In the immediate aftermath of a second successive heartbreaking MLS Cup loss, New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol admitted he had no idea how many of his squad would return for the 2007 season.
"As of today, I don't know the answer to that but there is a possibility we could lose half of our starting 11 so that is a tough assignment," Nicol said on Nov. 16, days after the Revolution's penalty kick shootout loss to Houston Dynamo.
Two and a half months on, that Nicol is preparing for the regular season having lost just one regular starter from last year's first choice XI -- Clint Dempsey -- already means the Revolution are in better shape ahead of the new campaign than they might have been. So, is Nicol surprised to have the majority of his main men back in harness?
"Surprise is probably not the right word," said the Revolution boss on Monday. "We were kind of in no man's land for a long time but now that we are where we are, we are quite happy."
During the winter, the Revs signed Pat Noonan, Daniel Hernandez and Joe Franchino to new contracts. Furthermore, New England managed to hang on to Shalrie Joseph, Taylor Twellman and Avery John, despite confirmed interest from overseas clubs in the trio. Nicol does not expect there to be any lingering issues to deal with concerning players who were not transferred.
"All the guys you are talking about are all good pros. I'm not expecting to have anything in particular to say to them but, if needed, it will happen," Nicol said. "I am not anticipating having to do too much though."
Nicol was speaking following the completion of New England's opening preseason training session, in a first week that will focus on the squad's strength and conditioning. The majority of his squad was present, though several first-team regulars, including Joseph, Hernandez and Joe Franchino, are not expected until later in the week. Additionally, Taylor Twellman, Matt Reis and Michael Parkhurst will be later arrivals due to their involvement with the U.S. national team.
The absence of a number of familiar faces means the Revolution's new boys will have an early chance to make themselves known. Nicol drafted nine new players in January and is keen to see the youngsters fit in quickly and push the squad's more experienced players hard for playing time.
"I think it is important to get some new faces in and we have got that in the young, hungry guys who are ready to push the others of their perch," said Nicol.
The Revs top draft pick was Wells Thompson and the former Wake Forest midfielder was pleased to be in camp with a signed contract in his back pocket, having put pen to paper on his first professional deal last week, along with two others rookies, Amaechi Igwe and Ryan Solle.
"I was itching to get going so it was great to train today," said Thompson. "After I got drafted it didn't really sink in, it was more surreal. I wanted to have my contract away and signed before I got into camp so I could get here and train. It is definitely good to get that settled."
The Revs will convene at an indoor facility close to Gillette Stadium for the next two weeks before jetting off to warmer climes in Bermuda, which has become a familiar winter destination for the side. Before their 2007 MLS campaign kicks off at Chicago on April 7, New England will also have training camps based in Mexico and New Orleans.
With more than eight weeks to prepare for the new season, Nicol compared the modern-day preseason to the 'nightmare' ones he used to ensure as a professional in England. The Revs boss was pleased to be back at work and is keen to use the coming days, weeks and months as a solid foundation for another tilt at that elusive championship.
"Because we have got nine weeks, it is a wee bit different to what I was used to doing," said Nicol. "We used to cram everything into four weeks: two weeks running and two weeks of playing and then you started. It was a hard old shift.
"We can take it a lot slower so that people can get into really good shape without really noticing it," he added. "We're not pushing it. You don't want to push too early because then you end up with strains and pulls. Touch wood, most of the time, we have managed to avoid that stuff."
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
