It remains to be seen who will take home the MLS Cup for 2007. But whether it's New England or Houston getting the victory, it'll be a true victory for stability.
The Revolution and Dynamo don't change for the sake of change. Yes, they'll add key newcomers here and there. For the most part, however, the recipe for success revolves around identifying the proper core group and then keeping that core group together.
"I think it's huge," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "If you have a core group that's good, then that's what gets you success. There's no point in having a core that can't play. It's about getting good players and then keeping them."
By systematically building their teams and then maintaining the foundations, New England and Houston have reached back-to-back finals. The emphasis is on developing continuity and chemistry which shows up the most during playoff time.
"What it does is make it easier to work other players into the system," Nicol said. "That's particularly true with young players."
Of the 28 players who participated in last year's MLS Cup Final, 22 could see action this year. Nineteen of the 22 starters from the '06 Cup are back. The only three missing are Daniel Hernandez and Joe Franchino (injured) from New England and Adrian Serioux for Houston.
New England's core of established veterans includes goalkeeper Matt Reis; defenders Avery John and Jay Heaps; midfielders Steve Ralston and Shalrie Joseph and forwards Pat Noonan and Taylor Twellman.
Heaps has been with the club the longest, with New England since 2001. Ralston and Twellman came in 2002, while Joseph, Reis and Noonan all came into the Revs in 2003 and John in 2004.
Houston also offers long-term stability on the club with players like goalkeeper Pat Onstad; defenders Eddie Robinson, Ryan Cochrane, Craig Waibel and Wade Barrett; midfielders Brian Mullan, Dwayne De Rosario and Richard Mulrooney and forward Brian Ching.
All of those players date back to the team when it was in San Jose, beginning with De Rosario and Robinson, who joined the Earthquakes in 2001. Ching, Mullan, Onstad and Waibel all joined the club in 2003 and Cochrane in 2004. Barrett and Mulrooney were with San Jose as far back as 1998 and 1999 respectively, though both left the club, only to return.
"When you have the same group of guys, your vision from the beginning of the year is so focused," said Heaps. "You can add one or two guys and it's easy to get them on board. If you were changing seven or eight guys every offseason, it would take awhile to get the right chemistry.
"For us, we know every preseason that our vision is to be where we're going to be on Sunday and then to win. The last three offseasons, it has been like 'let's get back, let's go.'"
Heaps said the stability among core players helps cultivate a winning environment within the locker room.
"We know each other so well on and off the field," Heaps said. "When you have that blending of personalities, it's almost like a sixth-sense type of thing. We know where guys are going to be at certain times, in certain situations."
Heaps isn't downplaying the importance of adding international talent at times. But the point is that it should be a supplement to what's already in place.
"When you're talking Juan Pablo Angel, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and David Beckham, you're talking about players who elevate their team and the league in general," Heaps said. "We faced Angel and Blanco in the playoffs and they made their teams better, that's for sure."
But the Revolution managed to overcome the Red Bulls and Fire to reach the MLS Cup Final again.
Perhaps the model for victory being shown by the Revolution and Dynamo will be embraced by other clubs which have been more inclined to shuffle the deck in the past.
"That's my school of thought," Heaps said. "I come from Duke, where they don't transition much. If you keep a coach around and a core group around, you're usually going to see things turn in a positive direction."
Houston coach Dominic Kinnear also subscribes to that notion. Houston made some selective moves that merely augmented the core that was already in place.
Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya and Mulrooney -- who had been with the team in San Jose from 1999-2005 -- arrived to bolster the 2007 squad.
"When you keep a good amount of players year after year, you know exactly what you are getting with these guys," Kinnear said. "You know how they are in good times and in bad times.
"Guys have seen their teammates get married and have families. It has brought the team together. We've been fortunate to have had three trades this year that worked out. But the core guys that have been here over a long period definitely give you that solid foundation you are looking to have."
Robert Falkoff is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
