As the Revs wrap up training in the Dana-Farber Field House in what was possibly their final local indoor training session of the preseason, the staff is in the office making final arrangements for tomorrow’s journey to North Carolina. There, the Revs will spend 12 days training and playing their final three preseason games before the season opener against the LA Galaxy on March 27.

A couple of key questions were answered yesterday when we discovered the names of three trialists (Marko Perovic, Gareth Williams and Andres Raad) joining the team in N.C., and we heard that newly-signed Senegalese midfielder Niouky Desire is expected to join up at the team hotel in N.C. on Wednesday.

There are many more questions which will be answered prior to the start of the season, however, so I got to thinking about some of those intriguing queries. With that said, I compiled a list of what I think are 10 important questions which could be answered in North Carolina …

1. How do the trialists perform and will any of them be signed? This is a question which became much more intriguing yesterday with the discovery of three names, as we began to uncover a bit of the playing history for each of these players. All three are scheduled to be with the team from March 10-18 and will not only have a chance to impress in training, but also in a pair of preseason matches. With the season set to begin just one week after the conclusion of this trip and with the need for attacking help a priority, we may very well know if any of these trialists will become members of the Revolution before this trip is over.

2. How good is Niouky Desire and where does he fit into the lineup? This is another question which became more intriguing with the news that Desire will join the team in North Carolina on Wednesday, meaning that he’ll have the entire trip to play with his new teammates. As has been discussed before, Desire is a bit of an unknown quantity to Revs fans (besides the fact that he’s a natural central midfielder) so this will be the first chance to get a look at the newcomer. Will he adapt quickly? Will he earn a starting spot right from the beginning? What name does he actually go by (don’t worry, we’ll have more on that in the coming days)? Hopefully questions to be answered in N.C.

3. Will the un-signed rookies earn roster spots? Last year, it was in North Carolina that Darrius Barnes cemented his place on the Revolution’s roster with steady performances in training and preseason matches, and a couple of young players will be looking to do the same in the next two weeks. While No. 9 overall pick Zack Schilawski was signed early in preseason, both Zak Boggs and Seth Sinovic are still trying to prove themselves worthy of a roster spot. They’ve been in camp for more than a month and have both made an impression, but we should know more about their futures with the club in the next couple of weeks, highlighted by the upcoming trip to N.C.

4. Who will be healthy come opening day? As is the case on most teams during preseason, any number of players have nursed minor injuries throughout the preseason as everyone readjusts to the rigors of playing every day. Both Kevin Alston and Cory Gibbs have already returned from minor knocks and have taken full part in recent weeks, while Darrius Barnes has been sidelined for a couple of days with a minor quad strain. Meanwhile, Edgaras Jankauskas, Mauricio Castro and Gabriel Badilla are all currently dealing with injuries, although Jankauskas took part in the majority of training today as he continues to make progress. The next two weeks in North Carolina will be enlightening as to just how soon everyone can be back on the field and in full health prior to the season opener.

5. How far along are Taylor Twellman and Matt Reis in their recoveries? After neither of them traveled on the earlier preseason trip to Orlando, both Twellman and Reis are expected to join the Revs on tomorrow’s trip to North Carolina. Word on Reis is that rehab on both his shoulder and knee is going well and everything is currently on the correct timetable, which should put him back on the field sometime in May or June. Because of the nature of Twellman’s injury, no timetable is available, but he has been running with a ball at his feet and working on plenty of calisthenics recently. With both continuing their rehab in N.C., we’ll get a firsthand look at how it’s going.

6. How much will the younger players be called upon to step up, and will they do so? It’s no secret that the Revs have had more roster turnover this offseason than in years past, and that obviously raises the question of who steps in to fill the roles left by those who’ve departed. One option is to “promote” younger players who have been depth players in recent years, but could be ready to step into more prominent roles this season. Players like Nico Colaluca, Pat Phelan, Chris Tierney and Mike Videira could be integral parts of the Revs lineup this year, and their performances in North Carolina could shed some light on where they’re at.

7. Which players are clicking together? There’s a scene in the movie Miracle in which Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) is asked why he’s left some of the best players off his roster, and his response is, “I’m not looking for the best players, I’m looking for the right ones.” The fact is, if it was as easy as just naming the best 11 players to the starting lineup each week, pretty much anyone could be a head coach. Coaching comes down to finding the right balance and the right relationships in certain situations, and that’s the task at the feet of Steve Nicol right now. We’ve already seen a connection forming between young forwards Zack Schilawski and Kheli Dube, but what other players are clicking? More training sessions and three more games in N.C. could provide the answer.

8. What’s the backline going to look like on opening day? This is a question which must be asked simply because there are plenty of options for Nicol. It would appear as if second-year players Kevin Alston and Darrius Barnes have locked down starting roles, but the rest of the backline could be up in the air. Who partners Barnes in the middle - Emmanuel Osei or Cory Gibbs? Who takes over on the left - Gibbs, Chris Tierney, Gabriel Badilla or unsigned rookie Seth Sinovic? With three more games in N.C., we should get a better idea of how Nicol sees his backline shaking out.

9. What will the starting lineup look like in the season opener? Depending on who is signed and who is unavailable because of injury at the time, the three preseason games in North Carolina (especially the final game against the Carolina RailHawks on March 20) should provide a glimpse into what Nicol envisions as his starting lineup. It’s a question which everyone has been asking this entire offseason, and the time will soon come when we should have our answer.

10. Finally, where is this team at entering the season? The two preseason games in Orlando were great for the guys and provided an opportunity to gain fitness and begin to play as a team. But they were tough to judge from a playing standpoint under the circumstances. That won’t be the case in N.C., where the three games will serve as the Revolution’s final three tests before the season opener. With that being the case, expect to find out a bit more about how ready this team is in North Carolina.

So those are 10 questions which popped into my head as I pondered tomorrow’s trip … any questions you hope are answered in the next couple of weeks?