Revolution Hardball

“My salary would have tripled what it is now,” said Twellman, who has completed one year of a four-year contract worth $395,000 annually. “There has to be an adjustment and the fair thing to do would be either to sell me or adjust my pay accordingly.” –The Boston Globe, 1/11/2008

Is anyone really happy to be playing for the Revolution? I mean, seriously.

It seems that at any given point, whether in-season or off-season, somebody’s airing his dirty laundry over contract discussions, or lack thereof in some instances. If it’s not the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, then it’s the league’s best holding midfielder. Sometimes, it’s former starting midfielder. Other times, it’s a certain freestyling midfielder/forward. At some point in time, you’ve just got wonder aloud:

Aren’t there any happy footballers in the Revolution locker room?

For all the accomplishments these players have achieved (winning just about everything but an MLS Cup) in the past three years alone, you would assume that players’ attitudes toward the organization would be a lot less – what’s the word I’m looking for – inflammatory.

Instead, it’s the polar opposite. Twellman’s recent comments regarding discussions of a possible $2 million transfer to an English club is just the latest in a soap opera comprised of less than diplomatic (i.e. negative) comments from Revolution players made through the media. In fact, the aforementioned comment is just a preface to the following comments made within the same Boston Globe article.

“Something’s got to give,” Twellman said. “They made me sign a contract for the minimum salary [in 2002] and I’ve jumped through every hoop with a smile on my face.”

It doesn’t take a doctorate in psychology to understand that Twellman is as happy about his paycheck as Nancy Grace is over the disappearance of another missing six-year-old. The metaphorical reference to a circus animal only obviates his feelings toward the franchise.

Normally, the general consensus tells us that the public has simply had enough with whiny, overpaid athletes. After all, how many more houses on each continent does David Beckham actually need?

Yet, it would be one thing if Twellman’s grievances were just an isolated incident. But we all know that isn’t the case. The average Revolution fan can count on two hands how many players have publicly addressed their concerns over contract discussions in the last year alone. Even Fido could tell you that this is becoming a rather disturbing pattern that fails to speak well for a professional club’s front office.

And with Twellman, a player who’s never been shy with the media when it comes to his displeasure with players, opposing managers or the organization that he plays for, his comments regarding how contract negotiations proceeded are actually quite damning to the front office as a whole. In essence, it appears that if the following account of how negotiations developed is indeed accurate, you would think that Chris Matthews himself was conducting the discussions if you read into this final blow from his Globe article.

“They said I hadn’t scored for the national team, and now I’ve scored six goals, then they said I never received an international offer of any magnitude, and now I have that offer. Now, they can either re-sign me and make a long-term commitment to me, or they can make money off my sale and I’ll be gone. They can’t withhold me from making three times as much money as I make here.”

Ouch. I hope Mike Burns, Sunil Gulati and Brian Bilello get some ice for those brand new black eyes before they begin to swell.

The Revolution organization has never apologized for how it conducts business because it will immediately point to four Eastern Conference Championships in six seasons. That string of success ain’t bad at all. Although the club has fallen short four times of the ultimate prize, I’m sure the front office gang can still parade those glass championship trophies to the cocktail parties while the guests gather round the caviar dip and snicker. All joking aside, there’s no doubt that this club has accomplishments to be proud of, including its very first championship (The US Open Cup) this past season.

But the manner in which the front office handles its players has festered into a problem that will eventually doom the squad on the pitch before long. The last thing a successful organization like Revolution need is field full of unhappy players.

A word of advice to said front office: despite the warm success the club has attained with the frugality and hardball tactics that reportedly encompass a contract negotiation, it may not be the best idea to tick off your franchise player. Call it a hunch.

That being said, it may be time for a fresh approach toward player negotiations. In the organization’s defense, the ink on Twellman’s MLS contract just barely dried before his current gripe. To the best of my knowledge, no firearms or subliminal threats were made to coerce him into signing a fairly rich contract extension last March. However, it’s imperative that the club keep its players – and, dare I say, its star players in particular – happy while the team is still pretty good. Players that have performed extremely well and remained loyal to the club, like Twellman, deserve to be kept happy- within reason, of course.

Barring injury or a phalanx of locusts inhabiting the Neponset River, Twellman will approach the magical 100-career goal mark sometime this summer. Instead of the obligatory car or chopper doled out as a reward, why not give the face of the franchise something he can truly smile about?

Taylor-Made Disaster?

According to ESPNsoccernet’s Frank Dell’Apa, New England Revolution striker Taylor Twellman may soon join former compatriot Clint Dempsey abroad by plying his trade across the Atlantic. Preston North End of the Coca-Cola Championship has reportedly offered a $1.7 million transfer bid for the Revolution’s all-time leading goalscorer.

The 27-year-old striker, undeniably the face of the New England franchise, has been strongly courted by the English club, who are currently fighting off relegation as they dwell in the Coca-Cola Championship cellar. Although initial reports have MLS scoffing at the club’s bid, it is expected that the English club are prepared to up the ante to an even $2 million.

Whether MLS accepts nothing less than a substantially higher bid (think somewhere in the neighborhood of Dempsey’s MLS-record $4 million figure) for one of its biggest stars remains to be seen, but the prospect of Twellman departing New England for old England will undoubtedly rattle the relatively-quiet offseason ambiance of a club that fell two goals shy of an MLS Cup victory less than two months ago. Should the league ultimately decide to take the money and run, it would undoubtedly leave a crater-sized hole for a club that has already lost two primary goalscorers (Dempsey to Fulham and Andy Dorman to St. Mirren) in the last year alone.

If Preston North End gets its multi-million dollar wish, the Revolution would realistically be stricken from any real chance at a return engagement to the postseason this year, nevermind a fourth consecutive trip to the MLS Cup. During Twellman’s time in New England, the Revolution never failed to reach the postseason, thanks in large part to Twellman’s remarkable performance on the pitch. In fact, it was Twellman himself who single-handedly starred as the Revolution’s driving force throughout last year’s playoffs when he scored all three of the club’s post-season goals.

Moreover, the possibility of Twellman playing abroad would greatly alter the organization’s immediate plans toward potential player acquisitions, not to mention long-term plans as well. It would also force the organization to create a contingency plan to cope with the tremendous loss of one of the league’s best players. Whereas the club would have entered next week’s MLS SuperDraft primarily hunting for an attacking midfielder and, perhaps, some taller defenders, they now have the monumental task of trying to locate a franchise forward to replicate Twellman’s Best XI production should he jump ship. That said, the time may have come for the organization to start dusting off that unused designated player allocation in search of an international high-caliber striker.

Twellman’s importance to the club, both on and off the pitch, cannot be overstated. During his six-year tenure, the former 1860 Munich (Germany) castaway not only became the club’s all-time leading scorer, but the universal face of the franchise as well. His likeness has graced countless pocket schedules, advertisements, and promotional materials, thus becoming the most visible footballer in New England. Nowhere in the region, save for Tom Brady, has a single player risen to become the avatar for an entire franchise. It’s fair to say that should the club lose Twellman, it would also have lost a better part of its own identity in the process.

And like Brady, Twellman is more than just a pretty face plastered on the walls of children’s rooms across New England. After arriving in 2002, he led the Revs in scoring every season, save for the 2004 campaign when he finished second (9 goals) to Pat Noonan (11 goals). At 26, he became the youngest player in MLS history to reach the 75-goal plateau, besting the previous mark set by Jason Kreis, who was 29-years-old when he notched that magical mark. Since his rookie season, no player has scored more goals (91) in MLS; should he stay the course in the States, he would likely break the league’s all-time goalscoring mark (112) before the age of 30. With a resume such as his, it’s no wonder a struggling club like PNE is willing to upfront millions for the talents of an extremely potent striker such as Twellman.

Simply put: without Twellman, the Revolution, a perennial playoff team since his arrival, could very well fall to the bottom of the MLS table faster than you can say future hall of famer. Without the player it has so heavily relied for the past six seasons, the club would likely struggle to create the offensive spark it already lacked down the stretch last season. The current need for a complimentary player or two to take the weight off the striker’s shoulders becomes immediately moot, as the club would instead have to switch gears completely and begin the tedious search for an MVP-caliber striker should Twellman wave Foxboro goodbye.

In short, any move for Twellman outside of New England would spell disaster for a team that has been on the cusp of a championship multiple times since the his arrival in 2002.

Can Preston North End afford MLS’ asking price for Twellman when it’s all said and done? Perhaps. Can the Revolution afford to press on without its best player? Not a chance.