Jay Heaps has been a core member of the New England Revolution defense in all four runs at the MLS Cup. At Duke University, where he played collegiately, Heaps was National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar-Athlete of the Year, then drafted by the Miami Fusion in 1999 and traded to the Revolution in 2001.

ASN: You’ve showed up big for every game this season, compensated for major roster changes because of injuries, gotten big results, and your attitude has been out there every game. Has this been your best season?

Heaps: I always like to look at the end of the year, and look back. Coming into this year I was asked to change positions, so I had to get a new approach again. I feel like I’ve always been someone that the team can count on to be there every day and give every thing I have, and that’s what I want to bring. Just this year, there have been so many injuries and so many games that we’ve had to come together get ourselves out on the field and motivate each other. I’m the sort of person that likes to motivate, and sometimes it carries over into how I play as I’m trying to motivate someone that carries my game a little bit. And I enjoy that. So, if I’ve been asked to carry a little bit more motivation, I’m going to give it every time.

ASN: When you switched up to left defense, you said it gave you a new approach. It must of hit you a couple ways. You were comfortable there, good and strong, and then you had to shift. Is that kind of disequilibrium good for your play?

Heaps: Yeah, I think it is. I played a little bit on the left growing up on the national team – left midfield, but never left back – so, I think my left foot is good enough. From a mental aspect, I think it’s been great because basically you have to start from scratch and get yourself to where – I can do these things on the right side, but then get your mind on the left side – it’s a total shift and I’ve loved it. I’ve really enjoyed the season and the way it’s gone. I think it’s been our best year in terms of winning SuperLiga in the middle of the year and we’ve had great opportunities. Some of the games we’ve lost have really been out of our control, if you want to know the truth -in terms of too much scheduling, it’s just been too much. But in terms of our team – once we can get back to a normal schedule and get people healthy we have a much deeper team than we’ve had in the past.

ASN: Gabriel Badilla is here now, at a critical time with Albright injured, so now you get another new approach, yes? What was your reception to him when you first met him?

Heaps: It was just an hour and a half ago. Stevie’s very high on him. We’ve not seen him play yet, but his reputation speaks for itself. He comes in as an international for Costa Rica, so I think the timing is perfect because we do have a lot of games coming up and we are going to have to shift to more of a four than a three because we have so many games. He gives us versatility because he can play anywhere – center back, right back, left back.

ASN: Let’s talk about the Revs’ schedule this season, which has been complicated with midweek cross-country and international tournament games slotted in between important MLS games. The international play develops a team and gives MLS more exposure, but at the same time, it’s draining with injuries and travel time. What are some adjustments MLS could make to accommodate these tournaments for players?

Heaps: Something that has to be looked at is the travel stuff. If they’re asking us to do this thing, they’ve got to provide us with transportation that gets us directly there. We spent, combined, six to eight hours in an airport just sitting there and getting stiff, and it’s much better if you can just get a direct flight or a charter flight. Whatever they’re going to do, they need to invest in the players they have and if they want us to play in these tournaments they have to invest in it. It may cost a little more money to get us there, it may cost a little bit more to get the travel sorted, but I think it needs to be done. For players, it was just too much travel, especially this past week. It was a very difficult, difficult game from Toronto down to Trinidad, and I’ll tell you, I looked around the locker room before that game in Joe Public and we were an exhausted group, and the travel just took it out of us. The two games took their toll, but the travel really took it out of us.

The way I look at it, and obviously it’s easy to sit here and call the shots, but as a player who’s been in the league for a long time, I think MLS teams have chartered before, and when Beckham came there were some opportunities. They’ve cut it down in terms of in-league play because they don’t want every team to have to do it, but in these extra tournaments I feel like if the league really pushes us to be in these, they should help supply some of the difference in cost so the Krafts don’t have to shell out a charter plane all the time. If there’s a way to match the costs or split the costs or whatever it may be, we’re just at a disadvantage and it hurts because the other night was kind of rock bottom of the year because it was such a tough travel and it was such a tough game in Trinidad. I think if we had been able to get down a little earlier the result would have been different.

ASN: The game opened up after 30 minutes and you made them spread out, you broke up their game a lot, but it was a 2-1 loss.

Heaps: Very disappointing – we just didn’t have it. I’ve never seen where a team is just so drained physically, and we fought hard. I think getting that goal [Castro] was huge. Now we’re here so you’re going to see this live. If you saw us there, it was kind of a depleted group – emotionally, physically, you name it – so now, getting back here you can see a little more pep in the step and it’s going to be nice to play tomorrow night [Galaxy] and then take a chance at Joe Public on our own field.

ASN: Joe Germanese – he game in there with a little fire at the end.

Heaps: Yeah, that was great. He and Wells [Thompson], if they didn’t play the way they did and add some energy, we don’t get that goal, we don’t get any opportunities and it could have been a lot worse. Seeing those guys come on, I was really happy for both of them because they both handled their situation really well – it was a tough game to come into and they were ready. That’s what you ask for from a guy that’s coming of the bench and hasn’t had many opportunities. I know Joe has not played many league games, I don’t know if he has at all, but any game where’s he’s had the opportunity he’s done really well and that’s what the coaches look for.

ASN: Your weekend opponent, the L.A. Galaxy (read match report) had another huge overturn of their staff – coach Ruud Gullit and manager Alexi Lalas out, coach Bruce Arena in. What does a coach with the tenure of Nicol bring to this team, or any team?

Heaps: First and foremost, I’ve been here with Stevie every year and his consistency speaks for itself in that how he approaches every game is very much the same. He gives each player a sense of where they stand and where a team can go. Those peaks and valleys that they talk about in professional sports, how to ride the highs and lows, he maintains that pretty consistent for us and that’s huge. Then also, just knowing what practices are going to be like, what the game schedules are going to be like, how we’re going to play – having that consistency, it’s really why we’ve been successful the last four or five years. We’ve had a core group of guys that Stevie knows and keeps in place and adds players accordingly. Keeping that core group together, we can really hear his kind of voice. We know what he wants, we can carry his voice onto the field in practices and games.

ASN: Doug Warren – he’s had to step up big and he’s waited a long time for it.

Heaps: He’s amazing. I think at the end of that DC game he made a huge save on Santino at the end of the game, and when he was called upon he made all the right saves and he was huge again in Toronto. Those are two huge Eastern Conference games that are basically rivals and he played great. Matt’s at the peak of his game and Dougie’s helped him get there, and moving forward I think Dougie’s got a great future in this league. And you feel for someone like Doug because he puts in such hard work and time, and he’s as good as 90% of the starters in the league. It’s an unfortunate situation because Matt’s the #1 right now in the country. Going forward from here though, Dougie opened up a lot of eyes. He’s been the best known secret – we’ve known it and other teams are starting to realize it – he’s a legitimate goalkeeper and should have a chance to be a legitimate starter.

ASN: Are Joe Public coming in on a nice direct flight?

Heaps: Are they? I don’t know, I hope they have to go through Newark!

ASN: You’re going to want to come out with an extra goal on this one.

Heaps: Yeah, for us it’s going to be important to attack that game where we finished it, where we spread them like you said, and just play the game we know how to play. It was our best effort because it was all we could do, but it wasn’t our best game. If we have an opportunity to really push them, we’ll have a much better chance.

ASN: And if you do make it through, you’ll face Atlante again. That’ll be fun. [In one preseason and one SuperLiga match, the Revs and Atlante were slapped with 26 cards and 7 ejections, including Heaps for a post-game fracas.]

Heaps: That will be fun! I’m very much looking forward to that! That’s a great motivation, to be honest with you.