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Taylor Twellman never was able to get in a groove in 2008. (CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com). |
Things started off brightly for the Revs, with a dominating 3-0 victory over the 2007 MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo. The game saw the emergence of Gambian teenager Sainey Nyassi, who capped an impressive performance in his first start with a remarkable run and finish in the 93rd minute to put the result beyond doubt. Missing starters Taylor Twellman and Khano Smith, the match seemed to show the Revs had found new depth, despite losing midfielder Andy Dorman and defenders Avery John and James Riley in the offseason.
Injuries continued to pile up for the Revs with captain Steve Ralston missing several matches as the club went 3-3-1 in the first seven games. Ralston returned to the lineup and the team went unbeaten in its next seven games to take over first place in MLS. The streak also saw the emergence of Gambian Youth International Kenny Mansally and Zimbabwean Kheli Dube as competition for Adam Cristman for the starting spots at forward.
After a loss on June 21 at Salt Lake, the Revs would continue their impressive form, going unbeaten in nine games through all competitions. The streak came despite injuries to several key players, including Twellman. That stretch saw the Revs claim the SuperLiga crown, beating Mexican opponents CF Pachuca, Santos Laguna, and Atlante on the way, and advance to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, while maintaining a strong lead atop the MLS standings.
Such a busy schedule, a direct result of the Revs recent success, finally caught up with them, on August 9, when a clearly fatigued side failed to hold onto an early lead against the Chicago Fire and fell 2-1 for their first loss in over two months. The team only managed to win two games in its last 18 matches through all competitions. Cristman, since traded to Kansas City for a draft pick, suffered a season-ending injury early in this stretch.
The club’s Open Cup title defense ended early as Steve Nicol used a weak lineup against D.C. United in the semifinals and the Revs were eliminated. The team also crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League in the preliminary round against Trinidad & Tobago’s Joe Public F.C., losing by an aggregate score of 6-1 despite being heavily favored.
After the disappointment of falling short in the Open Cup and Champions League, the Revs only had the MLS regular season left to focus on and with only one game a week for the rest of the season, both the Supporter's Shield and MLS Cup still were within reach. The Revs, however, fell 4-0 to the Columbus Crew in their next league match on Sept. 4 and the Crew began to establish a lead atop the MLS standings.
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Steve Ralston went down with an injury a few weeks before the postseason. (CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com). |
A week later, the team showed some possible signs of a revival with an impressive 4-0 victory over Chivas USA. The Revs scored four second half goals, the most they tallied all season, and goalkeeper Matt Reis earned his first league shutout since June 12. However, the Revs failed to build on this inspiring performance and did not win another game all season, limping into the playoffs with the third seed in the Eastern Conference and a 12-11-7 record.
Another injury to Ralston ended his season a few weeks before the playoffs and left the Revs without their team MVP for the most important time of the year. Ralston paced the team's offense throughout the season with eight goals and seven assists. When signs of Twellman's concussion from back in August remerged just before the playoffs, the Revs’ hopes took another major blow. After a meaningless regular season finale left the team without Smith and Gabriel Badilla due to suspension it seemed all but certain the Revs were headed for an early exit from the postseason.
Despite everything seemingly against them, the Revs put on a good display in the home leg of their first round playoff series with the Chicago Fire and were unlucky to only leave the game with a 0-0 draw after keeping the Fire pinned back for much of the match. Things did not work out as nicely on the road, however, as a late first half injury to Jeff Larentowicz to the already decimated Revs squad proved too much to overcome. After giving up a stoppage time goal just before halftime, the Revs gave up two more in the second half to fall 3-0 on aggregate to the Fire.
While claiming the SuperLiga title was the highlight of the season, the Revs end of season form left many questions to be asked. Nyassi, who looked so promising in the first half of the season, showed a significant drop in production in the second half. Similarly, Dube and Mansally, who looked like potential starters up top early on in the season had a combined total of just one goal after June 12. Nicol's decision to switch to and stick with a 4-4-2 formation late in the year, despite it only producing one win all season was another questionable decision.
The 2008 SuperDraft also looks to have been a disappointment for the Revs, with first round draft pick Rob Valentino never seeing the field with the first team. Second round pick Michael Videira opted to try his luck in Europe rather than sign for the Revs and Joe Germanese showed some promising signs with the reserves, but did not break into the first team. Later picks Matthew Britner and Spencer Wadsworth both either did not earn a contract or were released early in the season. Only Supplemental picks Kheli Dube and Chris Tierney had any real impact on the first team.
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First-round pick Rob Valentino never saw action with the first team. (Joyce Furia). |
Heading into the offseason, the Revs will likely lose another contributor to Seattle in the expansion draft. With Michael Parkhurst's contract expiring, it looks like the Revs top defender could be headed to Europe. A late season acquisition, Badilla, never managed to fit well with the Revs defense in 2008, but if Parkhurst leaves, Nicol will have to hope a preseason with the team is the solution or he'll have to look outside the team for a replacement.
Nicol may also need another option on the left side of the midfield with both Smith and Mauricio Castro proving to be inconsistent throughout the season. He will need to address the same issue on the right, where Nyassi and Wells Thompson showed the same problem. Finding another player who can fill in for Ralston in the center of a five man midfield if the Revs do go back to a 3-5-2 next season should also be a top priority as is a consistent finisher to complement Twellman up top, assuming he stays.
Last year left the Revs still without an MLS Cup and it seems almost certain the Revs will need some new additions if they are finally going to bring home the cup in 2009.
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