FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – With the start of the 2013 Major League Soccer season kicking off this coming Saturday, the New England Revolution will use its Week 1 bye in the schedule to continue preparations ahead of its season opener next Saturday, March 9, at Chicago, which will be televised on NBC Sports Network.
The Revs have returned home from a two-week stay in Tucson, Ariz., with a 2-2-0 record and third-place finish at the Desert Diamond Cup, and now continues to ramp up preparations for next week’s season opener.
every member of the Revolution roster and coaching staff will be available to media … more information will be distributed later this week.
THIS WEEK’S TOP TWEETS
ICYMI: STORIES FROM THE WEB
Revolutionsoccer.net:
Feb. 23: Redemption for Revs, who make late lead stand up
Feb. 21: Veteran leaders expected to help Revs close games
Feb. 20: Heaps eyes performance over result against RSL
Feb. 18: Smith makes his case with strong showing against NY
MLSSoccer.com (re-designed site launched Monday, Feb. 25)
Feb. 23: Reis, Revs defense carry day despite offensive stumbles
Feb. 22: Desert Diamond Rookie Reports: Revs and Red Bulls
Feb. 20: Revs newcomer Barrett targets return against Chicago
Feb. 19: 2013 Preview – New England, Year 2 rebuild begins
Feb. 19: 2013 Preview – Depth Chart
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES
Roster Update
The Revs’ roster begins the week at 26 players under contract … of those 26 players, seven occupy international roster spots, leaving the Revs with one available spot for an international player … the Revs’ complete roster is available HERE.
Week 1 Bye
While Major League Soccer opens its 18th season this weekend, the Revs will have one of their three bye weekends instead … the Revs will formally begin the 2013 season in Week 2, when they travel to face the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park in a game that will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network.
Guy representing Guam
Ryan Guy has joined Guam for qualifiers for the AFC Challenge Cup in Myanmar later this week … Guam will face India, Myanmar and Chinese Taipai in the round-robin tournament, with the winner advancing to the AFC Challenge Cup in Maldives next year … Guam will face Myanmar on Saturday; March 2; India on Monday, March 4; and Chinese Taipai on Wednesday, March 6.
Single-game tickets on sale
Single-game tickets to 2013 New England Revolution matches are now on sale through all Ticketmaster outlets … individual tickets purchased in advance start at $24 for bowl seating … the Revolution’s Ticketmaster page is available HERE.
National Anthem contest launched
The Revolution is giving local musicians the opportunity to perform in the same venue where superstars like Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and Bon Jovi will play this summer ... ahead of its first-ever National Anthem Auditions in March, the Revolution is looking for talented soloists, groups, instrumentalists and other unique musicians to perform the anthem for the team’s 2013 home games at Gillette Stadium... performers interested in being considered can submit their sample performances digitally between now and 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15 ... more information on the National Anthem auditions, including how to make submissions is availableHERE.
2013 Turf Tour continues next week
The Revolution’s 2013 Turf Tour at local indoor sports facilities continues this week, ahead of its 2013 home opener on Saturday, March 23 … the tour got underway on Feb. 1 with a stop at the Wide World of Indoor Sports in North Kingstown, R.I., and will continue with more stops before the home opener:
- Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Forekicks, Norfolk, Mass.,
- Thursday, Feb. 28 at JunglePlex, Plymouth, Mass., and
- Thursday, March 21 at Kroc Center, Dorchester, Mass. (not open to public)
Each event will contain two portions: a soccer clinic – held for a preselected group of local children – and an open-to-the-public Q&A and autograph session … more info on the 2013 Turf Tour is available HERE.
REVOLUTION ACADEMY UPDATE
Spring schedule kicks off this weekend
All three of the Revolution Academy’s youth teams will the spring half of their 2012-13 schedule on Sunday at Gillette Stadium … the U18s and U16s will take on FC Westchester, while the U14s are scheduled to play Oakwood SC, all on Sunday, March 3.
Scales in France with French Football Federation
Revolution Director of Youth Development – and head Under-16 coach – Bryan Scales is currently in France participating in the new youth training curriculum announced by Major League Soccer and the French Football Federation (FFF) … Scales is one of 21 participants in the inaugural 16-month youth development course in which they’ll earn Elite Formation Coaching License (EFCL) … more information about the MLS-FFF partnership can be found HERE, including a list of all the participants and the course schedule.
Alumni sign with Iceland’s Tindastoll FC
Former Under-18 players Ruben Resendes (Fall River, Mass.) and Chris Tsonis (Dartmouth, Mass.) have signed professional contracts with Icelandic club Tindastoll FC … both were members of Revolution U18 team during its inaugural 2008-09 season, graduated and played collegiately Southern New Hampshire University … still closely tied to the Revolution youth development program, Resendes is currently a coach with the Revolution Academy’s Player Development Programs, and both he and Tsonis are expected to train with the youth squads until their departure in April.
Apajee crowned RI Gatorade POTY
Revs Under-16 midfielder Danny Apajee was named Rhode Island’s Gatorade Player of the Year last week … a junior, Apajee scored 15 goals and added eight assists for La Salle Academy, leading the Rams (13-2-3) to the Division I state championship match … he earned NSCAA first-team all-state and All-New England honors, and is currently ranked at No. 72 in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s national list of 2014 graduates … Apajee has made a verbal commitment to attend and play soccer for Syracuse University beginning in the fall of 2014.
Season to-date records
Coming out of their winter hiatus, the Under-18s are 8-2-0 (24 pts.) overall and rank second in the Northeast Division of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s East Conference based on points per game … the Under-16s hold a 4-2-4 record (16 pts.) and are currently in fourth place in the division … the Under-14s enter the break at 4-2-0 (12 pts.), which is good for sixth in U.S. Club Soccer’s Northeast Pre-Academy League.
Summer Player Development Programs enrolling
The Revolution Academy’s Player Development Programs are now enrolling for summer sessions, with locations all over New England … the Revolution Academy trains players of all abilities in all aspect of the game, including ball mastery, speed of play, coordination and balance and movement with and without the ball … the objective of all the training programs is to replicate the speed, tempo and environment of the Revolution Youth Teams’ training sessions … through the age-appropriate player development sessions, we foster an atmosphere that is competitive, challenging, demanding and fun … encouragement and support from our professional coaching staff allows every player to gain a better understanding of – and continued passion for – the game … more information, including the full summer schedule, is availableHERE (.pdf).
