Can the Revs turn it around in 2012?

by Eric Slack

October 22nd, 2011

The 2011 season is mercifully coming to an end for the New England Revolution. As I sit here on October 22nd watching the team's final game of the season against Toronto FC (a 2-2 draw that saw the Revs surrender another late lead), I am pondering whether or not next season will be significantly better or more of the same. There are many questions and few answers for an educated yet disconnected observer such as myself. But as the season wraps up, it presents a chance to look backward and forward at the same time. So let's do that.

The Revs say thanks. They should've said sorry.

Question: Will there be any changes in the front office from a business point of view?

Answer: Doubtful. Somehow, despite this being the least successful of all Revolution teams, the attendance numbers actually inched up a little bit. In 2010, the Revs averaged a paltry 12,987. In 2011, the number crept up to 13,222. Although still a sad figure (15th of 18 teams and well below the league average of 17,805), and though the Revolution's small band of diehard supporters will find fault with the tenure of COO Brian Bilello and an inability to draw a larger base of passionate season ticket holders, the Revolution's sales staff shows an ability to draw in the group sales that still serve as its bread and butter.

With a better on-field product, maybe (hopefully) a marquee signing, some season ticket incentives and some intriguing off-season announcements (confirmation of a new stadium development? I can dream), it isn't hard to imagine the Revs getting attendance back up to the 16,000 mark. That still won't placate those of us who want to see 20,000 or more per game, but managing to move the attendance needle up despite the poor play of the team should be enough to ensure that the Revs business brain trust remains intact.

Question: Will there be any changes to the Revolution's technical staff?

Answer: Quite possibly. Steve Nicol has been the Revs coach for a long time, since 2002. This makes him the second-longest head coach in New England's professional sports landscape behind Bill Belichick. At times this year, he seemed incredibly frustrated and unable to get his players to see out very winnable games. It may very well be that he has had enough, or that the organization has had enough of him. Nicol is really the architect behind the Revolution's roster, and he's had a hard time replenishing a player pool that just a few years ago had the Revs as perennial MLS Cup contenders.

As for Mike Burns, the Revs VP of player personnel, he's the guy responsible for signing the players Nicol wants. He has yet to really prove that he is a mastermind with a knack for getting the big deals done. On more than one occasion, the Revs have thought a foreign player signing was on the verge of completion only to see the deal fall apart. We know Burns has a limited budget to work with, but he's got to be able to pull the trigger on key signings for the Revs to compete. At the same time, signings like Milton Caraglio and Monsef Zerka have made the Revs a little more dangerous. It wouldn't be a surprise to see both Nicol and Burns step away, but it also wouldn't be a shock if the Krafts left them in charge.

Question: Will there be any changes to the roster?

Answer: Absolutely. For one thing, the league has a 19th team coming in with the expansion Montreal Impact. It is conceivable the Revs could lose someone in the expansion draft. The Revs sad season will also give them favorable draft and allocation positions, so some solid players are likely to come to the Revs through the SuperDraft and perhaps a US National Team player's return to the league. So who stays and who goes? I'm not going to get into who is under contract. Here is who I would like to see back, who I could deal with being back, and who should just go away.

I don't expect the Revs to be MLS Cup contenders in 2012. But as 2011 progressed, the team became more adept at creating and finishing chances. Plugging the leaks in the back would be enough to return to the playoffs and respectability. It shouldn't take much for the Revs to make the slight improvements needed to get back to playoff level, but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.