FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Surprises generally aren't welcome the day before a match. But New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol will make one tall, dreadlocked exception -- for the return of midfielder Shalrie Joseph.
Expected to miss Wednesday night's home game against New York while on duty with the Grenada national team, Joseph flew back to Boston and joined training on Tuesday morning in advance of Wednesday night's contest against New York.
Nicol said he didn't have any idea that Joseph was planning to return until he saw him at the Gillette Stadium complex on Tuesday morning.
"He walked in this morning," Nicol said. "He decided to come back to us. It's a good surprise."
Nicol said FIFA regulations generally prohibit the team from making a claim on a player, but the player can ask to return to his club side with the federation's approval.
"It's not our call," Nicol said. "We have no say in the matter. We have to abide by the rules. The Grenada Football Association has priority during World Cup qualifiers. Now if a player decides to come back in between games, that's different."
Joseph said he wanted to get back into his club environment and get a game in ahead of Saturday's crunch qualifier with Costa Rica at Estadio Saprissa in San Jose. Grenada pulled off a stunning result in the first leg in St. George, getting a 2-2 draw.
"There were a lot of things going on down there and I decided to come back here," Joseph said. "They weren't training the way I wanted to. I wanted to come back here and train with the Revolution. I thought the team could use me, whether in the starting lineup or off the bench."
Joseph's return will bring the return of the side's preferred 3-5-2 formation, eschewed for a 4-4-2 scheme last Thursday in Houston. Newly acquired Pat Phelan started in Joseph's place in Houston but will drop to the bench upon his return.
One player who won't return is Taylor Twellman. Despite training off to the side, Twellman isn't likely to feature in either match this week.
Nicol said the veteran striker is not injured, but the team wants to make sure Twellman is back to full fitness before reinserting him back into the fold.
"He's basically had 20 minutes injury-free all season," Nicol said.
The injuries that have ravaged Twellman have also ravaged the Red Bulls. Key attacking cogs Juan Pablo Angel (back) and Claudio Reyna (herniated disc) have struggled with injuries and Juan Carlos Osorio's side has struggled to cobble together points with one win in its past five games.
Nicol said he couldn't pinpoint why New York has struggled this season.
"When you're not winning, it's hard on everyone," Nicol said. "Half the problem is getting the confidence back after you've been losing. They have good players. But they've had some injuries and they're missing a few guys. It's tough."
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