With the Revolution’s showdown with the Kansas City Wizards now just two days away (Saturday, July 11, 4 p.m., TV38, WEEI Radio Network), the players were back on the training field this morning for a longish (one hour, 30 minutes) session in unsteady weather. Although the rain held off for the entirety, the sun showed its face before disappearing behind the clouds in brief intervals … but with the guys able to stay dry throughout the session, all in all it would have to be considered a success.

More good news on the injury front as there was more progress today for a few of the players currently sidelined. Mauricio Castro ramped up his participation by taking part in passing drills before doing some jogging/sprinting, while Shalrie Joseph and Chris Tierney also did some light jogging before juggling with each other for a brief time to get some ballwork. Chris Albright was also outside for the first half of training to do some jogging, while Steve Ralston once again participated in the full session.

Today’s session began with extended passing drills following the prerequisite jog and stretch, while the players then broke up into two teams to play a large game of possession with three neutrals. The goals were then moved by the “junior pros” - a.k.a. younger players - and set up to play a brief small-sided game. As usual, crossing and finishing closed out the session.

A few separate games broke out following training as the weather was just enjoyable enough to stay outside a bit longer. A group of the guys played “butts up” at one end of the field - an enjoyable game to watch but not one that seems all that enjoyable to play - while another crew played soccer horeshoes at the other end. The duo of head coach Steve Nicol and goalkeeper Brad Knighton narrowly edged out the Wake Forest combo of Wells Thompson and Pat Phelan, 15-13. To be honest, I may not have remembered the score were I not reminded five times by Mr. Knighton himself …

And one last quick note - Bobby Shuttlesworth, who was recently signed as the team’s third goalkeeper, has been loaned out to the Western Mass Pioneers (USL-2) for the team’s matches in North Carolina this weekend. He’s due back to the Revs on Tuesday.