Taylor Twellman

Before the Go-Go's Mother's Day gig at the Wilbur Theatre, frontwoman Belinda Carlisle stopped by Sandy Poirier 's South Boston salon Shag for a fresh cut. We're told the band - Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin , Charlotte Caffey , Gina Schock and Kathy Valentine - put on a hits-heavy show for their enthusiastic fans. . . . Among the athletes, both past and present, spotted at the Celtics-Sixers game on Monday were Dana Barros , Billy Andrade , Patrick Chung , Doug Flutie , Taylor Twellman , Devin McCourty , Donte Stallworth , and Brandon Lloyd .

Before the Go-Go's Mother's Day gig at the Wilbur Theatre, frontwoman Belinda Carlisle stopped by Sandy Poirier 's South Boston salon Shag for a fresh cut. We're told the band - Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin , Charlotte Caffey , Gina Schock and Kathy Valentine - put on a hits-heavy show for their enthusiastic fans. . . . Among the athletes, both past and present, spotted at the Celtics-Sixers game on Monday were Dana Barros , Billy Andrade , Patrick Chung , Doug Flutie , Taylor Twellman , Devin McCourty , Donte Stallworth , and Brandon Lloyd .

FOXBOROUGH -- The only reigning MVP in town is not yet his usual dynamic himself, and he certainly knows why. "It's tense," says Taylor Twellman. "No matter how you look at it, it occupies your mind a lot. I know I've been unfair to my teammates. I even had sinusitis, and the doctor said it was due to stress. " So what's going on? Team USA coach Bruce Arena will select his team for the 2006 World Cup Tuesday. Though Taylor Twellman of the New England Revolution is the defending Major League Soccer scoring champ and defending MVP, he isn't sure if he'll make the cut, and he can't get it out of his...

Pats receiver Wes Welker , retired Rev Taylor Twellman , who recently got a gig as soccer analyst on ESPN, and WAAF-FM's Greg Hill hosted Liberty Bay Credit Union's "Not-So-Silent Night" holiday party at the House of Blues… . Recuperating Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka had dinner Nick Varano 's Nico in the North End.

Revolution all-time leading scorer Taylor Twellman confirmed yesterday that he was sent back onto the playing field after telling the team he had a concussion during a game in 2008. Twellman told a conference on brain trauma in Framingham he had sustained five concussions before the one that led to his early retirement. "I'm not in the business of finger-pointing and I have no ill feelings toward the Revolution, none whatsoever," Twellman said of his keynote speech at the conference.

FOXBOROUGH — Shalrie Joseph has set standards for defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer. Since joining the Revolution in 2003, he has shown how a combination of skill, strength, vision, and the ability to distribute the ball can change the dynamic of a team. There has not been anyone in the league more consistently spectacular at providing a defensive anchor and transitioning to offense from the position. But Joseph might have cost himself money by becoming an all-around performer.

FOXBOROUGH -- The Revolution have turned late-season rallies into a combination of an art form and a habit. Clint Dempsey and Steve Ralston scored in a three-minute period early in the second half as the Revolution edged the Chicago Fire, 2-1, to qualify for the MLS playoffs for the third successive season. The Revolution (8-13-9) escaped the Eastern Conference cellar by winning the season series against the Fire (8-13-9) and will play host to Columbus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the opener of a two-game, total-goals playoff series.

FOXBOROUGH -- The Revolution usually have been victorious with an aesthetically-pleasing style of play this season. But they showed they could win ugly yesterday, battling and scrapping, defending and deflecting, holding the lead for the final 86 minutes of a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference championship game. This was the Revolution's fourth successive appearance in the conference final; they will meet the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup, a rematch of the 2002 final, Sunday afternoon in Frisco, Texas.

FRISCO, Texas -- The Revolution finally ran out of gas, and used up their supply of healing elixirs and last-second comebacks. After sprinting through their best season ever, the Revolution hobbled to a 1-0 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy for the second time in an MLS Cup final yesterday. Though the Revolution defended well against Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones, they faltered in the second minute of injury time in the first half of extra time, surrendering a soft corner that was volleyed in by Guillermo "Pando" Ramirez.

FOXBOROUGH - The Revolution spent their first six seasons watching conference finals from afar. But the team has been getting up-close exposure since then, a 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls last night taking them within a game of their fourth MLS Cup appearance in six years. Taylor Twellman scored the only goal of the two-game, aggregate-goal series, finishing at the back post in the 64th minute while the Red Bulls were playing shorthanded. The Revolution and Chicago Fire will meet in the Eastern Conference championship game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the second time in three years the teams will...

Revolution all-time leading scorer Taylor Twellman confirmed yesterday that he was sent back onto the playing field after telling the team he had a concussion during a game in 2008. Twellman told a conference on brain trauma in Framingham he had sustained five concussions before the one that led to his early retirement. "I'm not in the business of finger-pointing and I have no ill feelings toward the Revolution, none whatsoever," Twellman said of his keynote speech at the conference.

FOXBOROUGH - There is no place in the Boston-area sports scene quite like The Fort at Gillette Stadium. On Revolution game days, Sections 141, 142, and 143, behind the north goal, are transformed into a high-energy, continuously chanting and singing area, basically a mini-version of soccer stadia in other countries. The most committed and passionate supporters populate The Fort, loudly backing the team through thick and thin. But those very supporters have been in conflict with team management since the second half of a June 18 match, when stadium security removed four people from The...

FOXBOROUGH — Shalrie Joseph has set standards for defensive midfielders in Major League Soccer. Since joining the Revolution in 2003, he has shown how a combination of skill, strength, vision, and the ability to distribute the ball can change the dynamic of a team. There has not been anyone in the league more consistently spectacular at providing a defensive anchor and transitioning to offense from the position. But Joseph might have cost himself money by becoming an all-around performer.

FOXBOROUGH - A few more offensive chances was all Revolution coach Steve Nicol wanted to see out of his bunch last night. Before last night’s SuperLiga semifinal against the Chicago Fire, the Revolution had not scored in back-to-back matches against MLS teams. Nicol’s challenge to his team was to make better decisions around the goal. The result was a season-high 23 shots for the Revolution, but the ball seemed to go everywhere but across the goal line as the team’s bid to defend its 2008 SuperLiga title came to an end in a 2-1 loss at Gillette...

FOXBOROUGH - You can find Jay Heaps in the archives of local newspapers long before he was a Revolution defender. A product of Longmeadow, Heaps was a multisport athlete who took his talents to Duke University, where he played soccer and walked on with the basketball team. One activity was never enough for Heaps. Balancing life with sports became an art he mastered. And no matter how much he stacked his schedule, no one could question his desire to be successful. Heaps motivated himself by remembering nothing could be assumed.

FOXBOROUGH - After several hard tackles, shoves, calls, and noncalls, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Revolution and Chicago Fire ended in a 0-0 draw last night. The result was satisfactory for the Revolution, who will meet Chicago in Round 2 of the two-game, aggregate-goals series next Thursday in Bridgeview, Ill. It was anyone's guess how New England would fare after injuries and suspensions claimed some of the team's key players. This week, striker Taylor Twellman was ruled out indefinitely because of concussion-related symptoms.

CARSON, Calif. -- Despite having nearly the entire Eastern Conference championship team returning this season, the Revolution are unsure what to expect in their opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy tonight. Part of the reason for the uncertainty is the absence of defender Michael Parkhurst (thigh bruise), who was a key to the team's 3-5-2 alignment but remains out for two more weeks. The Revolution, meanwhile, will revert to a 4-4-2 formation, hoping to hold off the advances of Landon Donovan and Herculez Gomez, and also play enough of a possession game to reestablish their offense.

FOXBOROUGH - After several hard tackles, shoves, calls, and noncalls, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Revolution and Chicago Fire ended in a 0-0 draw last night. The result was satisfactory for the Revolution, who will meet Chicago in Round 2 of the two-game, aggregate-goals series next Thursday in Bridgeview, Ill. It was anyone's guess how New England would fare after injuries and suspensions claimed some of the team's key players. This week, striker Taylor Twellman was ruled out indefinitely because of concussion-related symptoms.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - For the Revolution, this is no Mexican standoff. In their preseason contest against the reigning Mexican First Division champions, who are already in midseason form, the Revolution receive the first eight yellow cards. When new Revolution defender Chris Albright puts a late tackle on an Atlante player, there is a near-brawl. Two Revolution players are ejected, and eventually two Atlante players. A smoke bomb goes off among fans who are waving flags, banging drums, and singing in the concrete bleachers.

FOXBOROUGH - Tunnel vision and focused thinking are fundamental traits of goal scorers such as Taylor Twellman. But Twellman had a chance to expand his vision yesterday as he lined up next to fellow striker Pat Noonan in central defense during a 25-minute Revolution scrimmage. Coach Steve Nicol devised a lighthearted workout, with players wearing jerseys of their favorite players and switching positions, the team practicing outside Gillette Stadium for the last time before traveling to Washington, D.C., for Sunday's MLS Cup game against Houston.