The New England Revolution ended their preseason on a high note when they defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Saturday, February 23. With the win, the Revs improved their record to 2-3-1 and will now have their sights on the 2013 regular season. Despite practicing since January 17, there are still many questions that the Revs will need to address if they want to qualify for playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Will Goncalves be the Veteran Leader the Defense Needs?
The New England Revolution had one of the league’s youngest defensive units in 2012 with an average age of 24.5. Chris Tierney, Stephen McCarthy, AJ Soares and Kevin Alston established themselves as the preferred backline and did well to keep all but two losses within one goal. This young lineup performed admirably to cut the team’s 2011 goals against number (58) by 14 but it should be noted that the Revs allowed goals in 25 of their 34 games which will need to improve if the team hopes to make 2013 a success.
Head coach Jay Heaps clearly sees Jose Goncalves as an integral part of solidifying the defense since the Portuguese veteran received 345 preseason minutes, which was the most of any player. The Portuguese veteran has shown that he will be a vocal leader on the field while never shying away from a hard tackle. His transition to MLS hasn’t been completely smooth with Darren Mattocks and Eddie Johnson providing moments that made Revs fans squirm, especially with memories of John Lozano still fresh in their mind. Hopefully this is all just a part of the learning curve since Goncalves is set to start alongside AJ Soares in the middle of the defense. If the mistakes continue, however, Stephen McCarthy and Darrius Barnes will be prepared to fill in.
What do you do with so many Talented Midfielders?
The New England Revolution currently has 10 players on their roster that play midfield with the possibility of more being added. Throughout preseason, Heaps showed that he is committed to playing a 4-4-2 which means that some midfielders are going to be starting off on the bench. Kalifa Cisse is a lock to start in the center of the midfield after being the team’s marquee signing during the offseason. Cisse was often paired with Clyde Simms in preseason matches but the duo proved to be too defensive without having much of an attacking flair. To remedy this, Cisse should be paired with someone that has creative vision like Lee Nguyen, Juan Toja or Andy Dorman.
On the outside of the midfield, Heaps will have to decide what he values: width or speed. If he wants to add width to the team, Ryan Guy, Chris Tierney and Donnie Smith are great options. All three players are disciplined enough to stay wide and skillful enough to provide service through crosses. Speedier options come in the form of Kelyn Rowe, Nguyen and Toja. These players have good pace and footwork but often cut towards the middle when getting involved in the attack. With so many talented midfielders, it’s likely that we see different lineups throughout the season depending on current form and the opponent.
Where Will the Goals come from?
The Revolution ended 2012 with 39 goals which was half the amount that San Jose scored and good for 6th fewest in Major League Soccer. The team was shut out a total of 12 times last year en route to amassing 1.14 goals per game. Preseason didn’t see any improvement as the Revs scored eight goals in six games with three being from the penalty spot. With last year’s lead scorer, Saer Sene, expected to miss some of season’s early games with an ACL injury, Jerry Bengtson will be needed to do the bulk of the scoring.
Bengtson struggled last year and often displayed a disconnect with his teammates by making the wrong runs or passes. Despite this, Revs fans should have faith in their Designated Player since Bengtson has put forth impressive numbers for every team he has played for. The Honduras international scored two goals in preseason, which matched the number he had last year during the regular season. Furthermore, he has forged a workable partnership with Diego Fagundez. The two players will likely start on opening day with Fagundez tormenting defenses with his speed and Bengtson being a threat in the box. If Bengtson and Fagundez struggle, Chad Barrett, Dimitry Imbongo or Sainey Nyassi could see their playing time increase.
Outlook
While fans will surely be clamoring for a championship, or at least a return to playoffs, expectations for the Revolution should be kept low. There’s no doubt that this team possesses a number of skillful players but this will only be Heaps’ second year as coach and he still needs time to grow into the position. With this in mind, fans can at least expect the Revolution to be in the playoff hunt during the waning months of the season. A deep run in the Open Cup isn’t out of the question as the team has deep roster with a nice mix of savvy veterans and promising newcomers.
Projected Starters (As of 2/24/2013):
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
