![]() National Team at the World Cup, Llamosa would help shore up the center of the defense for the next two seasons. That might have been the best one of all for longevity, but for production you’d probably have to say Ralston was the best pick.” ![]() “That was Carlos Llamosa and Steve Ralston… Tim Hankinson’s pick of Pablo Mastroeni was a very good one looking back. “We were lucky enough to pick up two in later rounds that ended up having the biggest impact for us,” said Murphy, a Quincy, Mass. Despite his pedigree, the Senegalese striker nicknamed Big Mama proved a bust in New England with just one goal in seven games before he was traded away.įortunately for the Revolution, there were enough players to be had to overcome one disappointment. The Revolution took Diallo, who scored 35 goals the previous two seasons, with the second overall pick in the Allocation Draft. “I think we felt that there were a lot of players available that could change a franchise, but the unusual thing about that was the two that were rated the highest, Diego and Mamadou, were probably the two that made the least impact.” “It was unusual,” said John Murphy, who joined New England as a part-time goalkeeper coach in 2000, before becoming a full time assistant under Fernando Clavijo in 2001. Yet even the abundance of talent available and the plethora of picks the Revolution held were no guarantee of building a playoff squad. The contraction of the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny and subsequent Allocation and Dispersal drafts presented them with a unique opportunity to rebuild with proven MLS talent. In the seventh part of a now nine-part series, assistant coach John Murphy – who currently serves as head coach of the men’s soccer team at Anderson University (South Carolina) – gave us his perspective on one of the most important seasons in club history.Īfter a disappointing 2001 season, the Revolution coaching staff needed to find a way to turn things around in 2002. Ten years later, New England Soccer Today remembers the squad that paved the way for a remarkable run of MLS Cup finals in the 2000s. Note: In 2002, the New England Revolution went from a team in turmoil to a collection of players on the cusp of bringing the franchise their first championship – all within the course of 35 games. John Murphy (right), seen here with former Revolution goalkeeper Adin Brown, served as an assistant coach for the Revs from 2000-2004.
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