Please note dear readers, this is not a blog.  I’m going to try hard not to even have an opinion on the following translation… but, that’s probably not possible.  But it’s not a blog, because, if I blog about something right now, it should really be about my first ever Revolution away match this weekend.  That’s blog-worthy.  But that would take more time and mental energy than I have right now.

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?