I’d like to attribute my lack of recent blogging to one specific thing, but clearly that’s not reality. A new(ish) job has me knee-deep in to-do’s, Twitter is just so much darn easier to vent with and, most frustratingly, I typically write about the Revolution.

And, at least for me, they are… well… uninspiring.

(Important note… This is clearly an on-the-field commentary. As Matt Reis showed this week, and others have in the past, we have some inspirational individuals involved with this team. It’s the soccer I’m talking about here.)

Now, to level-set, I was at the opening game in “The Fort” with a frozen wife and kids, I have seen every game this year (though some on DVR) and am sitting here still wearing my Revs shirt after having let the kids stay up past bedtime to see the end of the Revolution game. (Hopefully they wake Mom, and not I, with the multiple-goals induced nightmares.)

I’m still here. And despite my venting, I’m probably not going anywhere.

I’m just not particularly motivated by it all.

I’ve been lucky. I’ve seen games in some of the world’s treasured stadiums and have tasted what – in some bizarro alternate world – we COULD have. It’s addicting.

I’ve been to versions of that reality in Seattle, no passport required. It’s a not-too-terrible facsimile of the experience that the rest of the world enjoys. Heck, the Portland atmosphere may have them trumped. And stadiums? We’ve got at least a couple that would make quite a few European teams envious.

At the best games there’s an electricity that carries through the crowd and onto the field. There’s a certain noise that simply cannot be recreated in any other venue. It’s intoxicating. In some of my first games internationally, I had to remind myself to look at the field, as I was so enthralled by the sights and sounds pulsating throughout the stadiums.

And then there’s the action on the field. There’s an unmistakable quality that means you are surprised when a cross flies desperately away from target, not the other way around. Being fair, I’m far from a Euro-snob and will defend the value of MLS and what it brings to anyone who cares to debate it. I can admit that – without a doubt – some of the games I’ve seen internationally were of no higher quality than what we get to see in many MLS games.

However, I know deep down inside that MLS isn’t at the level of on-field and off-field excellence I’ve been able to taste elsewhere. Since 1996 I’ve dealt with that just fine.

Oddly, what’s starting to get harder to deal with is that while MLS is starting to flirt with the reality of better leagues in both atmosphere and play, it’s not happening anywhere near home.

This reality causes me to vacillate pretty heavily from non-emotionally involved critic, to silly fan-boy, to angry blogger with some frequency. (Sometimes within 140 characters, it seems.) I’ll freely admit that, and I don’t expect it to change.

After my work and my family, I’ve invested pretty much all my mental energy into my interest in this ridiculous game. Those who know me, would agree that I am barely conversant in most other sports and don’t really care to change that fact. I’ve found my game.

So from time to time, I will vent.

I will vent that my local team fails to inspire me with the “style” they have played for all these years. A style that seems to quickly marginalize creative players for more athletic replacements. Where work-rate trumps creativity. Every time.

I will vent that I don’t always feel the team’s ownership is takes the Revolution as seriously as do its most dedicated fans. (Some of which are many, many times more dedicated than I.) I can rationalize why it’s the case, as the Patriots are quite the local institution, but that doesn’t make it OK anymore. We’ve seen what’s possible across MLS.

I will vent about inexperienced coaches who everyone likes and everyone quietly worries about. We can argue about Toja or Nguyen, if Bengtson is committed, if Benny was a basket case or any other tactical choices or personnel decisions. But to my eyes, there’s more in those players than we are getting. It’s eerily late-term Nicol-esque.

I will vent about a team management organization that’s undeniably smart and committed, but that perhaps lacks the spark or creativity to shake up this organization in a way that brings meaningful change. Competence is great, but dreaming big shouldn’t be seen as a silly enterprise. Leaders lead.

I will vent that it would have been hard to create such an emotional and poignant entrance like we saw pre-game today in our own home stadium. The atmosphere, size, logistics and overall environment require our Revolution supporter’s clubs to make superhero-like efforts to create something great from quite little.

I will vent about more.

And maybe I’ll blog about it occasionally.

All that said, I’d be much happier to blog about greatness. About goals. About cheering. About a noteworthy stadium atmosphere. About that no-look pass that actually led to something. And yes, about the spirit and dedication of our team to fight for a victory.

Playing the beautiful game well and being “Boston Strong” shouldn’t be in conflict.

It’s not impossible.

It just feels pretty improbable for 2013 right now.

If I’m proven wrong, I’ll be the happiest non-venting, infrequently posting blogger around.

Interestingly, there’s already been some twitter reaction (from those not there) about the event having occured, including negativity about the off-the-record nature of some of the commentary and concerns about if we are hearing the real story.

Let me alleviate some of that angst by spilling the beans on the hottest off-the-record thing I learned, and I’ll admit it was quite a surprise.

The idea of building the country’s first subterranean soccer stadium (SSS) is so brilliant and progressive, I was blown away by its potential. It alleviates so many of the above-ground of the real-estate issues that were plaguing the project. It also explains why the team already advertises on the “T” … what a hint they had dropped. Sadly, since no sun shines underground, it’ll still be artificial turf.

OK, I kid.

But, since I won’t speak to any REAL off-the-record commentary, let me at least explain some impressions that I was left with.

The team’s outreach to the non-traditional media types is needed, logical, appropriate and gracious.

It’s needed because the Revolution’s lack of local “traditional media” coverage is both clear and frustrating for both fans and (we can only presume) management alike.

It’s logical, because it both informs the blogger/writer corps with some facts that are otherwise hard to share in other forums while building a level of understanding and a potential disincentive to jump on the “rant” wave that so easily takes over after any questionable decision.

It’s appropriate, because despite traditional media’s place atop the news food chain, it’s not a growth market and soccer has always thrived in alternative and online media anyway.

And it’s gracious, because however much the team officials might REALLY want to swat us away like some annoying, blogging, know-it-all gnats, they don’t. In fact, they hide that potential desire really, really well. Kudos.

I’ll offer this: largely, the event works.

As anyone whose spent time on Soccer Soap Box or following me on Twitter probably knows, I’m frequently pretty critical of the organization. And no doubt that it will continue to be that way when needed.

I realize that one (of a number) of reasons the team would host such an event is to humanize team management and explain (spin?) certain decisions in the light that they’d prefer. I undersand that as an objective writer about the team (well, mostly objective) that I must remain immune to such obvious ploys. (Mmm, desserts.)

But the fact remains that events like tonight’s nevertheless help deflate some of the most egregious of our fantastically negative assumptions.

Frankly, it’s easy, and often intellectually lazy, to throw 140 character bombs on Twitter about how clueless management is. Heck, I admittedly have tread pretty close to that line myself.

(One thing that should be made clear: is that despite their sharing of rules and information, and my having had an on-going dialogue with the team’s communications staff, they’ve never – ever – tried to change or influence anything I’ve written. I find that both noteworthy and commendable.)

But it must be said that Mike Burns and Brian Bilello (the front office stars of the night) are not clueless. In fact, they are both quite smart and super-knowledgable. That isn’t to say they are infallible or above criticism, as they most certainly are neither. In fact, after the last few seasons they’ll probably admit that without much pushback.

Nor can I see, however, how anyone argue that the front office doesn’t do what it thinks is best for the team. They do. We can, and will, argue that perhaps it’s not actually the right thing, or that they have skimped on certain investments, or made lousy decisions – clearly that’s all true in certain instances.

Now, can I really offer any real insight about things like how involved the Krafts are, or should be, in this team? Or will I ever truly understand how closely (or not) Sunil Gulati remains? Or know for sure the true aggression with which the team is driving for a soccer specific stadium?

No.

No on-the-record or off-the-record conversations can ever eliminate the conspiracy theories that the blogosphere and twittersphere can conjure up. And that’s OK.  It gives us something to talk about.

I can imagine that at this point, some of you have decided that after a dinner-date at Gillette, I’ve jumped ship and I’m in the front-office’s pocket, right?  Let me offer that I see it a bit differently.

I think it’s OK to acknowledge that the job of the Revolution management has is not an easy one. It’s not simple to build stadiums in the Boston area or keep fan interest in a market that offers champions in all major sports. It’s not easy getting foreign player transfers done or deciding which veterans to trade and which DP’s to pursue.

The good news: the Revolution front office has the smarts and knowledge understand their plight and plot logical moves forward.

And since that is the case, we should demand that their decisions are as good – no, BETTER – than other teams in the league.

And despite how smart they are, if it doesn’t work out, we: the fans, the bloggers, the real media, should continue to let them know about it.

And we will.

But frankly, given the toughness of their market and situation, I’m not left with a concern about them being smart or knowledgeable enough. They seem to have that covered.

If there was an area that concerns me, it is that their smarts has led them to a pragmatism that means they can appear devoid of the passion that they probably do indeed have for this team. It’s as if they are afraid to dream; afraid to weave a story of “what could be.”

Pragmatism is good for management, but not for passionate leadership.

And that worries the “media” side of me as well as the “fan” side of me. Because passion and creativity can be contagious, but smarts rarely are.

So Thank you, Revolution leadership for sharing your time and expertise in an open and very worthwhile discussion.  And while I’m certain to disagree from time to time, I’m convinced that efforts are being made to do what you think are the right things to make the Revolution succeed on the field and in a crowded and difficult market.

Now, maybe it’s time to stop thinking so much, and start building and sharing the dreams your fan base so desperately needs to hear.  Maybe then they’ll display more of that ’Pride and Passion’ they’ve already been told they have.

For full disclosure, as I start typing this (with the family finishing dinner in the other room) I am a member of TWO New England supporters groups. In fact, I’ve been a member of The Midnight Riders and The Rebellion since about 11AM today.  (Though after this post, I may be denied entry after all…)

Of course, I’ve been a Revolution supporter for much longer and a blogger/twitter/general-pain-in-the-backside for a couple years now. I hadn’t joined the groups earlier because I never wanted to leap over the fence of self-proclaimed distance-keeper to full-fledged fanboy. For some reason, I thought it would be hard to write unbiased thoughts if I was a “New England Till I Die” guy, but in the end, I felt the supporters groups deserved MY support. And I have no doubt I’ll continue to be a vocal and unbiased believer that it’s not above my local team’s reach to play the game in a way that enthralls.

Maybe it’s because I crossed that chasm today and needed a clear counter-balance, or maybe I just needed a release from the daily grind, but following the event on Twitter, I quickly realized that I couldn’t keep my ridiculous commentary to myself tonight, so now you, dear reader, are subject to it.

Note: I think the team does a great thing by bringing in the supporters and is trying to do its best to run the team the way they believe will be most successful. Honestly. The Front Office probably doesn’t deserve any of the below commentary, but I couldn’t help myself with having a bit of fun with them. I take that back, they might deserve SOME of it…

So as I saw the questions and answers go by, I wondered… What if Revolution Management ended up like Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar? What if there was absolutely no filter between management’s thoughts and their words? What if we all saw behind the curtain?

Are these the real answers we’d get? Nah, of course not. Well, maybe a couple of them are, but most are the delusional ranting of a soccer blogger who really needs to get out to a game soon.

But since I found them amusing, maybe you will too. I tried to capture them more-or-less the way they flew by on Twitter, often keying off a theme provided by the front office. Sometimes not doing that at all. Enjoy.

(By the way, I’d really stop here if you didn’t show up with a sense of humor…)

———–

Why don’t you seem to take US Open Cup seriously?

Are you kidding? Spend money, tire the ridiculously thin roster and travel to some god-awful place for a game that exactly 237 New Englanders know is happening? Please.

What’s the deal about the Soccer Specific Stadium we are all desperate for?

It’s all about feasibility. You know, how feasible that we can keep dangling this in front of you year after year the right times before you all just give up. Do you really think we’d leave our owner’s palace and let it sit idly until our football team comes back for pre-season training?

Have you ranked potential sites for the Soccer Specific Stadium?

Yes, currently Gillette Stadium occupies spots 1-3. The practice bubble is right behind though.

Will David Vaudreuil be replaced?

Who?

How will the partnership with the Rochester Rhinos actually work?

We have no idea at this point. That said, we figure it cannot be any less impactful than the reserve league has been, so what the heck, we’ll give it a whirl. We’ve strategically committed to a one year, long term development relationship.

What’s up with playing during US Qualifiers?

We are one of a bunch of teams that is OK for playing on those dates. We don’t ever lose any US players anyway, and nobody, anywhere, with a remote interest in soccer, wants more rainy, Wednesday-night games in the echo chamber. It actually kind of spooks the players.

Is it true you lost the chance to play at Harvard for the US Open Cup on a coin flip?

Yes, who knew our tried and true player acquisition decision system would backfire on us? We need new coins.

How’s Sainey Nyassi coming along?

Great. He’s getting a bit pricey for a water boy, but he’s super-fast.

How’s Saër Sène’s recovery coming along?

Pretty well. It’d be quicker if he didn’t have to walk everywhere, but if you’ve seen him drive you’d make him walk too.

Are you still trying to sign Chad Barret?

Yes, there are a number of fans in The Fort who still sing the YSA chant and deserve to get whacked in the head for their foul language by stray shots gone wide and high.  It’s cheaper than adding more TeamOps folks.

Do you plan on doing more to engage with the region’s Portuguese population?

Yes, that’s why we signed Goncalves. Oh, and we’re planning a Nacho night.

Why do you think Jerry Bengston will have a better year in 2013 with the Revolution?

After we traded the Spanish speakers he was distracted by, we figure he’ll be more focused. And, we bought him a Spanish-English dictionary. We may also shred his passport, but that move is not finalized.

What can be done to get the folks in the “morgue” to be louder?

You’re thinking of it the wrong way. We’ve decided to go with the fans, not against them. There are some plans to offer Retirement Home discounts in sections that are a comfortable distance from The Fort. We call it Community seating.

What about using the Jumbotron to get people involved?

We’ve considered hiding cameras in the restrooms and taking pictures of the quiet fans at inopportune moments and then threatening to show them on the screen if they didn’t start making some noise. It didn’t test well in our focus groups though. We don’t get it, we heard other stadiums are getting more interactive.

How about getting people to stand up for the last few minutes of the game?

Well, the stadium has installed tazers in the seats in certain sections, they’ve been working wonders on drunk Pats fans and we are very optimistic for the 2013 season on their implementation for the Revs. We call them, “The Awakeners.”

Why are Season Ticket Holder counts shrinking?

Have you watched the team the last two years? Next question…

Why can’t we find more Revolution merchandise?

It’s simple it if won’t sell Adidas has no reason to make it. We are working with other like-minded teams on an answer. In fact, we have asked Adidas to consider making reversible shirts with FC Dallas on the other side. Win/win.

When do you think the Revolution would look to employ a full time scout?

You mean other than YouTube?

What do you think of Grant Wahl’s assessment of how ambitious the team is?

We’ve never spoken to Grant Wahl or most other media. Besides, we are at least 17^th in that regard, and everyone knows it.

Would you consider having Shalrie Joseph back at some point so he could retire as a Revolution player?

Well, we sent him to Chivas, that’s a bit like retirement already, no? I suppose we’d welcome him come back, but we figure he’d punch out Heaps, so it might need to wait a season until we give up on that experiment.

How involved are the Kraft’s with the Revolution?

They are very involved at the MLS level. So, in that way, yes they are aware they have a team. We run big decisions by them. You know, stuff like should we trade Shalrie? How low to cut the turf on game day. Where to order pizza for Jose Moreno. Big stuff. 

Do you think the team performed up to its full potential last year?

No, but we blame Vaudreuil. Heaps dresses too nicely to be part of the problem.

And this year?

We’re going to be better. We haven’t played a game yet, but until we do, we’re better. No doubts.

————

Well, that’s all folks. If I haven’t had my Supporters Group memberships revoked by next year’s event (or by the time this gets read), maybe I’ll attend the event and actually write something of use in 2014.

Until then, it’s sport.

Enjoy it.

But what then motivated me tonight to clack away at the keyboard when there are plenty of other worthwhile things to be doing (not the least of which would be catching up on sleep)…

In reality, it was the realization that I just tweeted about: That Revolution fans, of which I am one – if not the most robust “NETID” type – sometimes can often be our own worst enemy. OK, maybe it’s the most active and social-media engaged fans that have the issue, but heck, that’s the circle I spin in.

The specific issue was a fairly innocuous tweet from now ex-Rev Benny Feilhaber. In responding to positive, welcoming tweets from his new, hometown fans in Kansas City, where it was suggested to him that they were the “best fans in the country”, Benny responded.

Without other color added to this, Revolution fans decided Benny was suggesting that the home fans here in New England were yelling at him. I saw the localized uproar before reading the tweet and allowed myself to take the same reading of it.

But why? I mean, it’s a possible interpretation I suppose. But clearly not the only one. Later, after being called to the mat for it, Benny clarified.

Oh, that does make sense actually. Never mind.

But who cares, right? This was just a momentary Twitter misunderstanding/flare-up. It happens. Benny, frankly, dealt with it well and even said “no worries. I like passionate fans!!” in reply to fans realizing they jumped on him for a misinterpretation.

But why bother writing about any of this, done and dusted, right?

Well, sort of.

You see, as much as I just painted Benny in quite a mature light for his handling of the tweet-down he was getting from over anxious New England fans, he did have a history of somewhat pedantic behavior on the field for New England. There were times were it was clear his frustration was growing and he’d seemingly let himself get taken off his game as he spent too much time worried about calls and what didn’t go right.  And that hurt.

But this post isn’t an indictment of Benny. I was one of the many who was quite excited about his arrival. For a number of years, skillful and creative were not words quickly associated with what the Revolution showed on the field. But they were craved.

Benny became a potential emergency life raft in our sinking ship of soccer. He was known as a technical player with an eye toward the creative pass. And who can ever forget that Gold Cup golazo against Mexico?

But let’s face it, during his tenure here, the Revolution weren’t very good. Wait, let me be clear, the Revolution were bad.

Was that Benny’s fault? No.

Was he faultless?  No.

Did his occasional look of discontent and appearance of an attitude issue help turn fans against him? You bet.

But here’s the irony: Benny’s apparent attitude issues that so angered the New England fans so much are more or less the mirror image of the attitude issues they (we) are guilty of from the (especially digital) sidelines.

Frustration.

Being overly vocal about complaints.

Sometimes not getting along with the team.

So Revolution fans, it’s time to come to grips with something. Benny may not be the best teammate in town. Moving him might well have been the right move for a number of reasons.

But as the optimism of pre-season kicks in, let’s not scapegoat a talented player as WHY the team was bad for these few years, and let’s not be shocked if he fits in better with Sporting KC.

The Revolution’s problems were quite a bit deeper than that and shipping away one malcontent doesn’t fix all the performance ills. The team’s likelihood of living up to the attacking, passing, skillful brand of soccer our young coach has promised fans last year are far from guaranteed in 2013. In fact, the three most prominent additions to the team this offseason were a rookie defensive back, a big European center-back that appears to be fighting two young defenders for a starting role in pre-season, and a midfield enforcer who last played in rough-and-tumble English leagues. Not exactly Brazilian midfield maestros.

Might they provide the cover needed to let our more creative players like Lee Nguyen make their mark? Maybe.

But dumping our failures on one skillful player’s questionable attitude is a bit short-sighted, a bit of an over-reaction and probably not very mature.

Which, if we’re honest, sounds a lot like how would describe the player who we chose to blame and ship away.

The question remains, if we aren’t better in 2013, who gets the blame then?

And as we go into the new season, which attitude issues should worry us more; those of an ex-Revolution player or our own?

But, I was asked for some help with translating a “FutbolRed” article about Jose Pepe Moreno (remember him?) that Bent Musketeer, Rebellion super-fan and newly engaged all-around decent dude Brendan Schimmel sent my way.  Who could say no to that guy?

Feel free to play around with your favorite online translator with the article at your own pace (“Jugaba en un equipo sin sangre”, afirmó ‘Pepe’ Moreno), but here’s my take.  I’ll gloss over some parts and highlight some others.  Hey, given my soccer-blogging-translation-services salary, stop expecting the world, will ya?

Overall, Moreno affirms the fact that he regretted joining MLS and decided to return to Colombia.  The exact circumstances of that return are a bit odd according to this, as he makes it sound like the Revolution tried to keep him for three more seasons and made attractive financial offers to do so.  But he decided to go home.  The article also says he missed almost two months due to an ankle injury “caused by the synthetic turf” where the Revolution play.

How much of this is a player saving face, and how much is reality, we’ll probably never know. The more juicy bits for me, however, were not about his contract.  Regarding the team, he had these things to say.

He said they appeared to want him to be bored, they took him to all the games but didn’t play him.  He said after they lost seven or eight games, he told the coach that in Colombia the coach would have been fired already and the players would need to leave the stadium under police protection.  “Because of this, I started to collide with the coach a lot.”  Well, the direct translation would be that he started to “hit” with the coach a lot, but overall it means they would not see eye to eye.

He goes on to say, and this is where it gets interesting: “I expected more from the sporting side, even though before traveling there I had seen that they were last the previous seasons, but they had brought in good players, however, there was much coldness in the group, it was a team that hadn’t any blood.”  I’d take that blood to mean the team had no passion, no soul, something to that end.  Which makes sense, as he continues…

“The players come from the universities and it appears that nothing matters. Whether we win or lose, they hit the disco and get back late to the hotel.”

Ouch.

After that, he speaks of trying to find a club for next season, that he’s spoken to first-division Huila, but they couldn’t find an offer that works.  He says he’s had offers from the second division in Colombia, but he’s waiting for a good offer.

Some of this is clearly sour grapes from a player who never fully wanted to be here.  Of that, there is no doubt.

But some of this, it should be argued, are comments by a player who has seen a number of teams in a number countries indicting the drive and seriousness – note, not the talent – of the New England Revolution.

Well the offseason started about 24 hours ago, Mr. Heaps.  The one thing nobody expected you to struggle with this year was heart and soul.  A veteran striker (potential head-case that he may be), just told the world your team “no tiene sangre”, what’s the plan to prove him wrong?

(Let me note right up front, there’s thread here that I do agree with, which goes something like this “For goodness sake it’s only Twitter.”  True.  If you are firmly in that camp, please, just move on or you’ll be driven – even more – crazy.)

So back to the fire burning on Twitter, where you’ll note I was not a fire-starter.  I’ve seen the apathy or lack of understanding and (had) decided 140 character debates weren’t worth it. But, as a fan who thinks logic might help the team, a silly self-promoter and someone interested in the topic of Twitter use for marketing, etc. I do jump in when baited.  I’m more gasoline than match, I suppose.

So since 140 character sound-bites feel good, but explain little, I’ve again resorted to a blog post.  Again. I’ve just re-read my original post called #Revs Delusions Of Twitter Grandeur and I still stand by the logic and reasoning.  If you want to spar on Twitter or wherever – please read that first.  I won’t repeat all the points again – but they are valid and foundational.

But I figured I’d comment on activity I’ve watched pass by on Twitter recently and add a few other comments.  BUT PLEASE READ THE LAST ARTICLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW MY VIEW IS FORMED. Some of the quotes here are from my good friends, terrific, well-intentioned people – who are just wrong.

When I think about this, do I think about it as a Revolution fan or as a Revolution-watcher with an interest in marketing and social-media strategy?  The latter.  As a fan, I understand the “don’t surrender” mentality, but as a thoughtful watcher I giggle at its uselessness.

The entire crux of the issue can be summed up with two simple questions.  What do we think the reasons of having, and having the team promote, the #Revs hashtag are?  Do you think the current environment surrounding the hashtag would be viewed as successful if balanced against those goals?

If you think the goals are about positive promotion, engaged fans, increased and balanced news and conversation – I’d say the results, while not zero,  are a far cry from where they would be without all the “noise” associated with #Revs.  The team promoting the “noisy” hashtag makes it look that much worse.  If it was “just” the fans, so be it.

Now onto the Twitter logic fantasies…

“It’s OUR hashtag.”  My previous post already discusses the absurdity on claiming something is ours in a social-media world.  It “feels good” to defend the un-defendable, but look where it gets you. It gets you to “I’m WASTED.” in one tweet, and season-ending surgery for a player in the next.  Show me the trade-mark, I’ll show you what’s yours.

“Our #Revs will outlive their bar.”  Really? What if the Revolution Bar chain becomes the TGIF of the UK?  What if the Revolution are rebranded when Santander gives cheap funding for a Soccer Specific Stadium? (Ha.)  What is the obsession with these stupid letters?  Pride over logic.

Various forms exist in the idea that “We’ll flood it with our own content until they submit to our awesomeness.”  The first article covers this as well, but 1) they don’t use Twitter like we do, 2) they don’t care, and most telling – wouldn’t we see THEM bitching on the how we are abusing what they think is “theirs” just the way we do?  THEY DON’T CARE, SO WE CANNOT WIN IN THAT WAY.

A popular, and understandable concern is “What message would it send?” First, what message does it send now?  What does it say to an on-the-fence Revolution fan? It says: bush league.  Every AM we are filled with wasted youth and ridiculous statements.  Is that a better statement?

NOTE THIS: my original article was written in FEBRUARY.  What would this discussion be if we made a logical change then?  Dead. We’d have been annoyed for a few weeks, but it would have been over.

(Sure naysayers, it’s possible – though extremely unlikely – that we could run into this problem with whatever else we choose.  A) probably not.  B) they’d need to be similarly bizarre users to our current UK friends to not care about all the noise.)

Another refrain: “#Revs is fine when there’s news.”  Great.  And when the Brits are sleeping during our PR cycle.  And the moon is in the right phase and the tides are in. C’mon. The positive halo effects of those rare wins for us are very short lived.  And then we’re back to the same ridiculousness.

And lastly, there’s the concern that if we all – or at times me in particular – stopped talking about it and just invented (my word) things to discuss about our lagging team, this wouldn’t be an issue.

Fine.  I realize my version of fandom isn’t everyone’s.  I’ll get painted as the ultimate advocate for surrender.  Admittedly, as I’ve written about, I’m not a card-carrying #NTID guy, per se.

But I very much want soccer and the Revolution to survive and thrive.  I’ve been a season ticket holder.  I’ve bought the merch.  I’ve dragged the kids.  I’ve stood in RFK to watch the lose that heartbreaking final.  Thriving , to me that means we need both die-hard, bleed for the team fans as much as we need logic and good decision-making.

So yes, sometimes I am slow to jump on the positivity and find it easier to critique. Sometimes calling a lemon a lemon (which is what we’ve been given) is indeed easier than trying to make lemonade.  It’s not my job as an outside onlooker to be the beacon of positivity and promotion or chief lemonade maker.  Serve me some though, and I’ll drink. It happens from time to time because I’m ALSO a fan.

But we cannot simultaneously claim that nobody holds the Revolution to task in the media, and then also harass the independents – even as obscure as I – for calling out a failing.  And the Twitter strategy (strategy used lightly) is failing.

I cannot wait to read to commentary from on the real fans on #Revs, amongst the high-heels, sleazy boys, proclamations of drunkenness and vodka related noise.

Trigger happy #Revs twitter-ites have gone ballistic over a relatively benign New England Revolution family discount offering for “Hispanic Heritage Night.”  (Click link, pretend not to see the Patriots wording in the URL and read the information, please.)

Basically, it’s a discounted family ticket 4-pack with free soda and nachos.  And therein lies the problem.  Associating hispanic fans to nachos has been labeled everything from clueless to near-racist.

After already having posted some Revolution commentary this week I planned to stay out of the fray, that is until I saw a good piece about the subject over at The Drug is Football.  Please go read it, I’m too busy to recreate good thinking.

But about half-way through an overly-long comment I was about to write responding to it, I decided to just post it here.  (See why you need to go read it now?)

I agree with the post on a number of levels, one of which being that this is more about a missed opportunity than anything remotely bordering on racist. For goodness sake. Tacky? Sure.  Clueless, maybe.  Potentially insensitive? I suppose. But certainly harmless.

I’m not of Hispanic descent, so I’ll pick my words as carefully as I can here.  That said, my kids are half Colombian, so maybe that makes me a quarter Latin?  (No, it doesn’t work that way, but I digress…) And with friends, family and in-laws I am lucky to have some touch with Colombian, Mexican, Peruvian and Puerto Rican cultures to only name the most obvious ones.  (And hey, I have a black friend to, so I’ll also help solve all the racial issues in the world. C’mon, why so serious Revs fans?)

So first off, as a gringo, I think we all need to relax a bit. You have to see the irony that a bunch of white dudes (for the most part) are all up in arms about this. I bet many Latino fans a) don’t know, and b) could care less.  God forbid I write… C) would probably eat the darn nachos and not have thought about this in the least.  Worse, D) are gonna be pretty ticked off if we screw up this free nacho thing.

Anyway, what The Drug is Football post helps make clear is that it’s less about how offensive this is and more about what COULD HAVE been.

The idea to have a local restaurant/caterer participate would have been great – but giving up the concessions revenue for a relationship building experience would take a long-term perspective. I don’t know that we have that.

I mean, they already don’t make people pay to park their burros… (sorry, that was too easy to pass up.)

Another idea, why not use our Latin imports as “teachable moments” — perhaps Colombian and Honduran cuisine, for example, to celebrate our players from those countries. (Sorry Hispanic revs I forgot… moving fast here.)  Maybe some other culture expressions surrounding those countries – music or otherwise.

(And by the way, I know that even the Colombians dig a good Mariachi band for a pre-wedding ‘serenata’ – it cannot be explained, but my ears don’t lie. So again, let’s all take a deep breath.)

Anyway, I’d be all in for an arepa con queso… so call that Colombian lady from the Boston Common.  Now we are talking.

All that said, I think that (after reading this and retweeting it, of course) everyone should just take a step back from the hashtag, grab some nachos and chill out.  We are clearly making a mountain out of a nacho-hill.

The bigger problem is that we need some POSITIVE mountain building, but we can work on that tomorrow, can’t we?

So it turns out I’ve not fallen off the earth, but like most people, I haven’t been to many Revolution games in person either. I have, though, watched nearly every game.  So despite a clear enthusiasm lag, I’ve far from ignored the team. But there’s more, and it is undeniable… my emotional connection to the Revolution has been tested this year.  It’s like a long-term marriage that has kept all the familiarity but lost all of the energy and intrigue. (Mrs. Soap Box, please note, I speak only theoretically, we’re all good.  Now, back to the program…)

Soccer, for me, is a game of passion and beauty.  I want to be enthralled.  I want to think the team I’m watching can deliver something of an emotional connection both on the field and in how they view the game and conduct their business. Yes, I want to see victories, but the intangibles are probably, or nearly, as important for me.

Sadly, the Revolution aren’t living up to such expectations.  (Mine or pretty much anyone else’s.)   The team has largely been incapable of creating the beautiful game on the field, certainly have continued having trouble creating passion within the fan base and simply doesn’t make decisions I can defend with both my heart and head being in agreement.

The year started positively enough, at least relative to the debacle of 2011, with an attempt at a fresh style and with a young and popular (as a player) new head coach.  New players, like Lee Nguyen brought skill and optimism. Possession improved and we occasionally didn’t boot the ball up field. It was delusional bliss, and I miss it so.

On top of that, the addition of three Colombians appeared to add skill, experience and guile from my adopted second country – heck some of these player acquisitions were announced when I was vacationing in Colombia… things looked – and felt – pretty good.

And while I was worried that appointing Jay Heaps head coach was an underwhelming and risky decision – thinking he was too inexperienced to right a ship that clearly needed a special brand of leadership (or quite possibly an exorcism), he’s a hard character to root against and I was willing to buy into the “we will attack”  battle cry.

But it wasn’t to be, was it?

The Revolution will miss the playoffs again, and were simply not good enough to suggest they deserved better.

So where are we?

Ironically, the team is full of good players.  The problem, is that ‘goodness’ is no longer enough across a team – some level of greatness is required. And we lack greatness.

Let’s review… our most exciting import?  (Arguably) Saër Sène.  He’s good.  Is he great? Not clear.  Maybe, but ‘great’ would bring that left-footed magic as well as the ability to occasionally win a header and an intensity that sometimes seems missing.  There’s potential for greatness though if he’s not done growing.

Jerry Bengston? He had a great Olympics, but has only looked good for the Revolution.

Lee Nguyen.  Certainly a good MLS player.  Can he be great at this level?  Maybe.

I could go on and on, but fundamentally the Revolution lacks stand-out leaders. It lacks All-Stars, officially or otherwise.

So to find “greatness” shrewd personnel moves would be required. It is far from clear that the Revolution have made the wisest personnel moves or that they even get the best out of what they have. Though, this year it’s the personnel decisions that baffle me most and have sucked the much of the passion out of me.

I am on record as thinking that trading Shalrie wasn’t the worst idea – and I can still see the rationale. He was not the same player from a few years ago, yet he was being paid based on that history, and certainly not his current performance.  Of course, his presence hasn’t really be replaced.

The Pepe Moreno fiasco isn’t worth commenting on at this point.  His arrival was a mess so his departure certainly was neither a surprise nor a real disappointment.  But let’s be clear, though imperfect, the guy didn’t get into European clubs because he couldn’t kick a ball.  What a mess.

Another head-scratcher was the undying affection for the Bromance-duo of AJ Soares and Stephen McCarthy.  Fine guys, but would they be a center-back pairing on any other MLS team?  Doubtful.  Unless John Lozano keyed the coach’s car, I’ll never understand how we walked away from a center-back with good history in the Colombian league without giving him a real run out.

Now, this will probably set off some warning bells for folks, but the last games, for me, are perfect examples of how my views of what I want to watch are nearly not the same as what the team is thinking.  On the bench Benny Feilhaber and Fernando Cardenas watched Ryan Guy and Kelyn Rowe get the start.

Really?

Sure, Rowe got a (deflected) goal.  And he’s a good player, a solid rookie who probably has a nice little MLS career in front of him if he keeps improving.  Heck, the Revolution fans even voted him “Man of the Match” for last game. (Oh those Revs fans, they never miss a goal…)

But for my eyes, when Cardenas is on the field the team the moves the ball more quickly and play wakes up. It becomes watchable and interesting.  He’s imperfect too, no doubt, but it is baffling he’s on the bench for this team - one that is static and constantly in search of the unexpected.  Yeah, yeah, “super-sub.”  We’ve all heard it – and some of you are guilty of saying it, “clearly, Fernando is better coming on late and running at tired defenders.” (When isn’t that the case?  Isn’t that patently true of any player? ”Messi would be more effective coming on against tired defenders.”  Ugh.)

The Super-sub cliché is a great way to write off a player you cannot figure out how to properly integrate.  On a team this devoid of movement and ideas, that’s a darn shame.

And Ryan Guy. He works hard and is a good player. Better than Benny Feilhaber?  Not for my money.

My last blog (from what seems like years ago) was about how – during an almost-good stretch of Revolution soccer – Benny seemed to have a vastly improved on-field demeanor attitude.  Well, he’s struggled to get time recently and the team hasn’t done that well either.

Both of these examples show a lack of conviction to prioritizing skill and creativity in choosing players. Rowe and Guy instead of Cardenas and Feilhaber suggests effort over style is still the plan.  The team’s style has taken a step backwards since the beginning of the year, which points to a lack of belief that they can win with attractive football.  I blogged earlier this year that if nothing else, I hoped the Revolution would “keep the faith.” That faith seems betrayed.

Let’s be clear… I know it’s not exactly Rowe vs. Cardenas or Feilhaber vs. Guy, but the comparison it creates is illustrative as far as priorities, decision-making and what type of product we’ll see on the field. Maybe if the Revs were winning ugly, it would be forgiven.  But it’s not.   The team appears half-committed to half-attractive soccer.  It remains a team without a discernible style.

This all points back to an initial worry – is Jay Heaps really ready to fix this mess?

The evidence before us is damning. Young players that aren’t game changers get more faith that seems logical. One time stars fall out of favor (Joseph, Feilhaber.) Commitment to attractive soccer has waned. Players that might be on the verge of “great” are stuck squarely in “good.”

I’m not sure what the final games of another throw-away season can show us, and despite my sliding passion… but I’m sure I’ll watch.  I’ll almost certainly tweet.  I may even blog.

But will I be connected?  Enthralled?

Right now I sense that might it take World Cup qualifying, not the Revs, to rebuild such passion.

And you tell me, what does all that say for MLS?  It is bad that a team can so frustrate a die-hard fan and squelch his hope for seeing attractive soccer in his own backyard, or it is a positive development that the league has improved enough to have marginalized teams that simply are good, but not great.

I’d normally close this post with a request for ‘greatness.’  But I’m tired: of the night, of the season, of the same-old, same-old.

So screw greatness, just give me a sign you and I speak the same soccer language. I am not writing off the idea that I could fall in love all over again.  But as they say, once-bitten twice-shy.  I have a couple season’ worth of really bad bite marks on me, so you better get working.

As we look back, amid the discussion of tactical adjustments, substitutions, defensive lapses, last minute heroics and (clearly) offside goals, one element that you hear much less about is attitude. Rather, you’ll hear a good deal about the “fight back” spirit that is within the team, but much less about the attitude that has been removed. And right now, both are noteworthy.

The fighting spirit is not to be dismissed, certainly, and it was sorely lacking in many of last-year’s games, where it became clear that the coach and players had lost the plot. I sense, as would many Revolution fans I guess, that these two last-second ties would have been defeats last year.

And that alone is something to celebrate.

I don’t know if the main reason for this positive change is Coach Jay Heaps and his staff, but he/they certainly must be a key element. If there were questions about the new Coach’s tactical acumen or experience (there were), there never was any doubt about his drive or energy. It seems we are seeing the affects of that now.

There’s another attitude adjustment that simply cannot go ignored. And that is the turnaround in play and approach from Benny Feilhaber. In fact, The Bent Musket just named Benny Feilhaber player of the month for June.

And in yet further proof that while my procrastination with this blog has helped my tan this summer, it’s done little to help my big-breaking-idea production, Steve Stoehr noted in the previously mentioned piece in The Bent Musket, that in 2011 Benny was seemingly “ hot tempered and out of sorts” and that recently he’s, instead, been “keeping his cool” this year.  This is something I’ve also noted, and been waiting to discuss for some time - but then decided to float around Barnegat Bay on vacation, instead.

While this notion of an attitude change is noted in The Bent Musket’s article, it isn’t a focus. Instead, the role change from wide midfielder, to more of a central attacking midfielder is the focus.

I don’t disagree with the significance of that change. Getting Benny to feel more a part of the game, more central and getting more touches is a good thing, and part of his continued upswing in form.

But the attitude change has been something that I’ve been marveling at. Forgetting for a moment the cause, Benny seemed equally ready to yell at refs, gesticulate and teammates that let him down or otherwise sulk on the field.

And this is an assessment from a Feilhaber fan. I was ecstatic when Benny came to the team, and excited about the possibilities such a skillful player might bring. But the attitude seemed not to match the skills, and that was saddening (and maddening.)

But, luckily, that was 2011.

In 2012, we’ve seen a very different Benny Feilhaber.

Does he he ever yell at a ref? Sure. But, it’s not with the unnecessary histrionics that we saw in 2011.

More importantly, we haven’t seen the glaring disappointment cast toward teammates when passes didn’t go to their intended location, or went unreturned after a run. We’ve also seen a significantly increased defensive work-rate.

The Bent Musket having appointed him the Player of the Month is a sign that others too are seeing this change. And all Revolution fans are certainly happy about it.

But it brings up an interesting question… why the change? I certainly don’t have any definitive answers for this, but here’s a few thoughts to keep in mind.

The 2011 Revolution Reality Check - Benny’s career has taken a pretty bumpy path to the Revolution, and he landed into MLS, without knowing what team he’d be on. “Lucky” him, it was a terrible Revolution team, one that would finish the season with only five wins, miss the playoffs, replace its coach and generally not play great soccer. That’s a tough landing for a player that undoubtedly thinks/knows he can play at a high level. Getting accustomed to that new reality is certainly going to affect one’s mental approach.

The 2012 Reboot - The Revolution have changed quite a bit in 2012, and this change has helped a number of areas, including Benny’s focus and attitude. Since so much has changed, that makes it increasingly difficult to pinpoint what new puzzle pieces might be making the most significant impact here, but having more skillful players around him, having a refreshed/refocused coaching staff guiding the team and having the goal of a style which will see him (and he whole midfield) much more involved than previously, all seem like obvious improvements.

Fireside Chats - Now, I don’t have a clue what, if any, conversations (one on one, or otherwise) Jürgen Klinsmann might have had with Benny. (And given some of Klinsman’s proclivities, maybe there haven’t been any?) But, might he have laid out a few “to be worked on” areas for Benny to get back to the US National Team lineup? Or, might Jay Heaps sat his star midfielder down and told him he needs to up his game – and bring the attitude in-line with his skills? As I offered, I couldn’t tell you – maybe both or neither of these fictional chats happened, but it’s not out of the question either.

The Waiting Game - What Revolution fans don’t know much about (unless I’ve missed something) and certainly must hope to NOT be a factor, would be Benny’s contract status and his real desire to be a New England Revolution player long term. LET ME BE CLEAR that I’ve never seen or heard anything that suggests Benny is looking to depart New England, but one imagines he has bigger goals in mind. Perhaps then, it wasn’t a coach that had a fireside chat with Benny, but his agent?

A Maturation Process - Perhaps, despite all my plausible explanations, Benny’s change of temperament is simply the maturation of an extremely skillful player whose frustration at not achieving his goals in the manner he expected to was coming to the surface. It might be as simple as a new understanding that to reach his full potential, there’s a time to get down to business and let the play on the field do all the talking.

Frankly, we’ll probably never know what has led to the attitude turnaround – and stellar play – from Mr. Feilhaber, and if you are a Revolution (or US Men’s National Team) fan, you probably don’t truly care, as long as it continues.

Either way, congrats to Benny and congrats to the Revs for giving a platform for him to make this adjustment.

As Revolution fans, we can only hope that MLS, Mr. Heaps and Mr. Klinsmann can conspire to keep him happy, productive and local, for some time to come.

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