Revolution Notebook

February 24, 2009

After three weeks of indoor training in New England and one week of additional training in Austin, Texas, the Revolution will finally take the field for their first preseason match of the season at 8:30 p.m. EST Saturday as they take on Austin Aztex FC, a newcomer to USL-1.

Steve Ralston

Shalrie Joseph and the Revolution have begun outdoor training. (CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

The match will be the first for the Revs in almost four months, as they last played on Nov. 6, when they were eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs by the Chicago Fire.

Revolution travel with 26-man roster

The Revs have brought 26 players to Austin, providing the coaching staff with plenty of talent to evaluate during the week-long trip.

While the rest of the team arrived Monday, defender Gabriel Badilla, who has been limited in the opening weeks of preseason training because of lower back pain, will join the team today.

New England began the 2009 preseason with 27 players on its training camp roster, but keeper Brian Visser is no longer in camp.

First taste of outdoor training

The Revolution have six training sessions scheduled between Tuesday and Friday, although it’s more likely that the club will train just once a day for a total of four sessions.

This should provide the coaching staff with its first opportunity to truly evaluate the players, especially those fighting for roster spots. Head coach Steve Nicol has stated publicly that he wants to wait until the club is training outdoors before judging the players’ abilities.

Wake Forest, Carolina Railhawks to follow

Following their stay in Austin, the Revs will return to Foxborough briefly before departing for North Carolina for a 12-day preseason training trip (March 4-15). The excursion will be the club’s second and final trip before opening the season at San Jose on March 21.

The Revs will be stationed in Greensboro for the first four days of the trip and will play a match against 2007 NCAA champion Wake Forest University at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.

The club will then travel to Cary for the remaining eight days of the trip, which will conclude with a match against the USL-1 Carolina Railhawks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14.

Former Aztex player returns with Revs

Austin Aztex FC fans will notice a familiar face on the Revolution’s side of the field when the two clubs square off Saturday.

Forward Chris Salvaggione, who was drafted by the Revolution in the third round (38th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, spent the summer of 2008 playing with the Austin Aztex FC Under-23 team in the Premier Development League. After spending last summer with the Aztex, Salvaggione returned to UNC-Charlotte for his senior season before being drafted by the Revs in January.