The Midnight Ride

A response to Major League Soccer Talk

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:32:02 PST

The following is in response to the latest post from Drew Farmer on Major League Soccer Talk concerning the New England Revolution, stating that the league should potentially target the team for contraction. I tried to post my response on their site, but was not allowed.

While I agree the Krafts need to invest more into the team, the article is off-base on saying the team has been the cheapest team in the league. This is a common misconception because the team has the reputation for not making big name signings. However, if you do the analysis, you will find that most of their players over the last few years made more than the league average. Also you have to remember teams like New York and LA have large DP salaries which inflate their averages substantially.

Furthermore the Revs would NEVER have been a target for contraction, because unlike Miami or Tampa Bay who had to pay rent to play in their respective stadiums, the Revs played in the Krafts own stadium rent-free. This is also the reason why the league has not forced the Krafts to build a SSS in the past unlike other teams (Houston, KC, San Jose). Also the Kraft Family, along with AEG and Lamar Hunt agreed to keep the league going in the early years by absorbing the losses and even assuming part ownership of the San Jose team.

Last comment - the argument is based in large part on the early history of the team, but conveniently ignores the more recent history. Over the last 9 years the team stuck with a formula that saw them make it to the MLS cup finals 4 times - Only the LA Galaxy have had more trips to the finals over the same period of time. And while the rest of the league improved over the last 3-4 years, the Krafts showed loyalty to the likes of Steve Nicol and Taylor Twellman (arguably the biggest factor in the team's success) and gave them both the opportunity to turn things around. And since the start of the 2011 season, the Krafts/Revs have acquired a shirt sponsor, signed two DP's, a quality US International and a homegrown player, and brought in a new front office as well as coaching staff.

Personally I think a better, more convincing argument for contraction would be Chivas USA, but that's a whole other argument.

Episode 57 - The Midnight Ride and The Case of The Missing Pieces

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:17:14 PST

In this episode of the Midnight Ride, Hank is joined by Matty Jollie of The Bent Musket to talk about the New England Revolution's offseason, the upcoming preseason, and all of the pieces that need to be in place in just a few months. Strikers, Defenders and Assistant Coaches - the Revs have a lot of spots to fill.

Click here to listen

Episode 56 - The Midnight Ride vs The Eight Secret Swatches

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:21:32 PST

In this episode of the Midnight Ride, Hank is again joined by Brendan Schimmel of The Indirect Kick and discuss at length who the New England Revolution want to keep, who they should keep, and who they shouldn't keep in the aftermath of the Option Deadline. We also talk swatches.

Click here to listen

http://www.themidnightride.us
http://twitter.com/@TMRPodcast

http://www.theindirectkick.com
http://twitter.com/@theindirectkick

Episode 55 - The Midnight Ride vs The Out-Smarter-ers

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:13:35 PST

In this episode of the Midnight Ride, Hank is joined by Brendan Schimmel of The Indirect Kick and Bob Madaio of Soccer Soap Box to discuss the New England Revolution's new coach, Mr. Jay Heaps (I'm a huge fan). Also discussed is what this says about the organization that is seemingly all of the sudden saying the right things in a timely and open manner…..OR ARE WE BEING OUTSMARTED BY THOSE WHO WOULD SEEK TO OUTSMART US? The Midnight Ride leaves no stone un-turned as it looks for the answer.

Click here to listen

http://www.themidnightride.us
http://twitter.com/@TMRPodcast

http://www.theindirectkick.com
http://twitter.com/@theindirectkick

http://www.soccersoapbox.com
http://twitter.com/@soccersoapbox

Super Jay!

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:22:23 PST

Sources have confirmed that Jay Heaps will be the next coach of the New England Revolution.

The Revs are expected to announce heaps tomorrow and hold a press conference on Wednesday.

Episode 54.5 - The Midnight Ride and the Man in The Hot Seat

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:34:39 PST

In this abbreviated special edition of the Midnight Ride, Hank sits down and talks with newly appointed New England Revolution President, Brian Bilello, and gets him talking about the recent organizational change in the Revs Front Office, as well as his expectations of the team for the upcoming season.

Click here to listen

http://www.themidnightride.us
http://twitter.com/@TMRPodcast

Episode 54 - The Midnight Ride vs All The Unanswered Questions

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:31:20 PST

In this episode, Hank is joined by Steve Stoehr of The Bent Musket, and they talk about all of the questions concerning The New England Revolution; from the coaching vacancy, to the re-organization, to the upcoming expansion draft. (See my picks below)

Click here to listen

http://www.themidnightride.us
http://twitter.com/@TMRPodcast

http://www.thebentmusket.com
http://twitter.com/@thebentmusket

The Midnight Ride Protected XI
Reis
Soares
Barnes
Alston
Tierney
Feilhaber
Joseph
Lekic
Caraglio
Zerka
Guy

Player Notes
Fagundez - homegrown players are automatically protected
Alston: Graduated Gen Adidas Last year - need to protect your only right back
Joseph: Out of Contract, but not until December - need to protect your leading goal scorer
Caraglio: DP's are not protected - need to protect

Possible Montreal Targets
Mansally
Nyassi
McCarthy

We Have Arrived

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:25:31 PDT

Well we did it. Finally.

We broke down and got ourselves our own domain name.

http://www.themidnightride.us

Along with it comes new e-mail addresses:

blog [at] themidnightride.us
pod [at] themidnightride.us

twitter is still the same - TMRPodcast.

Look for some more thoughts and opinions on The New England Revolution, both written and spoken media, coming soon.

Cheers,

TheMidnightRide.US

Episode 53 - The Midnight Ride and Taylor Twellman Save The World

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:29:59 PDT

Episode 53 - The Midnight Ride and Taylor Twellman Save The World

Hank is joined by none other than Taylor Twellman (yes THE Taylor Twellman) to discuss the New England Revolution: The Organization, The Coaching Vacancy, and Everything…

BEST. PODCAST. EVER.

Click here to listen

http://revsmidnightride.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/@TMRPodcast

Episode 52 - The Midnight Ride vs The Head Coach Vacancy

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:17:37 PDT

In a special live episode, Hank is joined by Kevin Koczwara of The Soccer Guys and Marcus O'Mard of NESN Soccer to discuss the big news that Steve Nicol has "parted ways" with the New England Revolution.

Click here to listen

http://thesoccerguysonline.com
http://twitter.com/@TheSoccerGuys

http://NESN.com/Soccer
http://twitter.com/@NESNSoccer

http://twitter.com/tmrpodcast
http://revsmidnightride.blogspot.com

Episode 51 - The Midnight Ride vs The Eye of Sauron

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:44:05 PDT

In this week's episode, Hank is joined by Sean Donahue of New England Soccer Today and Brendan Schimmel of The Indirect Kick - and they waste no time putting the New England Revolution's season behind them as they tackle the really big question - who is ultimately responsible REALLY… the answer may surprise you. Also they consider who might be around next season, and who shouldn't be.

Click here to listen

http://newenglandsoccertoday.com
http://twitter.com/nesoccertoday

http://theindirectkick.com
http://twitter.com/theindirect kick

http://twitter.com/tmrpodcast
http://revsmidnightride.blogspot.com

Episode 50 - The Midnight Ride vs The What To Do Now

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:06:14 PDT

In the 50th episode of The Midnight Ride Podcast, Hank is joined by SoccerSoapBox.com's Bob Madaio. With the New England Revolution out of the playoffs with 2 games left to play, the question they are faced with is What do The Revolution Do Now?

Click here to listen

http://soccersoapbox.com
http://twitter.com/soccersoapbox

http://revsmidnightride.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/TMRPodcast

FREE BEER THIS SATURDAY

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:23:31 PDT

Send me your tweets and e-mails by Thursday night 8:00 and I will give you FREE BEER at Gilette Stadium this Saturday (21 and over) - look for me at the Midnight Riders Tailgate Lot at the game this Saturday!

revsmidnightride@gmail.com
twitter.com/TMRPodcast

Episode 49 - The Midnight Ride and The Third Kit

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:20:09 PDT

In this episode, Hank is joined by Peter Karl from The Third Kit, and they discuss the New England Revolution and their continued defensive lapses, Diego Fagundez, Shalrie Joseph, and who may or may not be with the team next year.

Click here to listen

http://thirdkit.com
http://twitter.com/thethirdkit

Episode 48 - The Midnight Ride and The Indirect Kick

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:23:14 PDT

In this week's super blogger team up action, Hank is joined by Brendan Schimmel of The Indirect Kick as they take on all issues concerning the New England Revolution (and there are a lot of them).

Click here to listen

http://www.theindirectkick.com
http://twitter.com/TheIndirectKick

Episode 47 - The Midnight Ride and The Black Lectoid from the Eighth Dimension

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 09:48:04 PDT

In this week's episode, Hank is joined by Majorleaguesocceruk.com's Jon Parker(Buckaroo Banzai fans will get the reference) all the way from Ipswich, England. Jon has a lot to say about the New England Revolution's defense and suggests a course of action for the remainder of the season.

Click here to listen

http://majorleaguesocceruk.com
http://twitter.com/guitarspoons

FREE BEER

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 06:48:06 PDT

Here at The Midnight Ride Podcast, we don't get any fancy promotions or free tickets to give away, so instead, we are giving away the one thing we know every one will love (well, most everyone, right Prairie?)

FREE BEER

That's right. FREE BEER.

But there's a catch - and it's a small one. All you need to do to get FREE BEER is one of the following:

1) send us an e-mail @ Revsmidnightride [at] gmail.com about anything you want. If I read it on the show, I will give you free beer.
2) subscribe to The Midnight Ride on iTunes, and write a review on the show. If you leave a review on the show, either positive or negative, I will give you free beer.
3) call the show and leave a voice mail @ 339-204-1775. If I play it on the show, I will give you free beer.

Now for the legalese. You must be 21 years old in the state of Massachusetts to drink beer. Sorry, but I will not serve minors. However, I will grant you an I.O.U. redeemable for a beer the day you turn 21.

Find me at the tailgate in the Supporter's section.

The Midnight Ride is a proud supporter of the Free Beer Movement.

Episode 46 - The Midnight Ride vs The Evil Bunny from Hoodwinked

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:54:40 PDT

On this episode of The Midnight Ride, Hank is joined by Chris Ballard, host of CSRN's Around The League Extra, and they discuss the turn around in the New England Revolution with their performance against Dallas, and look ahead to the game against Portland. They also take a quick look at the remaining schedule and speculate on the Revs' playoff chances.

Click here to listen

Episode 45 - The Midnight Ride vs The Elephant in the Room

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:39:41 PDT

In this week's episode, Hank is joined by Soccer Soap Box's Bob Madaio and they do like to ramble on… especially about the New England Revolution. On the docket for this podcast is the collapse in Philadelphia, the upcoming game against Dallas, and the Revolution's 90 minute problem… and they sort of talk about the possibility that maybe its time for the Revs to start considering the option of looking to alternative coaching sources.

Click here to listen

Episode 44 - The Midnight Ride vs Sergio Garcia

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:45:56 PDT

In this episode, Hank and Sean are joined by Boston Globe Soccer Reporter, Frank Dell'Apa, and they discuss the New England Revolution and the issues they face as they are looking at their worst season in years.

Click here to download

Episode 43 - The Midnight Ride vs The 2 Point Home Stand

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:43:12 PDT

In this episode of The Midnight Ride Podcast, Hank is joined by a PLETHORA of guests and a mysterious echo. First, Brian O'Connell and Matty Jollie join Hank in welcoming New England Revolution Marketing Director Cathal Conlon to discuss the two games that transpired last week. Then Hank, Brian and Matty are joined by Earl Reed of MLS Talk to discuss the upcoming match against Philadelphia Union. Finally Julian Cardillo joins the team to help wrap up the show.

Click here to listen

Episode 42 - The Midnight Ride vs The Mystery Guests

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:00:50 PDT

In this episode of The Midnight Ride - Hank is joined by Jeff Lemieux of The New England Revolution and RevolutionSoccer.net, as well as Mark Fishkin from CSRN's Seeing Red Podcast. Hank and Jeff cover the Revs game in Columbus as well as take a look at the game against Houston on Wednesday, while Mark provides some insight into New York's season and what the Red Bulls might have in store for New England on Saturday.

Click here to listen

http://revolutionsoccer.net
http://twitter.com/Jeff_Lemieux

http://http://www.seeingredny.com/
http://twitter.com/seeingredny

http://revsmidnightride.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/TMRPodcast

revsmidnightride@gmail.com

Episode 41 - The Midnight Ride vs The Boy Who Lived

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:45:13 PDT

In this episode of The Midnight Ride, Hank is joined by the original co-host, Sean Donahue of New England Soccer Today, and they discuss the New England Revolution's new designated player, Milton Caraglio, and the boy who lived, Diego Fagundez. Also, preview of Columbus and a shakedown of the Revs playoff chances.

Click here to listen

http://revsmidnghtride.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/TMRPodcast

http://newenglandsoccertoday.com
http://twitter.com/NEsoccertoday

Episode 40 - The Midnight Ride vs The Twitter Reverb Explosion

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:57:09 PDT

On this episode of the Midnight Ride Podcast - Hank is again joined by Bob from Soccer Soap Box, and they discuss the signing of the New England Revolution's first ever Designated Player, Milton Caraglio.

Click here to listen

http://soccersoapbox.com
twitter.com/soccersoapbox

Episode 39 - The Midnight Ride vs The False Dawn

hank.alexandre@gmail.com (Hank Alexandre) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:59:03 PDT

Hank is joined by Bob Madaio from Soccer Soap Box to discuss the New England Revolution and their triumphant (?) road trip where they picked up 4 out of 6 points. But the question remains, does this team have the horses to make a run to the playoffs?

Click here to listen

Soccer Soap Box - http://www.soccersoapbox.com
http://twitter.com/soccersoapbox

Thanks SClarke728 for the title!