Unhappy Captain - Revs' Joseph To Demand Trade

New England Revolution defensive midfielder and newly-branded captain Shalrie Joseph says he will demand a trade when the team convenes for practice on Wednesday. Joseph, a driving force behind the Revs' back-to-back MLS Cup appearances, last month was named captain of the team, but now says he will relinquish the captaincy to seek more money.

Says Joseph: "I have been patient and I have been the good boy they wanted me to be, but I can't wait any more... I had a great offer from Celtic and I should be paid what I am worth. There are always compromises on both sides, but they didn't come willing to negotiate." Joseph was referring to the reported $1-million offer made by Celtic FC that was turned down by the Revolution.

Joseph has two years left on his contract, which is worth $167,500/year. According to Joseph's agent Ron Waxman, the Revs offered Joseph $200,000 annually before training camp started last month and later upped their offer to $300,000 on the eve of training camp. Joseph is seeking a three-year guaranteed contract, Waxman said.

My take: Although Joseph is one of the rising stars and better talents in the MLS, the Revs should have sold him when they had such a good offer. He clearly doesn't want to be in a Revs uniform, so they should get what they can and use the money from the sale of Joseph and Clint Dempsey to go after a DP. Very unlikely at this point, though.