FOXBOROUGH, MA, Thurs. Mar. 31, 2005: The New England Revolution soccer squad yesterday announced its decision to extend the contract of Grenada-born midfielder Shalrie Joseph. The St. Georges-born, St. John's University alumnus, is a member of the Revs 18-man senior roster Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Joseph, who holds a green card, returns for a third season with the Revolution. The Grenada international, originally drafted by the Revs in 2002, was an MLS All-Star in 2004 and is arguably the top defensive midfielder in MLS. In 51 career regular season games Joseph has two goals and five assists for 10 points. “Shalrie is a tough player and a polished pro who has emerged as a real team leader,” said Revolution head coach Steve Nicol. “We’re certainly pleased to have him in the fold going forward.” Joseph became a force in central midfield during his rookie year with the Revolution, appearing in 28 games and finishing second on the club in minutes played with 2,466. He made his MLS debut on April 19, 2003 against Columbus at Gillette Stadium when he came on for Daniel Hernandez at halftime. One week later he made his first start in Dallas and was a fixture in Steve Nicol’s starting lineup from that point on, missing just one game. He finished the season with 2 goals and 2 assists for 6 points and his strong partnership with José Cancela in central midfield helped spur the Revs to a 6-0-1 record over the final two months of the regular season in 2003. The 6'3'', 180-pound player, has appeared more than 10 times for the Grenada National Team. Has played in the Copa Caribe, the pre-qualifying tournament for the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, as well as World Cup Qualifiers. He spent the 2004-05 off-season relaxing in Grenada. At St. John’s, he majored in sports management. Joseph is nicknamed "Charlie,” “Chaz” and “Bullie” by teammates. His family moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn when he was a teenager and Joseph considers himself a Brooklynite as well as a Grenadian. The Revolution opens its 10th season of MLS play at the San Jose Earthquakes at 10 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 2. The Revs’ home opener is at 7:30 pm on Saturday, April 9 at Gillette Stadium versus the Columbus Crew. Reprinted from hardbeatnews.com