Revolution Notebook: Jones & Petrovic Get A Look
Revolution Notebook: Jones & Petrovic Get A Look With Their National Teams
In today’s edition of the New England Revolution notebook I dig into the U.S. National Team and a handful of other topics regarding the Revs and MLS.
Without a head coach the U.S. National Team fell to Serbia in Los Angeles in their first match of 2023. January camps are usually a place to try out new things and for the Revolution one of their own got to do something new. Defender DeJuan Jones was subbed in for his first USMNT cap replacing former Providence College Friar Julian Gressel in the 62nd minute.
The 25-year-old graded out at a 6.5 which was tied for the second best rating off the bench according to FotMob. In his 28 minutes he completed 90% of his passes, had 34 touches, one interception, and six recoveries. Good first performance for Jones but without a full time head coach it is unclear if this performance will carry weight with the national team going forward.
On the opposite side of the field was Revs goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic who started for Serbia. Petrovic played the first half for Serbia and conceded one goal while making two saves on three shots on target. Probably would have liked to see the 23-year-old to play the entire match but maybe that was the plan all along.
Jones and the U.S. will be back in action to close January camp on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Colombia while Petrovic and Serbia are done.
Apple TV And MLS
Apple TV is a hot topic right now ahead of it’s MLS subscription launching in February. Ahead of the launch select media members received care packages with Apple TV’s, free access codes, and other goodies as part of a promotional stunt. Now while I am not advocating for a care package this does bring back one of my core issues as a media member with this media deal.
As of now most media members who cannot cover the team on the road (100% in New England for most road matches) would have to sign up for the subscription. The payment will be to Apple but it is specifically for their MLS product which in essence makes a situation where media are paying MLS to cover it’s product.
Under previous deals this was a tad different, especially at the local level. Previously a media member would pay a cable company who paid a television network who paid MLS or the teams. The past two years those who covered the team in-market didn’t have to pay anything with Revolution matches airing over the air via WBZ platforms.
The new arrangement feels a tad off from a media perspective. Maybe the solution is all accredited media members get a free access code? Feels like an easy fix. Then again, how many comped subscriptions can the league afford considering all season ticket holders get access codes?
Things I Like In The Media
Since The Bent Musket went dark there has been an eerie silence in New England Revolution coverage. I am sure the great team over there will be back better than ever after Vox Media pulled the rip cord on its soccer coverage. Buy a shirt if you can afford it, supporting independent soccer coverage is vital.