Couple other things

As Andrew mentioned two posts down, there has been a lot of other news that we haven't posted about due to busy personal schedules. Here's my take on a few.

The Sporting-Celtic game at Fenway was awesome. It was really cool to see a soccer game in that stadium, with a greater number of constantly-enthusiastic fans than any baseball game you'll see there. Seriously. People aren't loud non-stop for any baseball game, anywhere, no matter the stage; it's due to the nature of the sport. I already loved Fenway before this game happened, but to see it with a crowd the quality of which it deserved was pretty incredible.

Another positive concerning that game was my T ride going in. It's common to see the trains loaded with Red Sox fans on home game nights, but it was something else to see them loaded with Celtic and Sporting fans, all dressed in green. A lot of them were visibly passive soccer fans-- their green Boston Celtics T-shirts suggested this. But the atmosphere was nevertheless great.

The other major thing I'm writing about today has to do with the USMNT. After speculation about Bob Bradley going to Fulham, and a host of names thrown around for the US job, Mark Hughes has been hired at Fulham. It also came out today that Bradley will in fact coach the team for the August 10 friendly with Brazil. His contract does actually last through that game, so it's not as if this means he's staying on once it expires. However, I'm surer (and equally hopeful) that he and the team are leaning toward renewing his contract. I've been a Bradley fan pretty much since he took over, through all the "fire Bob" moments, and I hope he stays on.

The Brazil squad for that friendly looks great. Out with the old, in with the young. I wish I could go to that game, and if it were on a weekend I would.

Yeah, so Steve Ralston retired. Poor guy. Can't agree on a contract with the Revs. Goes to his hometown to get a 2nd-division team off the ground alongside Nicolas Anelka's brother. Half the ownership group backs out. Team can't afford to pay Ralston. Comes back to the Revs. Comes into a friendly for thirty seconds, and suffers a freak injury unrelated to the knee problem he recently came back from. That's his career ended.

-John

Return of Steve Ralston

Yesterday the Revolution re-signed Steve Ralston. According to Ralston himself in the video on revolutionsoccer.net, the owners of AC St. Louis, the second division team with which he had signed last offseason, has been having financial problems. Apparently he was making too much money, given said problems.

This is good for the Revolution, for two reasons. First of all, we've been seeing some good performances from young players here and there this season, but the team just hasn't been good. Hopefully Ralston's leadership will help the players become a better team collectively, as well as consistently. Secondly, they just plain need help in midfield. Joseph has been the only consistent(ly good) midfield performer-- when he's been on the field at least. In some games we've seen some promise from a young midfielder or two (Tierney and Boggs come to mind), but in other games the team has almost no midfield presence at all, especially without Joseph. You know what you're going to get with Ralston, the MLS all-time leader in games, minutes, and assists.

Anyway, the team has to improve as soon as possible. Getting Ralston back is a good start.

-John