Head Coach: Jay Heaps
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Last 5 results (4-0-1)
Win: 2-1 vs Chicago Fire (September 6)
Win: 2-1 vs Montreal Impact (September 13)
Loss: 1-0 at Columbus Crew (September 20)
Win: 2-3 at Sporting Kansas City (September 26)
Win: 2-1 vs Columbus Crew (October 4)
Offensive organization
The New England Revolution is a team that likes to attack with numbers. It looks to create many passing combinations between its midfielders and its attacking players. When it has the ball in its half, New England likes to patiently play its way up the field by making short passes to central midfield players. At this point, Revs midfielders will find the striker with a ball to his feet to protect. The striker will then quickly combine with supporting players and break into the attacking third.
Offensive transition
The Revolution likes to transition up the field at a fast pace. Since the Revs do well to get players up fast, scoring on a counter attack is something they’ve done more than once in recent matches. If opposing teams do not put pressure immediately on the ball after losing it, New England could make them pay for allowing them to have time and space.
Defensive organization
New England’s formation allows them to congest the middle section of the field, which could make it tough for opposing teams to get through. Teams who have been successful against the Revolution have circulated the ball from one side of the pitch to the other in order to unbalance New England’s defensive block. Opposing teams have also had success against the Revs by playing balls over the top for a striker to run on to. The Impact scored this way at Gillette Stadium on September 13.
On September 26, Sporting Kansas City found another way to score against the Revs by playing a penetrating through ball that split the entire Revs defensive block.
Defensive transition
As soon as it loses possession of the ball, New England will pressure very high up the field. It will not look to sit back and wait, but rather try to win the ball back immediately. However, pressuring high is always a risk. If an opposing team manages to break through and avoid losing the ball, New England could be vulnerable at the back as it would not be organized and could possibly be outnumbered.
