Twellman Disappointed, Not Bitter

Focused on Revs Despite Blocked Transfer

March 25, 2008

By Nick Williams

Less than four months after the Revolution declined a $2.5 million transfer bid for his services, depriving him of a chance to play against superior competition and earn a far greater salary, Taylor Twellman isn�t bitter.

The Revs� striker is disappointed though, and he conveyed such in comments to a throng of reporters during the club�s media day Wednesday.

Taylor Twellman is focused on the Revs, although he's disappointed his transfer was blocked. (CHRIS ADUAMA/ aduama.com)

�It�s a positive for any player to get interest, but I�m not gonna lie to you -- it�s a disappointment,� Twellman said of the rejected bid to Preston North End, a club in England�s second division. �But Saturday I�m playing for the Revs.�

Preston North�s bid for Twellman reached as high as $2.5 million with incentives that could have pushed the deal to $3 million before it was ultimately rejected by Major League Soccer. The club planned to pay the Revs� all-time leading scorer an annual salary of $1 million. Twellman�s current deal with MLS pays him about $350,000 per season.

Although Twellman admitted he was disappointed, he reiterated that he still plays for the Revs and that�s all he�s focused on right now.

�As long as I�m playing in MLS, my heart and soul is with the Revolution,� he said.

Twellman, perhaps the face of the franchise and club�s all-time leading scorer with 91 goals and 26 assists in six seasons, attracted the interest of Preston North End just one year after drawing a $1 million transfer bid from Norway's Odd Grenland. That bid was also rejected and Twellman ended up inking his current pact, a 4-year, $1.4 million deal.

Twellman lost his long-time partner up front this offseason when the Revs allowed Pat Noonan to walk after offering the forward a deal far below his market value. Noonan ended up signing with Norwegian club Aalesund, leaving a scoring void he helped fill for four years with the club after being drafted in first round in 2003.

His departure also means that Twellman will have to find a comfort zone with a new running mate after he and Noonan had developed such a rapport the past few years.

�Obviously losing a guy like Pat, where he and I had a good understanding�� Twellman said, trailing off. �Whoever is playing up top, we�ve got to do our jobs. Our strength is there is a lot of competition. That�s a tribute to Stevie [Nicol] and the attitude he brings in.�

Noonan�s replacement will likely come from the combination of Kenny Mansally, the 20-year-old who led the Revs in preseason scoring with five goals, and Adam Cristman, the second-year player out of Virginia who netted four tallies in limited time last year.

�There�s going to be a period of adjustment,� said Revs� keeper Matt Reis. �We�ve got some new players playing some significant minutes for us. We need guys to step up, but that�s the case every year.�

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