Goodbye 2010 - Hello 2011

January 2nd, 2011

Welcome to 2011, New England soccer fans. 2010 is in the books, and the power of hindsight allows us to look back on the great and not so great moments of the past year while we also look fondly into the distance for what we hope will be a year full of brilliant moments on the soccer field.

Braintree's Scott Caldwell netted the game-winning goal in the 2010 NCAA DI championship. Courtesy Akron Athletics - Photo by Mike Wise

Although our two professional teams, the Revs and the Breakers, came up short in their pursuit of league championships, the year had some great moments for players and teams from the area. Most obvious were the Final Four appearance by the Boston College women's team and the goal by Braintree's Scott Caldwell that lifted Akron to an NCAA DI men's soccer title. Bowdoin's appearance in the NCAA DIII men's final four, the Boston Aztec WPSL National Championship, and the Scorpions Elite U15 girls run to the USYS national finals all stood out as well.

As for the lows, the Revolution season has to be right at the top. Aside from an appearance in the SuperLiga final, it was a disastrous campaign. In many ways, the downward spiral that is the Revolution, in terms of both on-field success and dwindling attendance, is the biggest disappointment in New England soccer history. In the early days of MLS, we were the attendance juggernaut. Just a few years ago, we were a perennial MLS Cup contender. Now we are an also ran and an afterthought.

The Krafts are competitive people, and their ownership group wants the Revolution to succeed ala the Patriots, but the organization's overall lack of soccer acumen on the business side stands in the way of effectively marketing the team to soccer fans and making timely decisions. For example, the decisions to open up seating on both sides of the field at Gillette, promote Jeff Lemieux to staff writer & host, and beginning to market more to adult soccer fans and not just the youth market are all good decisions that were made about a decade too late.

Three things can revive this franchise – its own stadium, a marquee signing along the lines of Beckham or Henry, and an MLS Cup championship. Looking from the outside at this point in time, all three are dubious prospects at best.

For 2011, there are many things to hope for. Top of the list is an announcement that the Revolution have finally secured a site for a soccer-specific stadium and that they make a significant signing of a talented player who is a draw at the gate. Also, best wishes to Diego Fagundez as he pursues his pro soccer dream with the Revs – we don't expect to see you on the field with the big team for a few years, but we are all behind you 100%. Some stability with the leadership of their Development Academy youth teams would also be a positive step, and hopefully Brian Scales can provide that.

For the Breakers, another few thousand in the stands along with a financially stable league would be nice. At the college level, let's hope the local teams give us as much to cheer about next fall as they did last fall. At the youth level, at least in Massachusetts, perhaps this will be the year that the powers that be in the club soccer world finally realize that a more collaborative approach to player development is preferred to the cutthroat mentality that places too much value on personal agendas, financial profit and trophies.

So what were your highlights and lowlights of the last year, and what are you looking forward to in 2011? Tell us at newsdesk@soccernewengland.com.