FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Today the Revolution opened training camp ahead of the team’s 17th season of play. Under new head coach Jay Heaps, the Revs will train six days in Foxborough, before departing on Saturday, Jan. 21, for an 11-day training trip in Casa Grande, Ariz.
TEAM NOTES
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Revs open first camp under Heaps
The 2012 marks the first under new head coach Jay Heaps … Heaps’ preseason schedule includes seven weeks of training and games, including 11-day and 14-day trips to Arizona … Heaps, 35, is the sixth head coach in club history, and is also the second-youngest active coach in MLS (behind D.C. United’s Ben Olsen).
Current training camp roster
An up-to-date preseason roster can be accessed at the team’s website HERE ... this roster will be updated with each addition and subtraction to the preseason roster so check the web site regularly for the most up-to-date version … click on the CLUB link at the top of the home page, and click the 2012 Preseason Roster (PDF).
Roster breakdown by position
The Revs have opened preseason camp with 22 players under contract … there are three (3) goalkeepers, five (5) natural defenders, 11 natural midfielders and three (3) forwards on the roster.
Roster breakdown by international status
With eight international roster spots available to the Revs this season, four are currently occupied with signed players: Fernando Cardenas (Colombia), Diego Fagundez (Uruguay), John Lozano (Colombia) and Sainey Nyassi (Gambia).
Roster breakdown by age
Of the 22 players signed, there are currently:
- Three (3) players who are 30 years old or older: Matt Reis – 36, Shalrie Joseph – 33, Clyde Simms – 30
- One (1) player age 27-29: John Lozano – 27
- Eight (8) players ages 24-26: Darrius Barnes – 25, Zak Boggs – 25, Benny Feilhaber – 26, Ryan Guy – 26, Tim Murray – 24, Zack Schilawski – 24, Bobby Shuttleworth – 24 and Chris Tierney – 26
- Seven (7) players ages 21-23: Kevin Alston – 23, Fernando Cardenas – 23, Ryan Kinne – 22, Kenny Mansally – 22, Stephen McCarthy – 23, Sainey Nyassi – 22 and A.J. Soares – 23, and
- Three (3) players 20 years old or younger: Diego Fagundez – 16, Tyler Polak – 19 and Kelyn Rowe – 20
New faces abound
A total of five new players have been added to the team’s roster since the close of the 2011 season … Fernando Cardenas and John Lozano, both Colombian players who occupy international slots on the team’s roster, were signed on Jan. 9 … Kelyn Rowe (No. 3 overall) and Tyler Polak (No. 22 overall) were selected by the Revs in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft and have been added to the team’s roster already as they are both members of the Generation adidas class of 2012 … additionally, Clyde Simms was selected by the Revs in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Process, and signed with the club on Dec. 23.
Late-arriving crowds
Several players will not officially join the Revs in preseason camp until a later date … Benny Feilhaber is in camp with the U.S. Men’s National Team through Jan. 25, when the team has a game at Panama in Panama City … 2012 draft pick Kelyn Rowe is currently in camp with the U.S. Under-23 (Olympic) Team through Jan. 25 … both Feilhaber and Rowe are expected to meet the Revs in Casa Grande, Ariz., on Jan. 26 … additionally, newly-signed Colombian players John Lozano and Fernando Cardenas are still awaiting their U.S. P-1 Visa approval … the players can join the club when they receive those approvals … Lozano and Cardenas are also still awaiting their International Transfer Certificates, which cannot be processed until at least Jan. 24 when the International Transfer Window opens … however, the players can enter the U.S. and join the team for training so long as they have their Visas – they just cannot play in actual competitions until their ITCs are transferred.
Who’s returned
Seventeen (17) players return from the 2011 squad, including captain Shalrie Joseph and goalkeeper stalwart Matt Reis … also returning are: Kevin Alston, Darrius Barnes, Zak Boggs, Diego Fagundez, Benny Feilhaber, Ryan Guy, Ryan Kinne, Kenny Mansally, Stephen McCarthy, Tim Murray, Sainey Nyassi, Zack Schilawski, Bobby Shuttleworth, A.J. Soares and Chris Tierney.
Who’s not back
Ten (10) players are no longer with the club following the conclusion of the 2011 season … Kheli Dube, who was a 2008 Supplemental Draft selection, was picked up by Chicago in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Process … first-year players Alan Koger, Otto Lowey and Andrew Sousa were waived at the conclusion of the season … the club declined to exercise the contract options on: Milton Caraglio, Ryan Cochrane, Franco Coria, Rajko Lekic, Pat Phelan and Monsef Zerka … Cochrane and Phelan, along with Dube, were available to other teams in the Re-Entry Process, but were not selected.
Other new faces
In addition to the new players, there are several other new faces around the Revolution locker room this year … assistant coach Jay Miller will be Jay Heaps’ primary assistant, coming to the Revs with more than 30 years of professional coaching experience, including time with U.S. Soccer … Nick Downing has joined the staff as the club’s first-ever Strength & Conditioning coach … the former Revs defender retired in 2005 and has been a certified personal trainer specializing in soccer and sport-specific training since.
Supplemental Draft on Tuesday
On Tuesday, Jan. 17, MLS will conduct the annual Supplemental Draft at 2 p.m. via conference call … the will be four rounds of picks, with New England holding four selections – the third pick in each round: No. 3, No. 22, No. 41 and No. 60 … teams can select players from the pool of draft-eligible players who were not selected in last Thursday’s SuperDraft in Kansas City.
SuperDraft recap
On Thursday, Jan. 12, the Revolution selected two players in the MLS SuperDraft, held in Kansas City … with the third overall selection, the Revs took UCLA and U.S. Under-23 midfielder Kelyn Rowe … with the 22nd pick overall (third pick in the second round), the Revs selected Creighton defender Tyler Polak … both players signed Generation adidas contracts with MLS, and were automatically added to the team’s roster.
