Foxboro's future

Before Wednesday night's United States-Mexico match, U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati and CEO/secretary general Dan Flynn held court for a roundtable with media members.

With Gillette Stadium not on the list of potential hosts for the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, I asked where Foxboro stood in the federation's eyes, especially with the installation of FieldTurf during the 2006 NFL season.

“In general terms, leaving Foxboro out of it, we’re not playing in big stadiums in most of these games in the first round, and in a way, it’s hard to play in big stadiums for any of these games because of our opponents," Gulati said. "And we found out the hard way that even when we play in what we would hope is a home-field advantage-type venue, middle America, if we’re playing in a big stadium, we may still get outnumbered. (In) Birmingham, we ended up with a far bigger Guatemalan contingent than I expected (in 2005). Honduras (in 2001) in D.C., obviously.

"We’re going to play the qualifying games in places where everything is riding on winning the game. Foxboro’s been part of that. And in the case of Boston, (there's been) less of an issue with big numbers in the Hispanic community. But we’ve seen when we played El Salvador there or Costa Rica there, there’s been big numbers there.”

Flynn, however, mentioned the Americans' stellar history in Foxboro (7-0-3 at the old Foxboro Stadium, 9-1-1 at CMGI/Gillette) as a factor that can't be ignored.

“Our record is unbelievably good there, and the coach gets input here (when choosing venues), and there’s a comfort level with the surroundings and all those things that maybe creep into a coach’s mindset or a player’s mindset," he said. "The FieldTurf is a little bit unique, but quite frankly, around this country we bring in grass. That’s not what it used to be 10, 15 years ago. I don’t want to be flip about it; it is a lot of work and it is a little bit of extra worry, but our record there is very, very strong. So all of those things get factored in.”

Asked how Hartford's Rentschler Field factors into the equation in terms of serving as another option for New England-based matches, Flynn replied, "Options are good.”

Foxboro hosted two qualifiers in the 1998 World Cup cycle, three in the 2002 cycle and two in the 2006 cycle. Hartford got the nod for one match in the 2006 cycle.

Pat Noonan's parting words

I traveled to Houston this week to freelance the United States-Mexico clasico at Reliant Stadium, and caught up with Pat Noonan following Tuesday's practice. Here are some of his thoughts as he leaves the Revolution and heads to Norway, where he'll join ex-Revs goalkeeper Adin Brown at Aalesund FK.

On the move overseas:

“I’m sure it’ll sink in once I get over there. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got a familiar face that’ll help me with it, with Adin Brown showing me around, so hopefully that’ll make the transition a little smoother, but I’m looking forward to a new atmosphere. ...

“I’d wanted to go overseas and try something. They have a new coach, a new stadium built. It seems they’re turning things in a good direction. ... It’ll be chilly, but I’m looking forward to the experience.”

“You’re always proving yourself, I think. It’s going to be a new experience, and hopefully I can go in and fit in quickly and contribute right away, and I think if I can do that, it’ll make things a lot easier.”

In a sense, did he feel like the Revs did him a favor by not picking up his option?
“It’s the way you’ve got to look at it. It’s disappointing that they didn’t feel I was still valuable, with not picking up the option, but you know what? It’s a blessing in disguise for me to go overseas and get my foot in the door there and go from there.”

Was the Revs' decision a surprise?

“It was a surprise, no question. I did a lot (for) that organization and I know I have some good years left, so I wasn’t expecting it.”

“With any coach, all you know is they want you to perform. And whether it’s MLS or overseas, you’ve got to be performing with your club to be called into these camps.”

Health update:
“Everything’s going good. The last month’s been good in terms of strengthening and fitness, and hopefully I can go into preseason already a step ahead.”

On failing to win an MLS Cup title with the Revs:
“It’s tough. When you have three chances and you don’t come out with any, it’s tough, and it’s a bummer that I’m going to be heading out there without one. You never know what the future holds; maybe I’ll end up back there, maybe not. But it would have been nice to get one before I left.”

On friend Taylor Twellman's attempts to go to Preston North End:
“It’s a tough time because he’s got a chance to go over and play in a great league and prove himself over there, and he’s not able to do that because they don’t want to let him go. He’s had some very generous offers and they keep rejecting it, and that’s unfortunate because they’re kind of holding him back from a dream.”

On how he's left things with the Revs organization:
“I was close to a lot of people. I’m not going to start bashing them. They know I’m disappointed with their decision (but) there’s no reason to start a war.”