'm just cynical).

From the early days they've proven they can get 18K to that location with a crappy team.

I think if the quality was better they could draw 20K in foxboro. I'm not talking stars, I mean players that are better than Khano Smith.

Here here! We are in agreement! (He is painful to watch).

Dont forget the farce when Zenga was "manager" I have my doubts about Nicol and Mariners lack of flair and real creative players on there teams, but we should all applaud the professional atmosphere they have brought.

It's totally under the control of the Krafts. They're many $100K under the cap every year. If they wanted to spend more money they could - MLS is not stopping them.

$100K doesn't buy much; however they did earn somewhere around $1 Million as part of the transfer fee when Dempsey went to Fulham and they have not spent that money. Nicol has been quoted as saying they have looked, but not found a player they want to spend the money on.

For such smart business people they dont seem to realise what a huge impact bringing in a marquee player would bring. Im sorry but taylor twellman et al are not going to get more people to attend games.

They are very smart. I believe they have the lowest payroll in MLS and have made the MLS Playoff Finals 4 of the last 6 years. The only other team that has not spent money on a Designated Player is Houston who has won the Championship the last 2 years.

Cancela, Hernandez, Dempsey, Noonan and Dorman are all gone largely because of their current or future salaries. None of those players have been replaced with equivalent quality, or at all.

I don't believe this statement to be true. Although the fans loved Cancela, he was not seeing a lot of playing time before he was put into the expansion draft and picked up by Toronto (and then traded to Colorado where he hasn't played much either). Hernandez was hurt during the 2006 season, and again at the start of the 2007 season. I don't recall him playing at all this past year and he has since been waived. At age almost 32, his career was pretty close to over. They made money on Dempsey's transfer. I think Thompson may be capable of filling the void. Give him time. Noonan was waived, perhaps in anticipation of resigning him at a lower salary. That was a gamble they loss, but keeping him was a gamble too since he's been hurt a lot the past 2 years. Don't know what happened with Dorman falling out of favor, but I never particularly liked him anyway, so no great loss as far as I'm concerned.

Yes agreed its great to win,but you need a team that can generate excitment. This team no matter how hardworking they may be are not putting arses in the seats!

Attendance has been declining, however, it did rise this past year from 11,786 in 2006 to 16,787 in 2007. (An example of the Beckham affect?) That put them only behind LA with 24,252, DC with 20,967, and Toronto with 20,130.

BTW the average MLS attendance for 2007 was 16,770. Here's how that compares with other soccer leagues around the world:

Bundesliga (Germany) 37,644
Premier League (England) 34,459
La Liga (Spain) 28,838
Ligue 1 (France) 21,817
J League 1 (Japan) 19,081
Serie A (Italy) 18,473
Championship League (England) 18,221
Eredivisie (Netherlands) 18,052
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Brazil) 17,461
Primera División (Argentina) 17,363
Scottish Premier League 16,194
Bundesliga 2 (Germany) 15,253
Russian Premier League 13,114
Portuguese Liga 10,636
Allsvenskan (Sweden) 9,423
Serie B (Italy) 8,560
Segunda División (Spain) 7,924
Football League One 7,489
Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (Brazil) 7,219
Ligue 2 (France) 6,813
Super League (Greece) 6,424

Mathis is going to Greece, Noonan to Sweden and Dorman to Scotland where they will make considerably more than then did in the US.

I mean players that are better than Khano Smith.

Here here! We are in agreement! (He is painful to watch).

Khano has speed, size and skill, but IMO he is the perfect example of a player without a soccer brain.

[FSM]

Me ^^^^^

With all due respect to soccer mom who often posts some really interesting stuff. We seem to have caught you in one of your zen moments! I really enjoyed reading the last posts .There was lots of info with regard to MLS and the Revs. The attendence for the revs surprised me. I would like to ask you what direction do you think the Revs are going to go in Do you think they are going to rely on last years rookies to fill the gaps? I like Wells Thompson but Chrissman is like a throw back to the old british centre forward. I can almost see Nicol imagining Emlyn Hughes, Tommy Smith and the boys out there :D I hope the poster offers more of his/her opinions. It is nice to see a thread without sombody having an agenda.

:

Of course they are penny pinching they are just cheap

Kraft is soo cheap and I really do not think he gives a crap about the Revs or soccer in general. If he did care then he would invest in develop New England Youths by adhering to the MLS mandate to help develop young soccer talent like every other team in the MLS.

[FSM]

Here's what Frank Dell'Apa has to say on the subject:

Evolution of Revolution has already kicked off
By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff | February 12, 2008

NORFOLK - Whether by design or miscalculation, the Revolution will have a new-look attack this season. Andy Dorman and Pat Noonan, tied for second on the team in scoring with seven goals, have departed for Europe.

Coach Steve Nicol and assistant Paul Mariner have been scouting for replacements in Central America and Argentina. But it remains unclear why the Revolution were unable to retain Dorman and Noonan, who wanted to remain with the team, according to their agents.

If the players departed as part of a plan, it indicates that the Revolution are seeking different qualities, attacking players with greater durability and stamina and, possibly, more flexibility and speed. Or, the Revolution underestimated the value of Dorman and Noonan, as indicated by the greater salaries the players will receive in Europe.

Dorman's contract had expired, and the Revolution offered him slightly more than double his $30,000 annual salary; instead, Dorman took an offer of more than $350,000 (including signing bonus) with St. Mirren in Scotland.

There were indications that Dorman, 25, had reached a peak midway through last season; he failed to score in an MLS game after July 14, though he did play a key role in the Revolution's victory over FC Dallas in the US Open Cup final and as a reserve in the MLS Cup.

Dorman appeared eager to negotiate a new contract early last year, though as the season progressed, he began exploring European options. Dorman doubtless would have re-signed with the Revolution before last season had he been offered, say, $100,000 annually; opting for the European deal at more than 10 times his MLS salary was a no-brainer.

Noonan, 27, had three years left on a $225,000 annual deal, the Revolution declining to pick up the option, instead offering a new contract at $115,000 annually. Noonan, who signed a three-year deal with Norway's Aalesund FK worth more than $400,000 annually, appears to have recovered from the injuries that stymied him in 2006; last year, he totaled nine goals in 35 games, including US Open Cup matches (he was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament), and he has returned to the national team, training with the US for a month.

If the Revolution had wanted Noonan to stay, they would have renewed his contract, or offered a slight pay cut. By halving Noonan's salary, the Revolution virtually were telling him goodbye, though it is still unclear whether this was simply a failed attempt to keep him at a lower price.

"Every case is unique," said Revolution director of soccer Mike Burns. "It's no secret Andy wanted to go to play in Europe, and we have very little control over that. Like Pat, he was a great professional while he was here.

"In the past three or four years, we have had very, very little turnover and, this year, all of a sudden a few guys aren't here. A lot of questions are being asked, fair enough, but we've retained quite a bit of the nucleus of guys."

Now, the Revolution appear to be scrambling to find an experienced strike partner for Taylor Twellman, who led the team with 16 goals last season. Nicol and Mariner appear to be concentrating on Costa Rica, with LD Alajuelense's Victor Núñez among their top targets. Nicol is also interested in CD Saprissa defender Gabriel Badilla, 23, according to San Jose's Diario Extra. Defender Avery John, a starter in the MLS Cup and with Trinidad & Tobago in the 2006 World Cup, is not likely returning to the Revolution.

The Revolution played 39 games last season (regular season, playoffs, US Open Cup) and will participate in two additional tournaments (CONCACAF Champions League, SuperLiga) this year. The team will begin its preseason schedule with matches against the Bermuda national team Saturday and against a select team next week in Hamilton.

The Revolution still have not used their share of the $4 million transfer fee Clint Dempsey produced by going to Fulham last year. They turned down a $3 million offer for Twellman from Preston North End last month and last year refused a $1 million-plus offer for Shalrie Joseph from Celtic.

[FSM]

Here's another interesting article which explains how the Revs go about finding possible players:

Soccer: An inside look at MLS transactions
By ADAM SMARTSCHAN
STAFF WRITER
February 12, 2008 6:00 AM
It all starts with a phone call.

When a Major League Soccer team is looking to acquire a player from another squad, the first formal step is always for a front-office staffer to reach out and make an inquiry, New England Revolution director of soccer Michael Burns said yesterday in a telephone interview about the nuts and bolts of player movement.

“You don’t talk to the player directly,â€￾ Burns said. “Someone from the Revolution contacts someone in the front office, or the head coach of the team that the player you’re seeking plays for. It’s pretty standard, in the sense that a representative from a team talks to a representative from another team.

“Usually, you ask if that player is available. When it’s yes, you proceed with a couple more questions. Sometimes it’s yes, sometimes it’s no. Then it’s a short conversation.â€￾

Burns, a Revs defender from 1996-2000, wouldn’t get into many specifics about the team’s front office workings. Asked who has the final say in New England player decisions, he went straight to the top.

“Obviously, it goes from the Krafts,â€￾ he said. “They own the team. They have the ultimate say in terms of anything. Sunil (Gulati) is the president of (Kraft Soccer). I would say right there is where it starts.â€￾

Beyond that, Burns said, MLS must sign off on all player movement.

“Ultimately, the league holds all the contracts. The teams don’t,â€￾ Burns said. “The players play for us, but they’re employed by MLS. If a team wants to purchase a player, the league is the one that ultimately signs off on it.â€￾

So, too, in a sense, is the government. While it’s far easier for a foreign soccer player to ply his trade in the U.S. than some places – the United Kingdom, for one – acquiring the required P-1 visa takes some time.

The Revs have first-hand experience with that this year. Gambian youth internationals Sainey Nyassi and Kenny Mansally missed the beginning of preseason conditioning with visa issues. Nyassi joined the team last week, but a team spokesperson said Mansally was still absent yesterday.

“If a team signs a player, you have to apply for the P-1 visa,â€￾ Burns said. “That usually takes 4-6 weeks to obtain. During that time, he can train with the team, but not play.

“It’s more of an issue during the summer – the middle of the season – as opposed to if a team gets a player in January or February. Then there’s more time.â€￾

In intraleague transactions, players are usually informed relatively late in the game – sometimes after a deal is finished. There is “no set mechanismâ€￾ for telling them about dealings, Burns said.

Newly acquired Revs defender Chris Albright said he became reasonably sure the Los Angeles Galaxy was trading him when he was instructed to take a physical. New England captain Steve Ralston said he learned the team had picked up Albright through online reports and a phone call with striker Taylor Twellman.

Players in other leagues have more leverage, and can often scuttle a proposed transaction if the destination is undesirable to them.
Burns said the mood of newly traded (or newly acquired) players varies greatly.

“In some cases, players are desperate to move, and in some cases, players are not keen on a move,â€￾ he said. “That depends on the player, sometimes, in terms of their desire to leave a certain place.â€￾

The media and fans, naturally, are the last to know.

“I think all the teams try to do a good job of keeping it quiet until it happens,â€￾ Burns said. “There’s so many rumors, so many times you think something might happen when it doesn’t.â€￾

Does Burns himself read those rumors?

“I personally don’t,â€￾ he said. “I’m sure some people do. I think you can get too caught up in it. I don’t really spend any time looking at all the rumors. If I did, I wouldn’t get my work done.â€￾

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs. ... S/80211021

[FSM]

Revs' Cristman might get his big break
By ADAM SMARTSCHAN
STAFF WRITER
February 09, 2008 6:00 AM
One’s been there, done that. One’s an up-and-comer.

One’s seen it all. The other just might get his big break.

The New England Revolution’s Jay Heaps and Adam Cristman are about as far apart as can be on the pro sports career curve.

Heaps, who turns 32 on Aug. 2, is a not so grizzled veteran going into his 10th year in Major League Soccer. He won’t be around forever: After signing a reported four-year contract extension in October, he told reporters he was “excited to be able to end (his) career in New England.â€￾

With the Revs drafting a defender early, trading for another and looking to add more, there’s a decent chance Heaps’ successor in the starting lineup is on – or will soon be on – the team.

Cristman, 23, played 1,421 regular-season minutes in an eye-opening rookie campaign last year. With incumbent No. 2 striker Pat Noonan’s free transfer to Norway last month, the 6-foot youngster became the favorite in camp to team with Taylor Twellman up top.

This weekend, we’ll give you a look at what the sophomore and the vet are thinking at the dawn of one career and the late afternoon of another. Saturday is Cristman. Sunday is Heaps.


–––––

NORFOLK -- This time around, things are an awful lot simpler for Adam Cristman.

Last February, the big target forward was a green fourth-round SuperDraft pick out of the University of Virginia, unsure where he really stood with a team that had reached two consecutive MLS Cup finals.

Early this week at the ForeKicks indoor facility in Norfolk, Cristman fit right in. He’d missed close to a week of training at U-23 men’s national team camp, but slid into the conditioning rotation – and the talking circles – seamlessly.

“Coming in (for a second year), you’re a little more comfortable,â€￾ Cristman said. “You know all these guys, you can laugh and joke around. You know what’s going to be expected of you and you know what to expect from training so you can kind of apply yourself accordingly to make the most of it.â€￾

He’d better, given the opportunity he looks likely to be presented with.

When the Revs lost prolific-but-injury-prone forward Pat Noonan to Norwegian first-division club Aalesund F.K. last month, Cristman became the clubhouse leader for a starting striker’s role alongside Taylor Twellman.

Coach Steve Nicol was characteristically noncommittal about the potential forward pairing (“We haven’t even played a gameâ€￾) or a formation. Later in the week he expressed his desire to acquire a striker. But so far, nothing has come to fruition – Nicol laughed off rumors of an offer to Costa Rica’s Victor Nunez Rodriguez – and Cristman still looks like the man.

He took advantage of injuries last year to make 28 regular-season appearances (14 starts), tally four goals and four assists and earn a Rookie of the Year finalist nod.

“Coming in, I didn’t have quite the expectations to play as much as I did, but looking back I feel like I did well in the chances I got,â€￾ Cristman said.

Now, he might have a chance to really hit it big.

“At the beginning of the (2007) season there was an opportunity for me,â€￾ he said. “Now the same opportunity is presented, and you’ve just gotta work hard and fight for the spot and then perform when the time comes.â€￾

A massive part of that performance would be how he and Twellman work together up top.

Neither is particularly fast, and both rely heavily on service. Meanwhile, Twellman and Noonan were longtime friends with plenty of chemistry, and, while no speedster, Noonan has seen time at midfield for national team coach Bob Bradley.

Still, Cristman said he thinks he and Twellman can make an effective pair – though there’s a way to go.

“Last year in preseason and throughout the year we worked well,â€￾ the Glen Allen, Va., native said. “As a new player, we’re still trying to figure each other out. I feel like we were getting a little better at that as the year went on.

“It’s like playing with any player. It’s about developing a growing relationship. We’ll keep working on it and keep getting better.â€￾

Without the rookie adjustments this time, Cristman is trying his best. The main focus right now is fitness, but he’s also working on “being a big targetâ€￾ and “being able to hold up the ball for us.â€￾

“On the finishing side,â€￾ he said, “I’m just continuing to work on that last touch and getting my feet right, so I’ll be able to score some goals.â€￾

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs. ... S/80208024

[FSM]

Revs' Heaps enjoying twilight of his career
By ADAM SMARTSCHAN
STAFF WRITER
February 10, 2008 6:00 AM
One's been there, done that. One's an up-and-comer.

One's seen it all. The other just might get his big break.

The New England Revolution's Jay Heaps and Adam Cristman are about as far apart as can be on the pro sports career curve.

Heaps, who turns 32 on Aug. 2, is a not so grizzled veteran going into his 10th year in MLS. He won't be around forever: After signing a reported four-year contract extension in October, he told reporters he was "excited to be able to end (his) career in New England."

With the Revs drafting a defender early, trading for another and looking to add more, there's a decent chance Heaps' successor in the starting lineup is on – or will soon be on – the team.

Cristman, 23, played 1,421 regular-season minutes in an eye-opening rookie campaign last year. With incumbent No. 2 striker Pat Noonan's free transfer to Norway last month, the 6-foot youngster became the favorite in camp to team with Taylor Twellman up top.

This weekend, we'll give you a look at what the sophomore and the vet are thinking at the dawn of one career and the late afternoon of another. Saturday is Cristman. Sunday is Heaps.


-----

NORFOLK – Jay Heaps had a bit of a television dilemma Wednesday night.

Naturally, the New England Revolution defender wanted to watch the U.S. men's national team – including former teammate Pat Noonan and Revs defender Michael Parkhurst – take on archrival Mexico.

But, just one channel down, the Duke men's basketball team was playing an equally despised opponent in North Carolina.

Heaps, a Blue Devils hoops walk-on reserve point guard from 1996-99, found it difficult to stray too far from the hardcourt.

"I stay very close to the hoops," the 31-year-old back said. "I was going back and forth between the (Duke) game and the U.S. game, but I have to say I definitely stayed a little closer to the hoops game."

It must have been like looking back a lifetime.

After nine years in Major League Soccer, he barely resembles the two-sport Duke athlete the defunct Miami Fusion drafted as a midfielder in 1999. One of the Blue Devils' all-time leading soccer scorers when he left, the quiet, reflective Heaps has become a fixture on the right side of Revs coach Steve Nicol's back line.

A family man with two young children, even Heaps' hobbies – "golf, travel and movies" – speak to a reserved maturity.

Of course, that comes with age – and in professional soccer, that comes with the end of a career.

Heaps signed a reported four-year extension with New England last year, enough to take him to the end of his playing days. He's been a fixture in the Revs' lineup since his debut on Independence Day, 2001, but there's surely an expiration date on that – Nicol brought in a player with a relatively similar skillset in a trade (Chris Albright), drafted a defender in the first round (Rob Valentino) and told reporters on Thursday that he's looking to add more backs.

Signs aren't yet pointing to Heaps' imminent absence from the first 11. Whether New England will use three or four defenders this year is uncertain, at least publicly, and 2007 starter Avery John is out of contract (and contact). Both potentially keep open a spot on the back line, even if Albright were to be immediately slotted on the right.

Asked about the twilight of his playing days, the New England native sometimes sounds a bit more like an assistant coach than the average former all-star.

"I love playing and I love teaching as well," Heaps said. "Hopefully I can kind of pass on my work ethic and a little experience, and hopefully the players can absorb it.

"You can't play forever. Obviously, I'm 31, I hope to play a couple more years and time it out where the team is in a great position to move forward."

And when it is?

"I'm up for anything," Heaps said. "I think Stevie know that I'm a team guy and I'm willing to do whatever."

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs. ... S/80209001

[FSM]

Can anyone translate?

http://www.diarioextra.com/2008/febrero ... rtes02.php

GABRIEL BADILLA CERCA DEL NEW ENGLAND

San José, Costa Rica, Martes 12 de febrero de 2008,

http://www.diarioextra.com/2008/febr.../dep02koxa.jpg

Are the Revs penny pinching? Looks more to me like they're being hard nosed business people who are working within the economics of American soccer. I agree with those who note the Revs have done well -- much better than the Bruins -- while holding salary costs down.

As FSM's post pointed out, MLS attendance declined until last year. Unless MLS teams make a lot more in TV rights than I suspect, it would have been financially risky to sign more expensive talent unless that talent would significantly change attendance. I don't think the money available to the Revs could bring in that kind of talent because I don't think the product will change meaningfully until the talent level throughout the league goes up one more notch. That will require a higher salary cap. Paying one super player the Beckham exception money won't be enough.

The Revs hard cost-benefit approach really shows up in their youth academy program, which seems to be restricted to profit-making youth clinics. From a pro soccer team's point of view, the biggest reason to operate a "real" youth academy would be the development of players -- either for the pro team's roster or to gain transfer fees should other teams want them. I bet the Revs think that there's no money in developing American players at this point. They probably don't think the talent base is here in New England to develop enough professional level players to justify the cost. Things might be different in LA or Dallas where the population and soccer culture is probably stronger.

Moreover, even if the talent base were here, the Revs probably still wouldn't capitalize financially because MLS salaries aren't high enough. A promising young athlete would forego college if there's a career with big money at the end of the rainbow. That's true in baseball, but not (or at least not yet) in American soccer. Since the Revs don't automatically own rights to the players they develop, the very best would likely sign in Europe, and the Revs would get nothing. Recognizing that, the Revs are wise to let colleges act as their development program, and they can cherry pick the best talent at the draft (which they've done very well).

Maybe things will change if the recent uptick in MLS attendance continues. If MLS attendance is roughly equivalent to leagues in Sweden, etc. that pay MLS quality players much higher salaries than the MLS does, there must be something about the economics of soccer in those countries that drives revenue to the sport -- perhaps advertising and TV? Maybe FSM has an article or something that would clue us in?

[reality]

Guest, excellent post and some great points. Most importantly the idea that the Krafts are not so much cheap as efficient. Remember that these are very well educated individuals (Robert and Jonathon are Harvard MBAs) whose primary business is packaging and shipping. They are not people who forget good business practices just because they cross into the hallowed halls of pro sports in Foxboro. I have never had a substantive conversation with any member of Revs administration, never mind any of the Krafts. According to the people who have, they are knowledgeable about the game and are true fans of their team. They are also not people who are considered "meddlers" in affairs of their hired professionals. Here is one last thought, which actually comes from Jeremy Jacobs. Pro sports teams tend to not be great investments, especially when considered to the businesses from which an owner has aleady developed their fortune (BTW when you eat at just about any US airport you are patronizing Jacob's company). So this idea that owners are trying to "make money" off of their pro sports investment is counter-intuitive. If these guys (and they are almost exclusively guys) were looking for profits they would invest in a real money maker. For the owners its really about the competition, the perks and the status. They certainly aren't interested in losing money, and some (like the Krafts) are better at maximizing the return on their investment than some others. However, until the current Revs "formula" fails to produce the desired results on and off the field - don't expect lots of changes.

2 things:

First, I forgot to use my pen name "dd" in the post that Reality is responding to. Woops.

Second, Reality raises an interesting question about how sports team owners make money. My understanding is that, in many cases, professional sports teams do not show a profit on paper. Sports owners have a number of "expenses" like depreciation that may not affect cash flow but affect the paper bottom line. However, this doesn't mean that sports owners don't make serious money. As an initial matter, when owners sell, they frequently do so at serious profit. Addtionally, sports owners can pay themselves generous salaries as President, VP, etc. These salaries (appropriately) show up as expenses on the team's bottom line, even though they wind up in the owners' pockets.

It makes sense for owners to take as much wealth out of their teams as possible, leaving only what is needed to develop the business. If the Patriots hypothetically made $50 million, but only needed $30 million to operate and develop the business, they'd want to put the remaining $20 into their own hands for reinvestment in real estate, etc.

My guess is that the Krafts view their investment in MLS as a somewhat speculative venture that, if managed properly, won't cost too much and may have a big payoff. They already owned the facility in which the team plays, so pulling in a gate when the Patriots aren't home probably reduces the cost of operating Gillette, especially if they keep salaries down. The potential payoff is therefore not the money the Revs bring in now. It's the possibility that MLS will take off if/when soccer becomes a bigger fan sport in the US. If that happens, the modest investment for holding the Revs (and having some fun on the way) will pay off handsomely.