Revs' Castro hoping to raise bar in '09

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Expectations were high when New England unveiled the signing of Honduran international Mauricio Castro.

Castro joined the Revolution after spending six years in the Honduran first division, excelling for top clubs Motagua and Olimpia and earning a role with the Honduran national team. The New England coaching staff expected Castro to provide a steady alternative and an attacking presence to compete with Khano Smith for the left midfield berth.

Those expectations were met in some ways -- Castro provided another tidy passer in midfield and diligently performed his defensive work -- but fell somewhat short in the attacking third.

"We want a bit more from Mauricio going forward," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said. "Defensively, he was sound. You can't say he was out muscled or out of position or anything like that. He keeps the ball well. But we're looking for a wee bit more going the other way."

Zero goals and three assists left Nicol and the Revolution wondering why Castro wasn't using the positive qualities he showed in other areas to create more of an impact offensively. Nicol said he thought it took some time for Castro to adjust to the rigorous demands of the U.S. top flight.

"Our league is hard to work into," Nicol said. "There are a lot of guys in the league, foreign players particularly, who are taken aback by the whole thing with the physical nature and the ability of the players."

Physical play might impact Castro's game on the field, but the long-distance travel impacted him off of it. Nicol said that Castro rarely traveled more than two hours by bus to play a game in his home country and usually played only one match a week.

The demands of cross-country travel and a cluttered fixture schedule with MLS, SuperLiga, CONCACAF Champions League and U.S. Open Cup duties certainly presented a different and difficult challenge, according to Castro.

"It was very tiring and very difficult," Castro said through a translator. "In Honduras, the distances aren't as long. Now I am more accustomed to it and it should be a lot easier for me."

Castro said he thinks he settled in well enough last season with his teammates and with the area, but expects to improve in 2009.

"I played a lot of games last year and I think I did pretty well," Castro said. "This year, I want to get better. It's another year and I think I will do better."

There will be even more opportunities for Castro to shine this season. Smith is now in New York after leaving the Revolution in the expansion draft, leaving Castro with an uncluttered path to the left wing berth unless Kenny Mansally or Chris Tierney emerges as another option. The schedule won't be as hectic during this campaign either after MLS tweaked the fixture dates and placed more games on Saturdays.

With those changes in mind, Castro said that he hopes to produce more tangible benefits for his teammates heading into 2009 once he overcomes a groin strain suffered last week while the Revs were training in Austin, Texas.

"I want to assist my teammates and score some more goals," Castro said. "I had some opportunities last year that I didn't score."

Nicol is backing Castro to nick the odd goal and provide more of an impact on the stat sheet heading into his second season.

"It's about production," Nicol said. "He's got two good feet and he can strike the ball. He has all the tools to do that. That's why we liked him."