Revs Notebook: Putting loss behind them

FRISCO, Texas -- New England Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph had a simple answer to how the team can improve on its best season ever.

"Winning the Cup, that's the biggest improvement," Joseph said. "We can win the Cup next year and a lot of the pain will go away. Guys don't want to feel like this every year."

Even though the Revolution lost 1-0 Sunday in the MLS Cup Final at Pizza Hut Park, they had the best season in the club's 10-year history.

New England had the most points (59) and most victories in a season (17). The club started the season with an 11-game unbeaten streak.

But the Revolution was edged out of the MLS Cup Final for the second time in four years and was bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup in its first game, a fourth-round overtime loss to Chicago.

"How you want to see it as we're not champion," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "That was the object of the season, to be a champion. This is not the time when you're not thinking positively. You can look back some success, obviously. But really that seems pretty insignificant because we lost the game."

Just getting to the MLS Cup Final was an accomplishment, midfielder Clint Dempsey said. The Revolution lost the first leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series to the MetroStars 1-0.

"It shows the character of our team to battle through those playoff games and get here," Dempsey said. "It's always difficult to take when you're not winning. The most important thing is being in the mix.

Joseph is already looking forward to next season.

"We have to look at what we did take it from there and take it for what is was," Joseph said. "We had a great season but we didn't win the Cup. We still fell short and guys are a little bitter. But we're just going come in next and work harder and get better."

TWELLMAN SHUT OUT: Revolution forward Taylor Twellman was the winner of the MLS Golden Boot, but did not score a goal in the club's four playoff games.

Twellman's last goal was Oct. 15 at Gillette Stadium in a 1-0 victory against the Chicago Fire in the Revolution's last regular season game.

"Taylor is no different than anybody else. If you don't get service you don't get a goal," Nicol said.

The Revolution scored only four goals in the four playoff games, three of them in the second leg victory in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the MetroStars.

"It's very frustrating," Dempsey said. "We're a team that was able to scored a lot of goals (55 in 32 regular season game) this season."

HUNT JOINS KRAFT: Revolution investor/operator Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League, was not only team owner missing his NFL team's game to watch the MLS Cup Final.

Kansas City Wizards owner/investor Lamar Hunt also missed the game of the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL team he owns.

Hunt could be seen 90 minutes before the kickoff of attending to some of the last-minute details around Pizza Hut Park. Hunt dragged a four-foot high trashcan several feet from one position to another behind section 101. He then straightened out another one before walking into the three-story building housing a restaurant, luxury suites and the press box.

Hunt arrived inside just in time to watch the Chiefs miss a field goal on one of the numerous televisions.

The Chiefs lost 14-3 to the Buffalo Bills. Kraft did not have a Revolution victory to celebrate, but the Patriots defeated Miami 23-16.

Robert Whitman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.