They stood together on pitch

But request for change of exhibition venue not granted

NEW ORLEANS - Captain Steve Ralston believes the Revolution will be prepared for the Major League Soccer season despite problems the team encountered on its final preseason trip, which concludes today.

Ralston revealed yesterday the Revolution wanted the team's management to try to change the site of Sunday's exhibition match, a 0-0 tie with CD Marathon, the defending champion of Honduras's Primera Liga. The game was played before an announced crowd of 4,500 at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park, where the teams had met for a 60-minute, closed-door scrimmage Friday.

"We were never not going to play the game," Ralston said. "We wanted a venue change because of the field. It was only 57 yards wide and it was in bad shape. But, obviously, there are contracts that have to be honored and we didn't want any lawsuits.

"We just wanted a better field and we thought we deserved that. A lot of things came together - the food at the hotel, the fact that we didn't have water and had to drink tap water. We're not pointing fingers, we're just saying the most important thing is preparing for two weeks from now, and everyone - the staff and players - agree."

The Revolution, 4-1-1 (16-3 goal differential) in the preseason, also performed on substandard fields in Mexico earlier this month, according to several players. The Revolution open the season against the Houston Dynamo at Gillette Stadium March 29 in a rematch of the 2007 MLS Cup.

"It's hard because of where we are, we have to train inside at ForeKicks and the fieldhouse this time of year," Ralston said. "So, when we do get outside, it's important to have good training. That's the No. 1 thing. The other stuff, the inconveniences, we can deal with. But we're all on the same page, we all agree that for next time preparations have to be better.

"We are good professionals and we got out of this what we could, under the circumstances. And now we have a week and a half to get sharp for the opener. The good thing about this is we stood together as a team. Sometimes, some guys agree and some disagree on things, but we were together on this."

Ralston said the field limited the Revolution passing game and also the team's ability to perform at full speed. Because of the poor field conditions, key players Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph opted to sit out Sunday's match.

"We just wanted to get out of there healthy," Ralston said. "That field was harder than artificial turf."

The Revolution lost central defender Carlos Llamosa to a season-ending knee injury in their final preseason match of 2004 on a synthetic surface in New Orleans. The Revolution concluded the preseason with a 4-0 victory over the New Orleans Shell Shockers on a well-groomed field at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge last year.

CD Marathon scheduled a weekend off from league play to take on the Revolution before an almost totally Honduran crowd.

"They were a good team, a little different style, and that part of it was good preparation for some of the games we will have this summer," Ralston said.

The Revolution will meet Mexican clubs Santos (July 13) and Pachuca (July 16) in the SuperLiga and could also play in the CONCACAF Champions League in late August and early September. The MLS representatives for the Champions League will be determined by the US Soccer Federation.

Prospects are good

Brendan Tyler, a 19-year-old midfielder from Phoenix, played for the Revolution in both games against Marathon and will join the team for training in Foxborough later this week. Tyler was recommended by assistant coach Paul Mariner, who formerly coached a club team in Phoenix.

"He has a good eye for a pass and he is strong," coach Steve Nicol said of Tyler. "He wasn't fazed at all coming in here. We liked what we saw and we want to see him a little more."

Nicol has had success with local college players such as midfielder Andy Dorman (Boston University), now with St. Mirren in Scotland, and starting midfielder Jeff Larentowicz (Brown University). The latest local prospects to join the Revolution are defenders Sam Brill (Boston College) and Matthew Britner (Brown), who started in central defense in a 4-4-2 alignment in the second halves against Marathon.

"They are good, solid defenders," Nicol said. "They are in the squad [and] how much they play will depend on what happens."

Brill, 22, was born in Newton and has been attending Revolution games since the team's first year, in 1996. His early favorite players were Mike Burns, now the Revolution's director of soccer, and Alexi Lalas, now the Los Angeles Galaxy general manager.

"We are a soccer family, my brother and sister also play, and so it feels like I've been going to Revolution games my whole life," Brill said. "I remember when the shirts looked like they had an American flag on the front. The team has gotten better and better since those days and it's been great for us to have a league to aspire to be playing in."

Britner has performed for Canada's Under-23 team but did not make the final cut for the Olympic qualifying tournament. Canada meets the US in the semifinals Thursday in Nashville.

Britner, who is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, did not accompany the Revolution to preseason training camps in Bermuda and Mexico because he is in the US on a student visa.

"If Canada qualifies I could have a chance to play, if I put myself in a good position with the Revolution," Britner said. "Seeing how high the quality is of the players, you can understand why [the Revolution] have done well the last few years. The core of the team is still there."