FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – With an undefeated preseason record on the line entering the team’s last week of preseason preparations, the Revolution remains in Tucson, Ariz., for the final two matches of the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. The team has won its first two matches – against the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls – and will face Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Feb. 29, in the teams’ final round-robin game.
The Revs will wrap up preseason preparations on Saturday, March 3, in either the championship or consolation match of the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup.
Current training camp roster
An up-to-date preseason roster can be accessed at the team’s website HERE ... this roster will be updated weekly, 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) link in the drop-down menu … as of Monday, 10 non-rostered players are in camp with the Revolution: forward Blake Brettschneider, midfielder Austin da Luz, forward Bobby Kirobi Devyne, defender Florian Lechner, defender Gabe Mercier, midfielder Alec Purdie, midfielder Michael Roach, forward Bjorn Runstrom, forward Dawyne “Rick” Smith and midfielder Jeremiah White.
Remaining Tucson tournament matches to be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com
The Revolution will play two more matches while in Tucson … live video streaming of all remaining tournament games will be available at mlssoccer.com … the Revolution will play the following schedule:
· Wednesday, Feb. 29 – vs. Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m. ET
· Saturday, March 3 – Championship/Consolation matches, 10 p.m. / 8 p.m. ET
Note: championship and consolation matchups will be announced following Wednesday night’s matches
Conference call schedule and recap from Arizona
Head coach Jay Heaps and General Manager will be available on a media conference call at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 1, following the club’s group-round match against Real Salt Lake in the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup … Burns will be on the call to give an update on Jose Moreno, and answer questions about the process, as well as personnel movements this preseason … media will be alerted with the call-in and confirmation number on Tuesday … last Thursday, Heaps was joined by Shalrie Joseph and Kelyn Rowe to discuss the 3-2 win over LA (transcript HERE) and on Sunday – following the club’s 2-0 win over New York – Clyde Simms and Darrius Barnes took media questions alongside Heaps (transcript HERE)
Revs improve preseason record to 5-0-0
The Revs earned victories against a pair of MLS opponents last week, picking up a 3-2 win against defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy on Wednesday and a 2-0 victory over New York on Saturday … the club is now 5-0-0 this preseason and will play two more tournament games this week before traveling to San Jose to face the Earthquakes in MLS First Kick on Saturday, March 10.
Jan. 28 vs. FC Tucson (Casa Grande, Ariz.) W, 2-1 Nyassi (Rowe), Mansally (penalty)
Feb. 10 vs. Boston College (Gillette Stadium) W, 3-0 Rowe (Feilhaber), Rowe (Purdie), Roach (ua)
Feb. 15 vs. Boston College (Gillette Stadium) W, 2-1 Purdie (Rowe), Joseph (Rowe)
Feb. 22 vs. LA Galaxy (Tucson, Ariz.) W, 3-2 Feilhaber (ua), Lozano (Rowe), White (Purdie)
Feb. 25 vs. New York Red Bulls (Tucson, Ariz.) W, 2-0 Rowe (ua), Rowe (Sène)
Feb. 29 vs. Real Salt Lake (Tucson, Ariz.) 6 p.m. MT
March 3 Championship/Consolation (Tucson, Ariz.) 8/6 p.m. MT
Recap: Victory over LA on Wednesday
Benny Feilhaber’s highlight-reel goal just 90 seconds after kickoff set the tempo for the New England Revolution’s enthralling 3-2 win over the LA Galaxy in the opening game of the Desert Diamond Cup on Wednesday, Feb. 22 … twice the Revolution took first-half leads through Feilhaber’s stunning bicycle kick in the second minute and Colombian central defender John Lozano’s header off a corner kick in the 36th minute, only for the Galaxy to respond each time through Edson Buddle (31st minute) and Mike Magee (39th minute) … but unsigned training camp participant Jeremiah White scored a third for the Revs in the 74th minute … a full recap can be found HERE.
A video of Benny Feilhaber’s bicycle-kick goal can be seen HERE.
Recap: Win against Red Bulls on Saturday
Rookie Kelyn Rowe scored a pair of late goals and veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis kept a clean sheet in his first 90-minute performance of the preseason as the New England Revolution claimed a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Feb. 25 … Rowe broke a scoreless deadlock with an opportunistic finish in the 77th minute before capping the night with a stunning strike in the 84th minute … a full recap can be found HERE.
Rookie Asserting Himself
Rookie Kelyn Rowe has notched four goals and four assists in five preseason games, easily the Revolution’s leading preseason scorer in 2012 … the U.S. Under-23 midfielder has at least one goal or one assist in each of the Revolution’s five preseason matches this year, and has recorded multiple goals or multiple assists three separate times: Feb. 10 vs. Boston College (two goals), Feb. 15 vs. Boston College (two assists) and Feb. 25 vs. New York Red Bulls (two goals) ... the Revolution drafted Rowe with the third overall pick in January’s MLS SuperDraft after he played two seasons at UCLA.
Mansally Set for Algeria
Kenny Mansally, who did not travel with the Revolution to Tucson, has met up with the Gambia National Team for its Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Algeria, which will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 29, in Bakau, Gambia … Mansally has nine caps with Gambia in his career.
Roster Compliance Date Set for Thursday
Major League Soccer’s Roster Compliance Date is set for Thursday, March 1 … the Revolution are currently roster compliant (no more than 28 or 30 rostered players, eight international spots) and do not anticipate any moves ahead of the deadline … the Revs currently have 24 players under contract for the 2012 season, with five players occupying international roster spots.
2012 Pub Tour Announced
Revs players will stop by several of the region's top bars and pubs ahead of the start of the season as part of the official 2012 Pub Tour, giving fans the opportunity to mix and mingle with their favorite stars in a casual setting ... three dates are lined up, which are open to the public and are free for fans, ages 21 and older … the Rev Girls will also attend each event with giveaways and door prizes at each stop … all events will begin at 7 p.m. and run two hours:
- Monday, March 5: Phoenix Landing (512 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge, Mass.) … Players scheduled: Kevin Alston, Benny Feilhaber, Ryan Guy and Shalrie Joseph
- Tuesday, March 20: The Banshee Pub (934 Dorchester Ave., Boston, Mass.) … Players scheduled: Darrius Barnes, Saer Sène, A.J. Soares and Chris Tierney
- Wednesday, March 21: Rí Rá Providence (50 Exchange Terrace # 50, Providence, R.I.) … Scheduled: Matt Reis, Kelyn Rowe, Clyde Simms and head coach Jay Heaps
Single-game tickets now on sale
Single-game tickets to 2012 New England Revolution matches are now on sale … individual tickets start at $24 for bowl seating with advance purchase, and can be purchased HEREor by calling 1-877-GET-REVS.
Youth teams resume season March 10
Kicking off the second leg of the 2011-12 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season, the youth teams will take on D.C. United at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Md., on Saturday, March 10 ... both teams finished the 2011 portion of the season at the top of the Northeast Division of the East Conference: the U18s hold a 4-1-0 record (12 pts.), while the U16s are 3-2-0 (9 pts.).
South Africa travel roster announcement
The Revolution's youth development program is expected to announce its Under-17 travel squad for the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Tournament on Monday, March 5 ... the tournament will be held Monday, March 26, through Saturday, March 31, in Johannesburg, South Africa and will feature 12 youth clubs from five different continents ... for more information, click HERE.
