Shalrie Joseph will be called to lead in 2010. (Getty Images)

The winter months can either be good or bad on a Major League Soccer club. Its all really on who leaves the club and who comes in to help out. Take the New England Revolution for instance, each year its seems they lose one big name after another either in a trade, a transfer or just someone not wanting to re-sign with them.

Yet somehow the Revs always seem to bounce back in some form the following year thanks to manager Steve Nicol. But looking at this winter one has to wonder did they lose and give up too much?

Its time to find out as we take another preseason look-in to see how the club is doing and what they need to add before the season begins.

Keepers:

Who they have: Matt Reis, Preston Burpo, and Bobby Shuttleworth.

Notes: On paper right now this group is set but dig a little deeper and the club has to be concerned about injuries issues for at least the next couple months with Reis. That’s why they made the play for Burpo, a solid backup plan if you ask me. Once Reis is back to full health the Revs will continue to be find in this department.

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Defense:

Who they have: Kevin Alston, Darrius Barnes, Gabriel Badilla, Emmanuel Osei, Cory Gibbs, and Seth Sinovic.

Notes: On paper this seems a little light but the youth there is so solid. I can’t tell you how big of a fan of Barnes and Alston I am. I also like that they went out and got Gibbs this winter too in that trade with the Rapids. Gibbs wants to be in New England and word has it he is a happy camper right now which is good to see for Revs fans.

They may have given up a bunch in the back this winter with Jay Heaps retiring and the trade of Chris Albright to New York but as long as they add one or two more parts back here, which they will, I don’t see a big drop in this club’s defense.

Right now it seems like they could still use at least one more outside back and one more center back for depth reasons.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Shalrie Joseph, Chris Tierney, Sainey Nyassi, Mauricio Castro, Michael Videira, Nico Colaluca, and Pat Phelan.

Notes: They took a beating in this department this winter losing both Steve Ralston to AC St. Louis and trading away Jeff Larentowicz. Honestly the loss of Larentowicz is harder on them as he allowed Joseph to be himself more than anyone out there. However they do have a young guy in Phelan who will help ease the loss of Larentowicz more than some realize.

Unfortunately they have not addressed the loss of Ralston just yet. I know Nicol is looking but the clock is ticking away here and waiting around until the summer to bring someone in to help get the attack going may be too risky. They need an assist machine like Ralston was and right now other than Joseph possibly stepping into that role I don’t know who else will do it here. Maybe one of the rookies like Zac Boggs who will likely end up in the midfield rather than as a forward on the pro level (if they end up keeping him).

Adding a playmaker or some depth on the wings will go a long way here to help this bunch compete in the east.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Taylor Twellman, Kenny Mansally, Kheli Dube, Edgaras Jankauskas, Zack Schilawski, and Zac Boggs.

Notes: The Revs have to bank on a couple things here this season. The big one is getting and keeping Twellman healthy for the season. I think if he can play at least 20 games (or more) this year it will be a positive thing. After that they have to hope Schilawski produces goals or helps create them…not to mention remembering that it was the Revs that picked him, not the Crew.

I still think they need to go after another scorer here. They can’t rely solely on Joseph to do the work this year. Mansally, Dube and Jankauskas have to step up more for them to be successful in the east.

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Overall:

Like I mentioned above we have seen this club lose a lot of quality players over the year but I honestly don’t know how they bounce back from this winter. Don’t get me wrong their draft wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good enough to make people comfortable right away. Defensively I think the club is going to be alright but just like last year they will be in a lot of close games until a scorer steps up or until Twellman is back to his old self.

I’m one that usually drinks the Steve Nicol kool-aid but this winter has me thinking now that Paul Mariner is gone along with Ralston and Larentowicz and the injury issues to Reis and Twellman that this could be a very long year for Revs fans.

A couple more moves may change my mind but I get a sense that the Revs are going into this season just like they are now.

The best goal for me was either Sainey Nyassi’s run against New York or Brad Davis’ strike against RSL.

(Note QuickKicks on the league site did not have the Columbus/Chicago goals)

Order of video: David Beckham, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching, Yura Movsisyan, Brad Davis, Dax McCarty, Jimmy Conrad, Sainey Nyassi, and John Wolyneic.

Anyways the five they have are decent, the best could be Claudio Lopez’s goal against San Jose purely on the ball sent to Lopez was a masterful cross from Herculez Gomez. Though out of the bunch New England’s Saniey Nyassi’s strike on Dallas was something special.

Here are my favorite goals of the week. Feel free to say which one you thought was the best.

Claudio Lopez:

Marco Pappa:

Luciano Emilio:

Omar Gonzalez:

Freddie Ljungberg:

Sainey Nyassi:

Let’s face it though, no signing in this offseason had any sort of impact like the 2007 edition. We had plenty of excitement from guys like Blanco, Schelotto, Juan Toja, Juan Pablo Angel and so on and so forth.

This year wasn’t as big. Talent did come into the league but not in a high rate like last year. Hell some would even argue that David Beckham belongs in this year’s bunch since he was injuried for the majority of his first season in Major League Soccer. While I won’t count GoldenBalls in this year’s bunch he would indeed lift up this class of signings.

I think this year’s signings can go in a couple categories. Ones that didn’t work out or aren’t really working out, ones that are good but aren’t great and ones that are doing well with their clubs.

Then there are a couple that should be counted, like Beckham in this year’s bunch that won’t because they were brought on late last year. And finally you have a couple guys that returned to the league like Amado Guevara and Ramiro Corrales who have made a positive impact.

SO who has exactly worked out well for their clubs this year? I have the list for you. As always feel free to pipe in your comments on the list and add ones that I’ve missed.

Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: Even after a few games it is easy to say that Ekpo was worth the wait for the Crew. Sigi Schmid and company weren’t sure if he was actually going to become apart of their club at the start of the campaign but once he signed on things took off. A couple goals and a couple assists for the Nigerian and the Crew are sitting pretty well near the top of the table.

Andre Rocha, FC Dallas: Around Dallas you either love Rocha’s play or hate it. For the most part I enjoy how the kid plays and enjoy watching him play. He leads the club in assists (with six), which you can bet Kenny Cooper is happy with. He hasn’t made that splash like Juan Toja did last year but he is right on par in terms of setting up goals as Toja was a year ago.

Gonzalo Martinez, DC United: One of the few offseason additions to the Black-and-Red that have actually worked out well. The more I see this guy the more I like. He is big, strong and does well getting forward. And that goal he scored a couple weeks ago was a thing of beauty.

Marcello Gallardo, DC United: Some will argue with me on this one and say he is in that Claudio Reyna category of DPs, well he is not. Sure he hasn’t score a boat load of goals like Juan Pablo Angel of last year but now that he is use to the league and it’s style of play he has gotten even better, and has his club. Four goals and three assists in 12 games isn’t bad at all considering how poorly DC played early on this year.

Mauricio Castro, New England Revolution: Some call Castro a dud of a signing by Steve Nicol but you don’t appreciate what he brings to the table until you actually see him play. His ball service is the reason why this club is where it is at today. He doesn’t have a lot of assists or any goals but without him setting up things and stepping in early on for Steve Ralston this club may not be nearly as good as they are right now.

Rohan Ricketts, Toronto FC: A couple nice goals and an assist for Ricketts. I love the pace he brings to the wings for Toronto. Definitely was an addition that has brought good fortune to the Reds this year. Without him pacing up and down the wings, the Reds will still be in the same boat offensively as they were to start the year.

Laurent Robert, Toronto FC: Some Toronto fans will say he is a waste of space on the pitch, but I disagree. He brings quality service into the box for guys like Danny Dichio and Jeff Cunningham. But I guess you can’t please everyone can you?

Signings that were decent but certainly not great:

Claudio Lopez, Kansas City Wizards: C-Lo was expected to bring the offense to the Wizards but really hasn’t lived up to his billing. Sure age is a part of that and the fact that his offense around him is largely terrible. I have found plenty of moments where I see just how good this guy really is though. If he can get at least one guy to get on the same page as him offensively (hello Josh Wolff) the Wizards could get back in the playoff discussion.

Tom McManus, Colorado Rapids: At times I want to say McManus deserves to be up the list but just like his club he float in and out too much. But his goals have certainly been worth talking about this season. Still he hasn’t made quite the impact that some would have liked in Commerce City.

Duilio Davino, FC Dallas: Davino isn’t a bust in my opinion. Some Dallas fans will say he is as big of a waste as Denilson was a year ago. Look, without him this defense would be even worse than it already is. He doesn’t have the pace to keep up with some in the league but he does have the IQ to know how to stop people when he has to. Most of the goals scored against Dallas don’t come in the middle of the park were he is at, the come on the wings.

Kenny Duechar, Real Salt Lake: He hovered in this catgeory and the not-so-good signings category. I placed him here out of hope that he will start finishing things and not coming up short in front of the net. A few more games like last week against Houston will get me to easily take him off this list and into the bad signings. At least he wasn’t the worst offseason addition brought in by Jason Kreis.

Two guys that won’t count since they were signed a year ago:

Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi, New England Revolution: Yeah I wanted to count Mansally and Nyassi on the good signings list but they were brought in late last year. So before you start saying what about them, stop and think about when they were brought in by Steve Nicol. But if they had been actually brought in over the winter they’d be a top the good list.

I think now that we are halfway through the season we can have a better understanding of who is in this race and who is not. Some guys have floated on that bubble, while others are starting to place themselves in the true discussion for this award. A lot has to do with playing time, how their clubs are doing and what impact they are actually making on the field.

Still no true order to this list though, that will still come later on. Feel free as always to post your short list or discuss mine.

1. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Still one of the favorites in most people’s minds right now. Even with the lack of actual success on the LA backline, Franklin is still making solid strides to be one of the better center backs in the league. Let’s just hope Abel Xavier’s terrible play doesn’t rub off on the rookie.
2. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Others will have Dube atop their lists. He is definitely up there on mine.
3. Julius James, Toronto FC: The more time this kid gets on the field the better. Come October he will be an absolute beast for this club.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: I must say, I still get impressed by this kid each time I see him out there. He isn’t making loads of headlines or anything but he is still for the most part a mainstay in the Chivas lineup.
5. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: Another guy that is starting to see a lot more time is Iro. The kid is a tower on the backline for Columbus with Chad Marshall. Another kid that come later this season will be a total beast. Hell, I think he already is.

Fringe guys for the list:

1. Danleigh Boreman, New York: I don’t know what has happened with Boreman recently but I tend to lose him out on the pitch. Then again his club has been pretty terrible in recent weeks so that may be why.
2. Chance Myers, KC Wizards: Number one pick isn’t playing like one anymore. He may not even be the best rookie on his club at the moment.
3. Jonathan Leathers, KC Wizards: Who is the better rookie, Leathers or Myers? Right now I would honestly say Leathers.
4. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Continues to get better with each game, and I’m not saying that because I know the kid. More PT coming up could help his cause in this award.
5. Patrick Nyarko, Chicago Fire: Not playing a whole lot now but you will begin to see a reason why people thought he would have been the number one pick in the draft come this fall. He will be torching clubs as a sub in the 70th minute.
6. Pat Phelan, New England Revolution: Toronto will be wishing they had kept Phelan in the long run. I know they needed to free up a roster spot but in the long run he will make them wish otherwise.
7. Eric Avila, FC Dallas: That perfect cross to Abe Thompson is reason why this kid will begin to make his way up the charts here.

Others that should be considered, but won’t:

• Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: I’m pretty sure he won’t count as a rookie, if he does put him up near the top. He has seen time with other clubs in Africia, so that is why I think he won’t be considered.
• Sainey Nyassi, New England: See Ekpo.
• Kenny Mansally, New England: See Ekpo.

A year ago, DC dominated this season series winning two games after the opening draw in RFK Stadium. The final two games saw seven DC goals to New England’s two. One of those games was a 3-0 shutout in New England, in early July.

This year is a bit different however because both clubs are at opposite ends of the league table: the Revolution are in a three-way tie atop the league and Eastern Conference standings, while United are at the foot of the East with the third-fewest points in the league.

So it should be easy to say that this won’t be the same type of match up as a year ago. Both clubs added new parts in the offseason and for one club those moves are working out nicely while the other is currently trying to figure out where they went wrong.

I can say this about DC, if they get blown out tonight you better believe that Tom Soehn’s days will be even more numbered than they already were a week ago. The home win to Toronto was nice due to their coming from behind twice to win it but a drubbing on the road won’t help the causes out at all at this point. Consistent play has to start now with this club from what I’ve been told or Soehn and some players could be going elsewhere.

Now I honestly don’t think there will be an absolute drubbing tonight from New England but the chances are still pretty good with the way the Revs have been playing lately. Their main misses in this match will probably still be Taylor Twellman due to injury and Kenny Mansally who is with Gambia for World Cup qualifying.

DC has to find a way to get on the board early in this one with Luciano Emilio or Marcello Gallardo. Emilio finally found his scoring touch last Saturday but I still question whether or not he is back for real this time around. Gallardo is going to be matched up against Jeff Larentowicz in the middle of the field, should Larentowicz frustrate the Argentine playmaker, it could be a long evening for United.

A couple guys to keep an eye on from New England in this one are Kheli Dube and Mauricio Castro. I love what I’ve seen out of these two in recent weeks and I really think they are the unsung heros of this club so far this season. Castro’s free kick ability has been very nice while Steve Ralston was out with injury. But with Ralston back in the lineup Castro is still playing well. Dube on the other hand seems to find himself in the right spots at the right time. Last weekend’s game winner against Columbus was evidence of that.

I like New England tonight in this one, it should be good though since it is a nice rivalry game. DC should be feeling a little more confident so I think they will get on the board and make it interesting. But New England has been pretty strong as of late at home and over all. Once they shook off that embarrassing loss to Chicago at home they have only given up one goal. DC should get be able to crack that tally but Dube, Ralston, Shalrie Joepsh and Sainey Nyassi may have too much speed and possession for DC to keep up with.

WVH Prediction: New England 2, DC 1

Anyways, turns out New England has signed a couple St. Louis kids to developmental contracts. Nothing too crazy or out of the norm but one of those kid you may have heard of on BigSoccer or other soccer message boards out there, Brandon Manzonelli.

Manzonelli is seen to some of one of those rare talents in America and somehow the Revs signed him to a deal.

For those who aren’t as familiar with his name as those who spend time on message boards, he’s a St. Louis product that went to Spain at the age of 16. He was signed by Villarreal to play in their youth system and during his two years in Spain he netted eight goals and 10 assists in 25 matches. Not bad really.

He became sort of an internet legend over the last couple of years. So its a bit interesting that he is coming back to the US to play in MLS.

Now he is 18-year-old and is ready to team up with fellow St. Louis natives in New England, Steve Raltson and Taylor Twellman. He won’t be a game-changer over night for the Revs but it comes to show that this club is making a big youth movement instead of going out of their way to sign a bunch of high-priced talent that may not work out.

New England also signed midfielder Joe Germanese, another St. Louis product, to a developmental deal. Germanese may be a name you all might recall from January’s Draft Combine. He showed some real potential from the reports that I read on him. Sounds like another hard-worker in Steve Nicol’s system here.

If you’ve read Ives’ report on this he mentions the club is also set to probably bring in Honduran prospect George Welcome. Apparently the resident Honduran Mauricio Castro talked Welcome’s name up a bit and got him a look from Nicol and his coaching staff.

If you ask me, judging by the young talent already on this club (Gambians Sainey Nyassi and Kenny Mansally and Costa Rican Argenis Fernandez) New England is going with the youth movement inside CONCACAF and not in South America. So far I have to say it is working.

They saw with Clint Dempsey a couple years ago just how important it is to get solid youth play on their roster. I just wonder how long it will take before one of them really cashes in for the club and gets them their first MLS Cup.

Right now they kind of remind me of a club like Arsenal, they get all the youth talent in the world but have no trophies to show for it. Maybe these two kids today will help them to overcome that.