Clubname	New England Revolution
Fullname	New England Revolution
Nickname	Revs
Founded	1995
Ground	Gillette StadiumFoxborough, Massachusetts
Capacity	68,756
Chrtitle	Owner
Chairman	Robert Kraft
Mgrtitle	Head Coach
Manager	Steve Nicol
League	Major League Soccer
Season	2010
Position	Eastern Conference: 6thOverall: 13thPlayoffs: DNQ
American	true
Current	2010 New England Revolution season
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New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception.

The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League. The name "Revolution" refers to the New England region's involvement in the American Revolution.

The Revs currently play their home matches at Gillette Stadium. The club played their home games at the adjacent and now-demolished Foxboro Stadium, during the 1996 through 2001 seasons. The Revs hold the distinction of being the only original MLS team to have every league game in its history televised. They are the MLS team that has participated in the most MLS Cups (four) without winning one to date.

History

The Revolution were one of the ten original MLS franchises to compete in the league's inaugural season. However, it took them until 2007—their twelfth year of existence—to win their first trophy, the 2007 US Open Cup. The following year, they won the 2008 North American SuperLiga. The Revolution have never won MLS Cup, despite reaching finals in 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

The club's main rival is widely considered to be Red Bull New York, although in recent years the Revolution have built rivalries with fellow Eastern Conference teams DC United and Chicago Fire, and their 2-time MLS Cup opponents, the Houston Dynamo. The team's supporter's clubs are called the Midnight Riders, the Rev Army and the Rebellion. The name 'Midnight Riders' is in honor of the famous rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes, who announced the departure of British troops from Boston to Concord at the beginning of the American Revolution. The Midnight Riders,and the Rev Army occupy the north stand of the stadium, which they have nicknamed "The Fort". The Fort is a general admission section and draws its name from the revolutionary theme which runs through the team and independent supporters' associations.

The early years: 1996–2001

The inaugural Revolution team featured several US Men's National Team regulars returning from abroad to be part of the new league. Despite the presence of Alexi Lalas, Mike Burns, and Joe-Max Moore, however, the team was one of only two that failed to make the playoffs of the then-10-team league. The following season, the squad made the playoffs, but failed to advance past the first round. For the next five years, this would be the Revs best playoff result (which they matched in the 2000 season) as a revolving door of players and head coaches failed to make much of an impact on the fledgling league.

Attendance in these early years was high despite the team's poor on-field performances. More than 15,000 people per match regularly came to watch the Revolution play in the old Foxboro Stadium. The Revs did manage to make the final of the 2001 US Open Cup, but they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy on a golden goal by Danny Califf. It was a harbinger of finals to come for the Revolution.

The Steve Nicol era: 2002–present

Liverpool great Steve Nicol was appointed on a full-time basis for the 2002 season (he had previously held the position of interim head coach during 1999). Since he took over, Nicol has never failed to guide the Revolution to a playoff berth, a league-record eight straight seasons. The first six of those berths (from 2002–2007) resulted in an appearance in the conference final or better, including three consecutive MLS Cup finals from 2005-2007. Since the 2008 season, the Revs have failed to make it out of first round of the playoffs, and are currently in danger of missing the postseason entirely. Still, Nicol is respected as one of the best coaches in the league and near-universally revered by Revolution fans.

Playoff success: 2002–2007

In his first season in charge, Nicol guided the Revs to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. The team advanced through the playoffs to the MLS Cup final, where they lost to the Galaxy again, this time 1-0 on a golden goal by Carlos Ruiz.

After losing in the conference finals in 2003 and 2004, the Revs repeated their 2002 feat finishing tops in the east and losing to LA 1-0 in extra time again in 2005. New England had a real chance to win their first MLS championship, in MLS Cup 2006, against the Houston Dynamo. After Taylor Twellman scored in the 113th minute, the Revs allowed a equalising header from the Dynamo's Brian Ching less than a minute later that sent the game to penalty kicks, where the Revs lost 4–3. The 2007 MLS Cup was a rematch from the previous year, though the result was the same as Houston defeated New England 2–1. It was New England's fourth loss in the MLS Cup in a six year span, a disappointing feat that led to comparisons to the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

Their 2002 MLS Cup appearance granted them a spot in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, but lost their first matchup 5:3 on aggregate after playing two games on the road to LD Alajuelense. The Revolution again faced LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the home and away 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The "home" game was played February 22, 2006, in Bermuda despite some fans feeling that playing at Gillette Stadium in the adverse conditions of winter in New England could have been advantageous. The Revs failed to advance, as they drew 0–0 in Bermuda and lost 0–1 in Costa Rica.

Minor trophies, minor rebuilding: 2007–present

In the 2007 season, the Revs made it to two cup finals. Though they again lost the main prize, MLS Cup, they defeated FC Dallas to win their first-ever trophy: the 2007 US Open Cup. The victory qualified the club for the preliminary round of the newly expanded CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, their top-four finish qualified them for SuperLiga 2008. This meant the Revolution would be competing in four different competitions (MLS, Open Cup, Champions League, and SuperLiga) during the 2008 season.

The 2008 season started wonderfully for the Revs. By mid-July, they were leading the overall MLS table and had finished as the number one overall seed in SuperLiga. The team won the tournament, defeating the Houston Dynamo on penalties to earn a small amount of revenge on for their successive MLS Cup defeats. Unfortunately, the team's second trophy in as many seasons would be the high point for the 2008 Revs. Fixture congestion led to a rash of injuries and general fatigue, and the team crashed out the Champions League with an embarrassing 4-0 home defeat to regional minnows Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago (the tie ended 6-1 Joe Public on aggregate). The team also struggled in domestic play, limping to a third-place finish in the East and losing to the Chicago Fire in the first round of the playoffs. The Revs did manage a semifinal appearance in the 2008 Open Cup, but lost to DC United and failed to defend their 2007 title.

In 2009, the Revs continued the mediocrity that had plagued the second half of their 2008 season, losing to Chicago again in the first round of the playoffs. The team also lost to Chicago in the semifinals of the 2009 SuperLiga. 2010 started even more dismally than 2009, with the team failing to put together an unbeaten streak longer than three games until July. Luckily, this unbeaten streak coincided with the Revs' third consecutive SuperLiga appearance, and for the second time in three years, the team made the competition's final, but lost 2-1 to Monarcas Morelia of Mexico.

Colors and badge

The club badge is stylised, based on the flag of the United States with some of the stars made into a football (similar to Adidas' ball for the UEFA Champions League.

The home kit is navy, and the away white, both with red detail. Therefore the colours are the same as the national team of the United States.

Stadium

Foxboro Stadium; Foxborough, Massachusetts (1996–2001)

Gillette Stadium; Foxborough, Massachusetts (2002–present)

Lusitano Stadium; Ludlow, Massachusetts (2003-2005) 3 games in US Open Cup

Veteran's Stadium; New Britain, Connecticut (2007-2009) 4 games in US Open Cup

The Revolution has played its home games in Foxborough, Massachusetts since its inception - initially at the Foxboro Stadium and subsequently at its replacement, Gillette Stadium. It shares the stadium with the New England Patriots of the National Football League.

On June 14, 2006, MLS announced that the Revolution were hoping to build a new soccer-specific stadium. Bids have gone out to local towns around New England to see where the Revs could have a stadium built.

On August 2, 2007, the Boston Herald published an article stating that the city of Somerville and Revolution officials have held "preliminary discussions" about building a 20,000 to 25,000 seat stadium on a site off of Innerbelt Road near Interstate 93, and could cost anywhere between $50 and $200 million based on other similar soccer specific stadiums built by Major League Soccer teams. After a two-year hiatus, the Revolution renewed their plans to build a stadium in Somerville since the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority finalized its Green Line maintenance facility plans. In an July 2010 interview with team owner Kraft has said that over $1MM has been invested in finding a suitable site, preferably in the urban core. However, the club also has three other sites in consideration in the event of the proposal's termination.

Club culture

Rivalries

The Revolution has rivalries with the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and to a lesser extent, DC United. These rivalries are borne out of both geographic proximity and the fact that the cities that these clubs represent are rivals in other sports. The Red Bulls are arguably the Revolution's biggest rivals as that team is geographically the closest to New England. New England also has a smaller rivalry with the Chicago Fire as the clubs have clashed several times in the MLS playoffs.

The "Airplane Incident"

On July 18, 2008, Revolution players and staff were on American Airlines Flight 725, a Boeing 757 with 151 passengers and seven crew on board, flying from Boston to Los Angeles. The team was en route to play Chivas USA as part of the 2008 SuperLiga tournament. During the flight, team staff helped to subdue an unruly passenger who had undressed and was attempting to open the plane's emergency exit during the flight. The plane was diverted to Oklahoma City, where the passenger was removed by FBI personnel.

Broadcasting

All Revolution matches are televised locally in high definition on Comcast SportsNet New England; nationally televised matches air on ESPN, ESPN2, and FOX Soccer Channel. All matches are broadcast on radio by WBZ-FM, but this is a simulcast of the TV feed. Brad Feldman handles play-by-play on both TV and radio with Jay Heaps doing color commentary. Matches had previously been aired on WSBK-TV in standard definition.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of January 13, 2011.

Note: (*) indicates a player chosen in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Unless otherwise indicated, these players have not yet been formally offered a contract by the team, and may not ultimately be a part of the team's final roster.

Note: (^†) indicates a player signed by Major League Soccer prior to being selected in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

Chris Albright (2008–10) Leonel Alvarez (1999-01) Adin Brown (2002–04) Mike Burns (1996-00) José Cancela (2003–06) Clint Dempsey (2004–06) Mamadou Diallo (2002) Raúl Díaz Arce (1998) Andy Dorman (2004–07) John Harkes (1999-01) Wolde Harris (2000–03) Jay Heaps (2001–09) Edgaras Jankauskas (2009–10) Avery John (2004–07) Alexi Lalas (1996–97) Jeff Larentowicz (2005–10) Joe-Max Moore (1996–99), (2003–04) Pat Noonan (2003–07) Michael Parkhurst (2005–08) Steve Ralston (2002–10) William Sunsing (2002–03) Taylor Twellman (2002–10) Eric Wynalda (2000–01) Walter Zenga (1997–99)

See also All-time New England Revolution roster

Head coaches

Frank Stapleton (1996) Thomas Rongen (1997–98) Walter Zenga (1999) Steve Nicol (1999), (interim) Fernando Clavijo (2000–02) Steve Nicol (2002-)

General Managers

Brian O'Donovan (1995-00)

Todd Smith (2001–02)

Craig Tornberg (2003–08)

Michael Burns (2009–present)

Achievements

MLS Cup

*Runners-up (4): 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007

MLS Supporters' Shield

*Runners-up (1): 2005

MLS Eastern Conference

*Winners (Regular Season) (2): 2002, 2005

*Winners (Playoff) (4): 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

*Winners (1): 2007

*Runners-up (1): 2001

North American SuperLiga

*Winners (1): 2008

*Runners-up (1): 2010

Record

Year-by-year

Team records

As of October 21, 2010. Games Played: Jay Heaps (243) Games Started: Jay Heaps (238) Minutes Played: Jay Heaps (21,619) Goals: Taylor Twellman(101) Assists: Steve Ralston (73) Game-Winning Goals: Taylor Twellman (28) Game-Winning Assists: Steve Ralston (22) Hat Tricks: Taylor Twellman (3) Multi-Goal Games: Taylor Twellman (16) Penalty-Kick Goals: Steve Ralston (9) Games Played In Goal: Matt Reis* (188) Games Started In Goal: Matt Reis* (187) Minutes Played In Goal: Matt Reis* (16,841) Goals Against Average: Matt Reis* (1.38) Wins: Matt Reis* (75) Saves: Matt Reis* (757) Shutouts (clean sheets): Matt Reis* (50) * Active

All-Time regular season record: 180-198-81

Average attendance

regular season/playoffs

1996: 19,025

1997: 21,423 / 16,233

1998: 19,188

1999: 16,735

2000: 15,463 / 10,723

2001: 15,645

2002: 16,927 / 19,018

2003: 14,641 / 14,823

2004: 12,226 / 5,679

2005: 12,525 / 13,849

2006: 11,786 / 9,372

2007: 16,787 / 10,217

2008: 17,580 / 5,221

2009: 13,732 / 7,416

2010: 12,987

::All-Time: 15,800 / 11,255

References

External links

Midnight Riders Supporters' Club

The Rebellion Supporters' Club

RevsNet (Unofficial News Source)

New England Soccer Today (Unofficial News Source)

Revolution Recap Weekly Radio Review

Category:Soccer clubs in the United States Category:Association football clubs established in 1995 Category:Massachusetts soccer clubs

Playername	Matt Reis
Fullname	Matt Reis
Dateofbirth	March 28, 1975
Cityofbirth	Atlanta, Georgia
Countryofbirth	United States
Height
Position	Goalkeeper
Currentclub	New England Revolution
Clubnumber	1
Youthyears1	1993–1997
Youthclubs1	UCLA Bruins
Years1	1998–2002
Clubs1	Los Angeles Galaxy
Caps1	39
Goals1	0
Years2	2000
Clubs2	→ Orange County Zodiac (loan)
Caps2	7
Goals2	0
Years3	2003–
Clubs3	New England Revolution
Caps3	187
Goals3	0
Nationalyears1	2006–
Nationalteam1	United States
Nationalcaps1	2
Nationalgoals1	0
Pcupdate	1 October 2010
Ntupdate	3 April 2009

Matt Reis (born March 28, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

Career

College

Reis played college soccer at UCLA. He finshed his college career with an NCAA Championship in 1997, and was named 1997 NCAA College Cup Defensive MVP after recording 20 saves - including a school-record 11 in the semifinals - and posting 221 shutout minutes on the way to the title.

Professional

Reis was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the third and last round of the 1998 MLS College Draft. However, with Kevin Hartman firmly entrenched in the nets, Matt did not see much playing time during his five seasons in LA; the most games he played in a season was 16 in 2001 when Hartman was out with injuries. In 2000, the Galaxy sent him on loan to the Orange County Zodiac for seven games. Reis was traded to New England Revolution after the 2002 MLS season for a draft pick.

With the Revs, Reis started out as a backup to Adin Brown, but won the starting job midway through the 2004 season. He became the first goalie in MLS history to stop two penalty kicks in one playoff game, doing as the Revs upset the much-favored Columbus Crew. He also saved two out of four penalties in the penalty kick shootout against the Fire in the first round of the 2006 Playoffs. Reis was a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in both 2005 and 2006. He won the SuperLiga in 2008 and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2007 with the Revs.

International

He got his first cap for the United States on January 22, 2006, a 0-0 shutout against Canada.

Personal

Matt is considered to be a bit of a jokester among his teammates and in the soccer community. As an April Fools Day prank in 2004, the Revs' front office announced their newest foreign acquisition, Luis "El Lobo" Fangoso, who eventually turned out to be Matt Reis wearing a shaggy wig and headband. Although the initial joke died down fairly quickly, Reis' antics helped him win over many Revolution fans (to this day, Revs fans occasionally make joking references to Fangoso when discussing possible player transactions). On April 1, 2007, the Revolution announced that they had resigned Fangoso to a 2 year deal.

Reis, who is bald, also convinced Mexican international Jose Manuel Abundis, who had just signed with the team, to shave his head for the 2006 MLS Playoffs. This has enabled Reis to achieve cult status among Revs fans who know him as the "Shaven headed, short sleeved shot stopper".

Matt is 35 years old ( was born on 1975) and he is married to his wife Nicole who was an All American Softball player at UCLA. They have three boys. Jacob is three, and Christian and Weston are newborn identical twins. Matt has one older brother named Mike. He likes to play sports, go to the beach and spend time with his family and friends. Matt is known as a practical joker to his teammates and fans

Reis and his wife Nicole (née Odom), an All-America softball shortstop at UCLA (1995–98) have one son, Jacob. He is the son of J.T. and Kathy Reis of Mission Viejo, California, and he has one older brother, Mike.

Honors

United States

CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (1): 2005

Los Angeles Galaxy

CONCACAF Champions Cup (1): 2000

Major League Soccer MLS Cup (1): 2002

Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield (2): 1998, 2002

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2001

New England Revolution

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2007

North American SuperLiga (1): 2008

See also

List of current MLS players

References

External links

MLS player profile

Category:1975 births Category:American soccer players Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Category:Living people Category:Los Angeles Galaxy players Category:New England Revolution players Category:Orange County Zodiac players Category:UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Category:United States men's international soccer players Category:USL First Division players

Playername	Gershon Koffie
Fullname	Gershon Koffie
Dateofbirth	August 25, 1991
Cityofbirth	Koforidua
Countryofbirth	Ghana
Height
Position	Midfielder
Youthyears1	2000–2006
Youthclubs1	Rot-Weiss Accra
Years1	2006–2009
Clubs1	International Allies
Years2	2010
Clubs2	Vancouver Whitecaps
Caps2	2
Goals2	0
Nationalyears1	2010–
Nationalteam1	Ghana U-20
Pcupdate	September 24, 2010

Gershon Koffie (born August 25, 1991 in Koforidua) is a Ghanaian footballer currently without a club.

Career

Youth

Koffie grew up in the Ghanaian capital Accra, and began his soccer career when he joined Rot-Weiss Accra - a development club affiliated with German club Rot-Weiss Essen - as a nine-year-old in 2000. He spent five years with Rot-Weiss Accra, before signing his first professional contract in 2006 with Ghanaian Division Two League team International Allies at the age of 15.

Professional

Koffie played four full seasons with International Allies, scoring 28 goals in all competitions, before leaving the club in 2009 to try to secure a spot with a professional team in Europe. He trained with Swedish side Hammarby IF and Danish club Randers, but was not offered a contract by either team.

Having been spotted by Vancouver's director of soccer operations Tom Soehn at a tournament in Ghana six months previously, Koffie relocated to Canada in 2010, and subsequently signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USSF Division 2 Professional League. He made his Whitecaps debut on September 5, 2010 in a 0-0 tie with the Puerto Rico Islanders.

International

Koffie was called up to the U-20 national team for the first time in July 2010.

References

Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:Ghanaian footballers Category:Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Category:Association football forwards Category:USSF Division 2 Pro League players

Playername	Federico Vilar
Fullname	Federico Vilar Baudena
Dateofbirth	May 30, 1977
Cityofbirth	Junín, Buenos Aires
Countryofbirth	Argentina
Height
Currentclub	Morelia
Clubnumber	3
Position	Goalkeeper
Youthyears1	1993–2000
Youthclubs1	Boca Juniors
Years1	2000–2002
Clubs1	Almirante Brown
Caps1	42
Goals1	0
Years2	2003–2010
Clubs2	Atlante
Caps2	279
Goals2	2
Years3	2010–
Clubs3	Morelia
Caps3	17
Goals3	0
Pcupdate	24 October 2010
Nationalyears	2009-–
Nationalteam	Argentina
Nationalcaps(goals)	0 (0)

Federico Vilar Baudena (born May 30, 1977) known as El Jefe ("The Chief"), is an Argentine-Italian association football goalkeeper playing for Mexican first division team Morelia. Vilar began his career playing for Boca Juniors in Argentina from 1993 to 2000 and Almirante Brown from 2000 to 2001. He then migrated to Mexico and played for second division team Acapulco until making his debut in Mexico's First Division on December 1, 2003 against Monterrey.

About

Vilar is well known for his incredible reflexes and has established himself as one of Mexico’s best goalkeepers, Vilar also possess a deadly striking ability and has managed to score goals from the free kick distance. His charisma and leadership ability has also earned him the title of team captain. Known to be one of the best goalkeepers in Mexico, December 24, 2008 it was known what he was interested in joining Boca Jrs to get recognition from his people and fight for a chance to be the starting goalie of the National team of Argentina.

Villar also wears the no 3 jersey as a tribute to his father.

Free Kicks

"El Jefe" has scored four goals in his five year career at Atlante. While it doesn't sound like many, it is good considering he is a goalkeeper. All the goals were scored from free kicks. Another consideration, is that he actually does not take many of the free kicks for Atlante. When he does, they are struck more than well. The first one, against Necaxa, was scored on February 1, 2004. The second was scored on August 12, 2006, against Cruz Azul. He also scored a goal by free kick against the Chilean champion Colo-Colo during an exhibition match. Also on October 8, 2008 he scored another goal on a free kick against CD Olimpia of Honduras in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Honors

Club

;Atlante

Primera División de México (1): Apertura 2007'''

CONCACAF Champions League (1): 2008–09

;Morelia

North American SuperLiga (1): 2010

References

External links

Game Statistics

Guardian statistics

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from Junín Category:Argentine footballers Category:Primera División de México players Category:CF Atlante footballers Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:Association football goalkeepers who have scored