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At this time last season, Avery John was a big mystery. Though it was apparent he was brought in to replace the injured Carlos Llamosa, the Revolution refused to confirm Llamosa was out for the season or that John would be his replacement.


When all was said and done, John's main problems were contractual. He was signed to an Irish team that refused to release him and he didn't play in MLS until mid-May. Now, John is completely in the fold with the Revs and ready for tomorrow night's opener in San Jose.

"I don't have to be worried about any of those things, which is a good situation,'' John said yesterday.

"Right now it's just focus on playing. I'm here from the beginning and you get to know everyone and you get to know what everybody likes and you get a good feel for what's going on. You get confident in knowing what's around you so you can take the next step up.''

With Llamosa still not fully fit, John's situation should be crystal clear tomorrow night. But he said he's not certain whether he will start.

"I have no idea,'' he said. "I don't know, but at the end of the day I'm ready and I'm comfortable playing wherever. On different teams, coaches have different ideas. Like they may name the team right before the game or the day before. So, as a professional, whether you are going to be starting or not you still have to be ready. I'm ready. It's not like I'm a junior and want to know. I'm always ready to start whether it's knowing the day before or the day of game.''

John is confident the team is prepared to play.

"I know for a fact the guys are ready,'' he said. "It's the first game, and as you can see for the whole week, everything has been aggressive and fast and everybody's looking forward to it.''