2012 New England Revolution season

New England Revolution

2012 season
Owner	Robert Kraft
Coach	Jay Heaps
Major League Soccer	Conference: 9th Overall: 16th
MLS Cup	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Third round
Desert Diamond Cup	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League: Saër Sène (11) All: Saër Sène (11)
Highest home attendance	25,534 v Chicago Fire (October 20)
Lowest home attendance	6,149 v Colorado Rapids (May 2)
Average home league attendance	14,002
Home colors Away colors
← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 New England Revolution season was the team's seventeenth year of existence, all in Major League Soccer. The team opened its season on March 10 at the San Jose Earthquakes and concluded on October 27 at Montreal Impact. New England's first home league game was March 24 against the Portland Timbers.

Overview

Offseason

The New England Revolution had plenty of turnover during the offseason after finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference the prior year. The Revolution fired longtime coach Steve Nicol after 10 seasons with the club, and hired former long-time New England Revolution defender Jay Heaps to replace Nicol. Heaps had most recently worked as the color commentator for Revolution broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet New England and 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Preseason

The New England Revolution started training camp in Arizona culminating with a scrimmage against the PDL club FC Tucson which the Revolution won 2-1. New England then returned home for a few more weeks of training along with two scrimmages against the Boston College Eagles of the NCAA, both of which ended in Revolution victories.

The Revolution then returned to Arizona in order to participate in the 2012 Desert Diamond Cup. Their successful preseason continued with 3 consecutive victories over the Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake in order to advance to the Desert Diamond Cup championship game. The Revolution lost the final to the Galaxy, 4 - 2 in a penalty shoot-out.

March

The Revolution opened the regular season on March 10, 2012 all the way across the country to San Jose, California to face the San Jose Earthquakes. A first half mistake by Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph was converted into a goal by Chris Wondolowski. New England was never able to recover from that mistake and ended up losing their season opener 0-1 to San Jose. One week later, the Revolution traveled to Kansas City, Kansas in order to take on Eastern Conference favorites Sporting Kansas City. Revolution defender Stephen McCarthy was sent off on a controversial tackle in the 14th minute. The Revolution, who were suffering from numerous injuries to their defense corp was unable to survive 76 minutes with only 10 men and ended up losing 0-3 to Sporting Kansas City.

New England had their home opener on Saturday March 24, 2012 against the Portland Timbers at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution came out of the gates fast with a scorer be new striker Saër Sène in the 1st minute. They were able to shut down the Timbers for the rest of the game and get new head coach Jay Heaps his first MLS victory with a 1-0 result. Once again, the Revolution traveled cross country to Carson, California to face the Los Angeles Galaxy on March 31, 2012. Once again the Revolution scored early off a cross from Shalrie Joseph to rookie Kelyn Rowe for the first goal of his MLS career in the 10th minute. The Revolution attack continued and lead to another goal by Chris Tierney in the 13th minute and added one more to their tally off a Saër Sène goal in the 65th minute. The Galaxy were able to break through and finally score one off the foot of Robbie Keane in the 78th minute, but the Revolution held on to record their 2nd victory of the year, 3-1 over Los Angeles.

Squad

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Matt Reis 2 DF Flo Lechner 3 DF Tyler Polak 5 DF A. J. Soares 6 MF Michael Roach 7 MF Blair Gavin 8 DF Chris Tierney 11 MF Kelyn Rowe 13 MF Ryan Guy 14 MF Diego Fagundez 17 MF Sainey Nyassi 18 MF Juan Toja 19 MF Clyde Simms

No. Position Player 22 MF Benny Feilhaber 23 FW Blake Brettschneider 24 MF Lee Nguyen 25 DF Darrius Barnes 26 MF Stephen McCarthy 27 FW Jerry Bengtson 30 DF Kevin Alston 34 GK Bobby Shuttleworth 39 FW Saër Sène 40 GK Tim Murray 80 FW Fernando Cárdenas 92 FW Dimitry Imbongo 99 MF Alec Purdie

Last updated: September 5, 2012.
Source: Official Roster

Player movement

Transfers

In

Date	Player	Position	Previous Club	Fee/Notes	Ref
December 12, 2011	Clyde Simms	MF	D.C. United	2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft	[1]
January 12, 2012	Kelyn Rowe	MF	UCLA	SuperDraft, 1st Round	[2]
January 12, 2012	Tyler Polak	DF	Creighton University	SuperDraft, 2nd Round	[2]
July 5, 2012	Jerry Bengtson	FW	CD Motagua	Transfer	[3]
August 1, 2012	Blair Gavin	MF	CD Chivas USA	Trade	[4]
	Florian Lechner	DF	Karlsruher SC	Free transfer
	Björn Runström	FW	Hammarby IF	Free transfer
	Dimitry Imbongo	FW	TSV 1860 München II	Free transfer
August 27, 2012	Juan Toja	MF	Aris Thessaloniki	Allocation	[5]

Out

Date	Player	Position	Destination Club	Fee/Notes	Ref
November 23, 2011	Alan Koger	FW	unattached	waived	[6]
November 30, 2011	Monsef Zerka	FW	FC Petrolul Ploiești |	Option declined	[7]
December 1, 2011	Ryan Cochrane	DF	San Antonio Scorpions FC	Option declined	[7]
December 1, 2011	Franco Coria	FW	Chacarita Juniors	Option declined	[7]
December 12, 2011	Kheli Dube	FW	Chicago Fire	2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft	[1]
December 12, 2011	Otto Loewy	DF	unattached	waived	[6]
December 12, 2011	Andrew Sousa	MF	Boston Victory S.C.	waived	[6]
December 31, 2011	Milton Caraglio	FW	C.S.D. Rangers	contract not extended	[8]
January 31, 2012	Rajko Lekić	FW	Lyngby BK	Free transfer	[7]
January 31, 2012	Pat Phelan	MF	SJK	Option declined	[7]
March 5, 2012	Zack Schilawski	FW	Carolina Railhawks	waived	[9]
March 5, 2012	Ryan Kinne	FW	Connecticut FC Azul	waived	[9]
May 4, 2012	Kenny Mansally	MF	Real Salt Lake	waived	[10]
June 27, 2012	Björn Runström	FW	unattached	waived	[11]
June 27, 2012	Jeremiah White	MF	unattached	waived	[11]
June 27, 2012	John Jairo Lozano	DF	unattached	waived	[11]
August 1, 2012	Shalrie Joseph	MF	CD Chivas USA	Trade	[4]
August 6, 2012	José Moreno Mora	FW	unattached	waived	[12]
August 10, 2012	Zak Boggs	FW	unattached	retired	[13]

Squad Statistics

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Major League Soccer		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Matt Reis	27	0	27	0	0	0
2	DF		Flo Lechner	9	0	9	0	0	0
3	DF		Tyler Polak	2	0	1	0	1	0
4	DF		John Lozano	3	0	2	0	1	0
5	DF		A.J. Soares	30	1	30	1	0	0
6	MF		Michael Roach	1	0	0	0	1	0
7	MF		Blair Gavin	2	0	2	0	0	0
8	MF		Chris Tierney	28	2	28	2	0	0
9	FW		José Moreno	8	1	7	1	1	0
11	FW		Kelyn Rowe	31	4	30	3	1	1
13	FW		Ryan Guy	23	1	23	1	0	0
14	MF		Diego Fagundez	21	2	20	2	1	0
15	MF		Jeremiah White	3	0	2	0	1	0
17	MF		Sainey Nyassi	1	0	1	0	0	0
18	MF		Juan Toja	5	0	5	0	0	0
19	MF		Clyde Simms	29	0	29	0	0	0
21	MF		Shalrie Joseph	18	1	18	1	0	0
22	MF		Benny Feilhaber	30	3	29	2	1	1
23	FW		Blake Brettschneider	18	2	17	2	1	0
24	MF		Lee Nguyen	31	6	30	5	1	1
25	DF		Darrius Barnes	14	1	13	1	1	0
26	DF		Stephen McCarthy	28	0	28	0	0	0
27	FW		Jerry Bengtson	13	2	13	2	0	0
30	MF		Kevin Alston	31	0	31	0	0	0
32	FW		Björn Runström	3	0	3	0	0	0
33	FW		Zak Boggs	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	GK		Bobby Shuttleworth	8	0	7	0	1	0
39	FW		Saër Sène	25	11	25	11	0	0
40	GK		Tim Murray	0	0	0	0	0	0
80	FW		Fernando Cárdenas	28	2	27	2	1	0
32	FW		Dimitry Imbongo	9	1	9	1	0	0
99	MF		Alec Purdie	6	0	5	0	1	0

Last updated: September 25, 2012
Source: New England Revolution 2012

Competitions

Preseason

Desert Diamond Cup

Standings

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
1	New England Revolution !New England Revolution	9	3	3	0	0	7	3	+4
2	LA Galaxy !LA Galaxy	3	3	1	2	0	5	5	0
3	New York Red Bulls !New York Red Bulls	3	3	1	2	0	2	4	−2
4	Real Salt Lake !Real Salt Lake	3	3	1	2	0	2	4	−2

Matches

Major League Soccer

Kickoff times are in EDT.

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	Sporting Kansas City !Sporting Kansas City (E1)	63	34	18	7	9	42	27	+15	2012 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2	D.C. United !D.C. United	58	34	17	10	7	53	43	+10
3	New York Red Bulls !New York Red Bulls	57	34	16	9	9	57	46	+11
4	Chicago Fire !Chicago Fire	57	34	17	11	6	46	41	+5	2012 MLS Cup Knockout Round
5	Houston Dynamo !Houston Dynamo	53	34	14	9	11	48	41	+7
6	Columbus Crew !Columbus Crew	52	34	15	12	7	44	44	0
7	Montreal Impact !Montreal Impact	42	34	12	16	6	45	51	−6
8	Philadelphia Union !Philadelphia Union	36	34	10	18	6	37	45	−8
9	New England Revolution !New England Revolution	35	34	9	17	8	39	44	−5
10	Toronto FC !Toronto FC	23	34	5	21	8	36	62	−26

Updated to matches played on 18:04 EDT October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(E1) = Eastern Conference champion

Overall table

Note: the table below has no impact on playoff qualification and is used solely for determining host of the MLS Cup, certain CCL spots, and 2013 MLS draft. The conference tables are the sole determinant for teams qualifying to the playoffs

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Qualification or relegation
1	San Jose Earthquakes !San Jose Earthquakes (SS)	66	34	19	6	9	72	43	+29	2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League 1
2	Sporting Kansas City !Sporting Kansas City	63	34	18	7	9	42	27	+15
3	D.C. United !D.C. United	58	34	17	10	7	53	43	+10
4	New York Red Bulls !New York Red Bulls	57	34	16	9	9	57	46	+11
5	Real Salt Lake !Real Salt Lake	57	34	17	11	6	46	35	+11
6	Chicago Fire !Chicago Fire	57	34	17	11	6	46	41	+5
7	Seattle Sounders FC !Seattle Sounders FC	56	34	15	8	11	51	33	+18
8	LA Galaxy !LA Galaxy	54	34	16	12	6	59	47	+12	2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League 1
9	Houston Dynamo !Houston Dynamo	53	34	14	9	11	48	41	+7
10	Columbus Crew !Columbus Crew	52	34	15	12	7	44	44	0
11	Vancouver Whitecaps FC !Vancouver Whitecaps FC	43	34	11	13	10	35	41	−6
12	Montreal Impact !Montreal Impact	42	34	12	16	6	45	51	−6
13	FC Dallas !FC Dallas	39	34	9	13	12	42	47	−5
14	Colorado Rapids !Colorado Rapids	37	34	11	19	4	44	50	−6
15	Philadelphia Union !Philadelphia Union	36	34	10	18	6	37	45	−8
16	New England Revolution !New England Revolution	35	34	9	17	8	39	44	−5
17	Portland Timbers !Portland Timbers	34	34	8	16	10	34	56	−22
18	Chivas USA !Chivas USA	30	34	7	18	9	24	58	−34
19	Toronto FC !Toronto FC	23	34	5	21	8	36	62	−26	2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League 2

Updated to matches played on October 28, 2012. Source: MLSSoccer.com
Notation Key:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner

¹The highest ranked U.S.-based MLS club qualifies to the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (placed in Pot A). The other U.S. representatives in the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League are:

• Winner of the 2012 MLS Cup (Pot A)
• Runner-up of the 2012 MLS Cup (Pot B)
• Winner of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (Pot B)

²Toronto FC qualified for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the 2012 Canadian Championship.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
34	35	9	17	8	38	44	−6	7	4	6	22	15	+7	2	13	2	16	29	−13

Last updated: October 25, 2012
Source: MLS Results
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Ground	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A
Result	L	L	W	W	L	L	L	W	L	W	D	L	W	D	D	D	W	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	D	W	D	T	L	L	L	W	W
Position																							16	17	17	18	18	14

Last updated: September 1, 2012.
Source: MLS Results
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: T = Tie; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

U.S. Open Cup

Miscellany

Allocation ranking

New England is in the #19 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club’s ranking.^[14] New England held the #1 position until they selected Juan Toja, which dropped them to the bottom of the order.

International roster spots

New England has 8 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots and no New England trades have been reported.

Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: *2013 MLS SuperDraft Round 2 pick from D.C. United; *2013 MLS SuperDraft Round 2 pick from Chivas USA.
Future picks traded: None.

Notes

External links

• 2012 Fixtures and Results