2000 Season Review

Midfield

The Revolution midfield was a bastion of constant change during the 2000 season. Mauricio Ramos started the season as the creative midfielder, and by the All-Star break was a fixture on the bench. Joey Franchino started the season in L.A., but ended it as the best player in the Revolution midfield. John Harkes was the John Harkes we've known for the past two years. Leonel was Leonel. Shaker Asad sat on the bench.

New England should get more handouts like Joey Franchino. Like his ex-compatriot Clint Mathis, Franchino made an instant impact on his new squad. Joey started both in back and in the midfield during his stint here, but we've rated him as a midfielder as that is where he had the most time and impact.

Joey Franchino is not a gifted attacking midfielder. During the season, he was often deployed at this position due to a dearth of bench options. Franchino performed admirably in this position. In the midfield, Franchino was a steady link between defense and strikers. Joey also had success in the defensive half, as he constantly interjected himself into passing lanes. He'll be a fine starter for the Revs in 2001.

Imad Baba is a streaky player. Not only that, but the fans can turn on him in a heart beat. It's amazing to hear "I hate Imad" one day, and then hear "Imad is the best" the next. He looks to be headed elsewhere this offseason, but he's been rumoured gone the past few offseasons. This may be the season we see him go, most likely to cheers and sadness alike from the Revolution faithful.

A player like Imad Baba needs constant playing time. When he was on the field for three or four matches in a row, he found a rhythm and helped to dictate the pace of the match and contribute to the offense. However, our friend Imad can't seem to stay away from injury. It's the curse of Imad, and has taken a "promising US National Team caliber" career into a "solid MLS player" career. When he comes back from injury, his period of adaptation is far too long. This in turn kills his teammates in the attacking third. Baba can help, but if he's not fully healthy most of the time, he's no good.

If you looked up "grizzled veteran" in the dictionary, Leonel Alvarez would feature in the definition. It has been rumoured that Leonel could add assistant coaching to his playing role in 2001. That would be a great addition as Alvarez can share his knowledge with his younger teammates.

Leonel started to show his advancing age in 2000. He didn't get to the ball quickly, nor did he show his usual industry in the central midfield. He continued to be composed on the ball. His distribution failed at times, but was adequate for the most part. Alvarez's play rose considerably when paired with Franchino.

The fans get on Harksie's back a lot and with good reason. However, due to his "leadership skills", Harkes always found a spot in the starting lineup. He may become expendable during 2001. The price of a 1st round pick looks awfully steep for what Harkes brings to the table during this part of his career.

John Harkes is known among Revolution supporters for possessing horrible long ball skills. Quite simply, his long balls were atrocious this year. However, as the English would put it, Harksie continued to show bottle during the season. Even when his form was off (which was quite often), he still battled for each and every ball. In that sense, he was the perfect captain for this bunch of scrappers.

As with Brian Dunseth, this was a lost year for Mauricio Ramos. He spent the last half of the year on the bench after falling out of favor with the coaching staff. His form in the start of the season was spectactular, but it inexplicably dropped off during the middle part. He will not be back next year.

Ramos' passing was on the mark for most of his time on the field. His defensive presence was slight, but he wasn't paid for his defensive exploits. He made incisive runs during his time on the field, but he didn't do a whole lot with them. It's scary to realize that Ramos was 3rd on the team in points. Joey Franchino took up his spot in the lineup.

He's horrible, undisciplined, and a waste of a roster spot. That's enough on that.

Shaker Asad featured sparingly during the season, as he was far down the midfield depth chart. Asad looked alright while he was in there, and he looks like a promising prospect for the future. Asad was a key member of the Pro-40 trip to Argentina, netting 4 goals in 4 goals. Look for him to be a key member of the squad off the bench next year.

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