Opinion: New Captain Needed to Right Revs Ship

February 22, 2011

by Eric Slack

As a Revolution season ticket holder since their inaugural season, I've watched many players come and go. I've suffered through some pretty bad teams and watched some horrible soccer, all in the name of supporting what I didn't have as a young player growing up in the area.

Then, somehow in the midst of the last decade, the Revolution became good. OK, not by elite world soccer standards, but the Revs of the mid-aughts were a solid team, capable of playing some decent ball. They broke my heart by failing in so many MLS Cups, but Open Cup and SuperLiga triumphs somewhat softened the blow and made going to games something I looked forward to.

I had the opportunity to work for the team right before the height of their on-field success. Heading into the 2002 season while I was the team's publications coordinator, the Revolution drafted a young, promising player named Shalrie Joseph out of St. John's. He didn't join the team while I was there, but as soon as he did the following year, he was an instant success. He has been at the heart of the squad for almost a decade, and he is still a critical piece of the puzzle.

Joseph is a leader on the team by virtue of his talent. But he's not a captain. Last season, he took the captain's armband after Steve Ralston's departure. However, he missed a significant portion of the beginning of last year because he had to take part in the Major League Soccer substance abuse and behavioral health program. Now, he and the talented, yet oft-injured Kevin Alston have been sent home from training camp for an unspecified violation. I'm not about to speculate why. Whatever the reason, Joseph has sacrificed his right to wear the captain's armband.

The captain has a responsibility as a teacher. He needs to lift teammates up with his play on the field and his actions off of it. Team captains are supposed to resolve problems, not cause them. They are supposed to help the coach, not give them headaches. They are role models for their teammates and their fans. Joseph bears an added responsibility because he is also president of the Shalrie Joseph SC youth soccer club.

Playing for the Revolution has to be a difficult process at times. The organization's approach to marketing has left the Revolution with a relatively small base of fanatics. The team plays in a massive, empty cavern of a stadium, with ownership placating desires for a smaller stadium with media speak and no action.

Ownership has resisted calls to make a splash on the free agent market and was dragged kicking and screaming into starting a youth program. Joseph has been prevented from playing overseas after transfer opportunities to Scotland's Celtic were dashed, and his opportunity at playing in a World Cup was killed by his own decision to suit up for Grenada. During last year's all-star game, Joseph was famously quoted by the TV announcers as essentially being fed up with the direction of the team. Clearly, all is not well when the captain is breaking rules and calling the organization out publicly.

I have little doubt about Joseph's professionalism on the field. I don't know if the relationship between Joseph, Steve Nicol, Mike Burns and the higher ups is broken beyond repair, but I thoroughly expect him to play well for the team this year. But he can no longer lead it. He is simply not mentally prepared to be captain of this team. He may well be part of the team's on-field turnaround, and he may be a leader in the turnaround because of his skills as a player. But he can't lead it as the bearer of the captain's armband. It is time for the Revs to select someone else to carry that burden.