Sanity Remains on Throne in Foxboro: Revolution Re-Sign Shalrie Joseph

Given the New England Revolution’s performance during the 2011 season, a mostly drab roster in need of changes, and an artificial-turf home stadium built for an NFL team, soccer fans aren’t pitching tents outside Gillette stadium to secure Revs 2012 season tickets. But the organization did something right this month by re-signing midfielder Shalrie Joseph. Here’s New England GM Michael Burns announcing the agreement, as quoted in an article yesterday on the Revolution’s website: “Getting him re-signed was a top priority for us this off-season. We expect that Shalrie will continue to lead this team on the field, but also off the field and in the community, as well, as we move ahead into 2012.”

I recently heard someone quoted on the MLS podcast Extratime Radio saying he didn’t think Shalrie Joseph was worth the $475,000 the Revolution paid him last year. I’ve heard this kind of thing before—that Shalrie Joseph is overrated and overpaid—heard it even from someone who knows a lot about soccer, and each time I get almost angry. Of all the athletes in the world, or for that matter in the Boston area, it’s almost unfathomable to me that someone would get worked up about a team paying Joseph half a million a year, even an MLS team.

Obviously, anybody that makes this “argument” did not watch the 2011 Revolution season. In lieu of watching all those games now, after the fact, I suggest those in the anti-Joseph camp watch the July friendly against Manchester United. Joseph was the only Revolution player that clearly belonged on the field with the EPL side, not because of his speed but because he’s so strong, he’s calm on the ball, and he distributes well. To me, it’s significant that the Revs’ now-departed coach Steve Nicol played Joseph the entire match against Man. U. Joseph was the only Revolution player to go the full ninety minutes. Nicol of course was a hugely successful player in the Premiership, and this gesture I believe was his way of telling Joseph and everyone else that Joseph is a world-class player.

To continue, as if I need to: Joseph has been officially named one of MLS’s best eleven players four times in his career so far, and he’s led the Revolution in scoring two out of the last three years as a defensive midfielder. He’s tough and never dives, he commands respect from his teammates, other players, and other coaches. (In that Extratime podcast I mentioned, Greg Lalas told an anecdote about going to the bathroom during halftime of a game involving Joseph and seeing Bruce Arena, who shook his head and said something like, “Man, that Shalrie Joseph is really something.”) This season Joseph passed up playing in the Gold Cup for his country because he knew the faltering Revolution desperately needed his services. This is the guy some people choose to say is overpaid at $500K? Revolution fans named Benny Feilhaber last season’s MVP, and the club named Matt Reis. Reis is a decent choice, and Feilhaber is more explosive than Joseph, but there’s zero question in my mind the MVP of that team was Joseph. 

If you care to read about contract terms, the MLS Designated Player (DP) rule and how it relates to Joseph’s new contract, and other information about the re-signing, check out Kyle McCarthy’s excellent, well-researched article in Goal.com. In it, McCarthy reports, “[Jonathan] Kraft's public support and his private guarantees that the club would foot some of the bill to secure Joseph's services in 2012 all but assured that the two sides would reach an agreement.” The Krafts’ reputation for being a “class” organization typically extends only to how they run the Patriots. Their decision to reward Joseph for his past loyalty to the club proves the Krafts have some class in reserve to lavish on their soccer team.