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Taylor Twellman is getting stronger after a tough offseason. (FILE/Barry Chin/Globe Staff) |
Twellman is still not ready to start
Taylor Twellman has kept a low profile this season. He has not played a full game for the Revolution since the MLS Cup in November, then experienced a difficult offseason that included the disappointment of a failed transfer to England, a divorce, and an injury.
But Twellman appears to be going strong now. He played 73 minutes, scoring in the Revolution's 3-0 win over the Richmond Kickers in a US Open Cup match Tuesday, and is scheduled to be on the bench against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, Calif., tonight.
"It's been frustrating," Twellman said recently. "But part of being a professional athlete is how you react and handle it."
Twellman was slowed in the preseason, lasting 90 minutes once (in a 1-0 loss to Atlante in Cancun) and pulled out of the season opener during warm-ups. Twellman recovered from knee surgery, then sustained a severe ankle sprain the last time the Revolution played at the
Twellman said he has lost 6 pounds ("a lot of it was stress," he said) in recent weeks and was encouraged by his stint against the Kickers.
"It helps to know European clubs are looking at you," Twellman said. "Preston called in May to see how my ankle was doing."
Major League Soccer refused a $3.5 million transfer offer from Preston North End for Twellman before the season.
"He's been working hard, so we knew he would be strong," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said yesterday in a phone interview. "It's that extra half-yard and the sharpness that will come by playing."
Adam Cristman and Kheli Dube will likely remain in the starting lineup.
"Let's be honest, the two guys who have been playing have been fantastic," Nicol said. "Like everyone else, [Twellman] is going to have to fight for a place on the team. But, at the end of the day, if you have a 100 percent Taylor Twellman, chances are he is going to play."
Seven players made their first starts of the season for the Revolution in the Open Cup, five making their first professional starts. The first-time starters were Wellesley's Chris Tierney and Newton's Sam Brill, who combined on the first goal; Joe Germanese, who scored the second goal; and midfielder Brandon Tyler and first-round draft choice Rob Valentino.
"We want the young guys to be showing what they've got and they did that [Tuesday] night," Nicol said. "So, if something happens we have no hesitation in putting them in. It goes back to the core group we have - everyday people are trying to impress and do their best. The older guys demand that every day and we are getting the benefit of it."
Nicol and Los Angeles coach Ruud Gullit are former winners of the European Champions Cup, Nicol with Liverpool (1984) and Gullit with Milan ('89 and '90) . . . Nicol played against the Galaxy's David Beckham and Revolution assistant Paul Mariner coached Beckham in England, but there are no plans to reunite before the match, Nicol said . . . Revolution midfielder Brandon Manzonelli, 18, was named to the US Under-20 national team that will compete against Mexico next Friday in Laredo, Texas. It is Manzonelli's first call-up for a youth national team.
Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.
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