(W)Revs Wrap: Preseason and Game One

Well, lookie here. I scooped Major League Soccer's site in posting the latest on the New England Revolution's 2007 preseason schedule - and I got a corner of the Los Angeles Galaxy's preseason plans in the mix as well. As you can see from their preseason round-up, the Galaxy's schedule remains TBD while the Revs only seem to have vague plans about going to Bermuda (which, when I lived in Boston, seemed to obsess the locals).

Unknown to MLS's interns (or whoever organizes that corner of their site), the Galaxy and Revolution have arranged a preseason tryst during what a Bermudan papers states will be the Rev's third preseason tour of the island. A date hasn't been firmed up (that I see), but it should take place somewhere between February 19 and 24, when the team will be on the island. in a nice added touch, the Royal Gazette, the Bermuda paper responsible for both articles, the report on LA's visit cares the headline, "Beckham's LA Galaxy Heading to the Island" - though Beckham won't likely be there for this one. Awesome.

During the same Bermudan swing, the Revs will also play the local USL Division II expansion franchise, the Bermuda Hogges (the what now?), a side coached by the one and only Shaun "Kite Ears" Goater.

In other Revolution news, it looks like their home opener, which will be against league new boys Toronto FC, will be the second part of a double-header with the U.S. Women's National team. Good stuff. I hope the place is crawling with people.

Finally, and this one I stumbled across, right about the middle of Jeff Bradley's latest First XI column, this one about Mexican connections to MLS, there's this Revs-relevant entry:

"9. Fantastic debut. Hopes were sky high for young Mexican striker Damian "Don't call me Damian Alvarez" Alvarez. He burst onto the scene in 1997 with 11 goals in 19 games, added one in the playoffs and a big one in an Open Cup semifinal victory against the MetroStars at Columbia University. A year later, however, Damian was on the outs. After just four games, Dave Dir shipped him to New England for Oscar Pareja, who would go on to legendary status in Dallas. As for Damian, he was soon on his way back to Mexico.

I don't remember this trade, but, Jesus, does it ring painfully familiar. We traded Oscar friggin' Pareja? So the tradition of snubbing talented, more-creative-than-average players didn't start with current coach Steve Nicol? Crap. Maybe it's something in the water....

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