No day at beach for Revolution

The Houston Dynamo's experience in the Pan-Pacific Championship should be a warning for the Revolution. Japan Cup champion Gamba Osaka took a 6-1 victory over the Dynamo in Honolulu Saturday night.

The timing of the tournament placed the Dynamo at a disadvantage, since Major League Soccer teams are behind J. League teams in preseason training. Gamba Osaka defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy, 1-0, in the event opener, then dominated the Dynamo, Brazilian striker Bare scoring four goals.

When Revolution training camp continues in Cancun next week, they will be preparing to play a March 5 exhibition against FC Atlante, reigning champion of Mexico's Primera Division. The Potros de Hierro are in the second month of the Clausura season; the Revolution will be starting the second month of training camp. Atlante does not have a striker of the caliber of Bare, though Venezuelan Giancarlo Maldonado scored 18 goals, second in the league last season. Besides having an edge in physical conditioning, Atlante will be at least as technically proficient as Gamba Osaka.

But this is where the Revolution have an edge on Houston. The Revolution, who have lost the last two MLS Cups to the Dynamo, base their game on passing, so they should be able to keep possession long enough to relieve pressure on their defense. This emphasis on the passing game allows the Revolution to remain composed against skillful opposition, because the players are not far out of their element, even against the most technical foes.

Coach Steve Nicol is anticipating the challenge.

"It will be a great test to see where we are," Nicol said yesterday. "It will show us where we are fitness-wise. And it will show us what we are about and how people handle situations thrown at them. We will see their temperament, who is ready for a fight when we are really struggling.

"We will be physically behind [Atlante]. But we'll see how we react to that, how we keep our heads, and work it out. It will be a great test for us."

Atlante may lack motivation in the match, one of its four games in the first 13 days of March. The Potros (Colts) have league matches March 1 and 8 and a CONCACAF Champions Cup game March 13.

But this could be a preview of the second annual SuperLiga tournament, which will be held in July and August. The Revolution are expected to be in a group with Chivas USA and two Mexican clubs (Atlante and Pumas). Gillette Stadium is expected to play host to at least one match in group play. The top two group teams advance to the semifinals. Last year's event was held in seven stadiums in six cities over a 35-day period.

The first CONCACAF Champions League field has not been announced, but the Revolution are expected to play a home-and-away series in the preliminary round in late August and early September. The preliminary-round winners will play six games in group play through Oct. 30. Using a format similar to one used by the UEFA Champions League, the tournament will resume with quarterfinals in February 2009.

Forward progress

Gambian Kenny Mansally is ahead of three other candidates in auditions to be paired with Taylor Twellman at forward in the next Revolution preseason match, Monday against Pioneros de Cancun. Mansally scored four goals as the Revolution defeated the Bermuda national team, 6-1 and 2-0, in their opening preseason matches.

Adam Cristman is a candidate for the US Olympic team, which begins training this week for the March 11-23 qualifying tournament. Spencer Wadsworth, who scored the first Revolution goal of the preseason, is out at least two weeks with a sprained ankle. And the acquisition of Argenis Fernandez, a 20-year-old striker from Santos FC in Guapiles, Costa Rica, has been delayed by visa problems.

There are two other forwards on the Revolution roster: Jose Angulo, who sustained a leg injury on the first day of training, and Zimbabwe's Kheli Dube, a candidate for the developmental roster.

Wadsworth, 21, has been among the early surprises, since he mostly performed as a midfielder at Duke. He scored eight goals as a freshman striker, but mostly played on the right wing and center midfield the last two seasons at Duke. After undergoing ankle surgery last February, Wadsworth scored twice for the Blue Devils last season.

Wadsworth, a fourth-round draft choice, grew up in Plano, Texas, but felt more connected to the Revolution than FC Dallas after performing at the same club (Dallas Texans) as former Revolution star Clint Dempsey and being coached in the offseason by Revolution assistant Paul Mariner.

"It doesn't matter where you go in the draft," Wadsworth said. "This is where I wanted to be. I have confidence in myself. This game suits me because you can't get by just on speed. I like the speed of play. You don't have time to take three or four touches; it's one or two touches, play the ball and move."

But Wadsworth, who is 5 feet 8 inches, 165 pounds, relies on foot speed as well.

European history

Former University of Massachusetts goalkeeper Colin Burns had to negotiate a difficult path before joining Ljungskile SK in Sweden this month. Burns's transfer, blocked by the Swedish Football Association because he had performed for two clubs last year, set a precedent and was being called the "Burns Rule" by Swedish media.

Burns had indeed performed for two clubs last year, the one-season limit, according to FIFA rules. But Burns convinced the Swedish FA that Scandinavian countries, which play a March-to-October schedule, were different from other European leagues, whose seasons run from August to May. The Swedish Allsvenskan season does not begin until March 31, when the major European leagues are nearing the end of the season. So, FIFA changed the wording of the rule to define a season as the first to the last game, regardless of the dates.

Burns performed for UMass in 2001, when the Minutemen made their first NCAA Tournament appearance, then made his professional breakthrough with Olimpia Balti in Moldova, and gained the attention of Ljungskile while performing in Finland last year.

Burns had nearly abandoned his dream of playing professionally, concentrating on turfgrass management studies (he interned with the Red Sox, Patriots, and Revolution). But after impressive performances in difficult circumstances, especially in Moldova's Premier League, he has gained notice from mid-level European clubs and MLS teams.