10 things on the New England Revolution
The curtain is about to come down on the regular season. For its last fixture before the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Impact travels to Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, to take on the New England Revolution at 4pm this Sunday (TVA Sports, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690). Here are 10 things to know on the Revs.
Context
The Revs came into Week 33 having won four of their previous five but missed an opportunity, last Sunday, losing 2-1 at last-placed Chicago Fire. Their hopes of reaching the playoffs are now purely mathematical: the Revolution can still clinch the sixth seed with a win against the Impact and a Philadelphia Union home loss against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, all the while making up for a 12-goal deficit in the Goal Differential column (minus-1 for the Union, minus-13 for the Revs at the moment).
Current form
W-W-W-L-W-L
Head coach
Jay Heaps (64-67-38 all-time as New England Revolution head coach) became Revs head coach on November 15, 2011. An elite player in the college ranks in the 1990s, Heaps was the Miami Fusion’s first pick (second overall) in the 1999 MLS College Draft. Named Rookie of the Year after his first season, Heaps was then traded to the New England Revolution, his hometown club, in June 2001. Heaps became one of the top MLS defenders but never could translate his individual prowess into collective glory as he was part of the cursed generation that reached four MLS Cups in six years but was unable to win the trophy. Heaps and the Revs did win silverware, though, lifting the U.S. Open Cup in 2007 and the short-lived SuperLiga in 2008. He retired at the end of the 2009 season with several club records to his name. Inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011, Heaps then took charge of the Revolution with a view on making it a thrilling, ball-playing team.
Current top scorer
Juan Agudelo, Kei Kamara & Lee Nguyen (6)
Players to watch
1. Kelyn Rowe (#11) – Versatile and responsible, Rowe is constantly on the lookout for space and can adapt to all situations.
2. Kei Kamara (#13) – This guy likes playing against the Impact. Kamara has already scored five goals and provided one assist against the Bleu-blanc-noir this season (for two different teams, no less).
3. Chris Tierney (#8) – An attack-minded left back, Tierney is a handful on set pieces and delivers a good cross.
Team profile
The Revolution wants to take the game to the opposition and has what it takes: full back that contribute, central mids that provide options, a handful of attacking midfielders whose heads and legs are quick, and a forward that weighs on the backline and can connect on crosses. Tierney, Bunbury, Fagundez and Rowe can float in good balls for Kamara – and the Revolution can be dangerous by switching the point of attack, particularly from left to right. Down the middle, Kamara’s presence can create space for his colleagues to change the pace of an attacking sequence and play the ball in behind, but the Revs mostly use this feature to then play the ball wide. With a rather high block, defensive transitions can be a problem, and the Revolution can struggle with fast play and with crosses played close to the goal, especially from the right. If the opponent let the Revs reorganize, however, the Revs can soak up pressure with two banks of four and Nguyen/Kamara leading the pressing but not over-committing. Set plays can hurt them, too – but the Revs score from set plays at just about the same rate as they concede from them.
Tactical formation
Jay Heaps has experimented with a 4-4-2 formation of late, but this is still mostly a 4-2-3-1 team. Lineup v. Chicago (October 16): Knighton; Farrell, Woodberry, Gonçalves, Barnes; Rowe, Agudelo, Caldwell, Fagundez; Kamara, Nguyen.
Most recent games against the Impact
The Bleu-blanc-noir suffered a 3-1 defeat in its last meeting with the Revolution, on September 17 at Stade Saputo. But it had won the previous game between the two teams, on July 2, rallying from 0-2 down for a 3-2 win. And the Impact didn’t lose in three games against the Revs last season; even better, on October 17, in front of the largest regular season home crowd in Revs history, the Impact won 1-0 on a goal for the ages by Ignacio Piatti, sending Montreal through to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Injuries, absences and call-ups (as of October 20)
D Chris Tierney (hamstring – could return to play)
D Je-Vaughn Watson (groin)
M Xavier Kouassi (knee)
F Femi Hollinger-Janzen (undisclosed injury)
Next games
MLS Cup Playoffs (if applicable)
