There is something special about the 2013 New England Revolution and people are starting to take notice. After being perpetually found at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Revs are now in a mid-season fight for a playoff spot. The team, currently in sixth place, is also playing attractive soccer. A defense that has only allowed 14 goals this year is now being paired with an offense that has scored 11 goals in the last five games. All of this has helped the 2013 Revs receive more attention and higher expectations.
In the past few weeks, the Revs have received positive reviews from podcasts, like March to the Match, websites, like Soccer by Ives, and pundits, like Alexi Lalas. To spread brand awareness, Jay Heaps spoke with WEEI’s Young Ben, Lee Nguyen talked to the Best Soccer Show and Diego Fagundez was interviewed by Jason Davis on Soccer Morning.
“Everyone is very happy that we’re getting more attention,” Jose Goncalves said. “This is what football is all about. I think we must keep it up and I think the guys have no problem to keep it up. Even to have a little bit of this pressure, because its positive pressure, this is very important.”
The Revs, formally the eternal underdogs, are now accepting a new role: the favorites. The team was widely regarded as the likely winners in their recent games against DC United, Chivas USA and the San Jose Earthquakes. While some of these results didn’t go their way, the Revs are happy to get the recognition.
“That’s what you want to be, you want to be the favorites,” Chad Barrett commented “For a team that really hasn’t been a favorite a lot of the last two years, that’s a good thing. That means that we’re making steps in the right direction. I think the people on MLSSoccer.com are giving us credit and moving us up in the Power Rankings a little bit.”
As the Revolution rise in the standings, it’s clear that they’re being taken more seriously by their opponents. More extensive scouting reports and game plans have forced the Revs to work harder to get the results go their way.
“You can tell that (other teams are) starting to get what I’m doing and they’re starting to get what we’re doing as a team,” Diego Fagundez explained. “We just need to figure some ways to break them down. We’re going to have to go into the video room and see what we can do better and how we can beat teams.”
Barrett believes that part of staying successful is keeping the lineup fresh and focusing on sound defense. With the talent and depth on this team, the Revs have a great chance of making 2013 different from past years.
“Teams are going to keep preparing for us but they really can’t prepare for us because we change our lineup so much,” Barrett remarks. “We have so many different weapons. If the defense can get back to their shutout streak that they were on then anything is possible for this team. I feel like the next 4-5 games will be important.”
The Revs will hope to extend their winning streak to two games when they face the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
Three Things to Look for Against the Houston Dynamo
1. These two teams like to battle. The first of three meetings between the two clubs was an intense battle that included early red cards to Bobby Boswell and Dimitry Imbongo. The physical nature of the game was a compelling storyline afterwards with Brian Ching claiming that the Revs didn’t “need to be rolling around on the ground like (they’ve) been shot.” It will be interesting to see how Saturday’s game plays out considering the verbal and physical blows previously dished out by both teams. The squad that is able to keep their composure best will likely prevail.
2. The Dynamo will be weakened. For the second straight week, the Revs will face an opponent that’s affected by injuries and Gold Cup call-ups. Will Bruin and Corey Ashe are away with the US national team while Calen Carr is carrying an injury. The participation of Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia is a little less certain since both players are recovering from injuries that could be aggravated by the turf. Garcia, who played 90 minutes in last weekend’s 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union, is likely to start while Davis could see time off the bench. Regardless of who plays, the Revs will need to be focused in order to win against an Eastern Conference rival.
3. The competition at the forward position is a good thing. With Juan Agudelo injured and Jerry Bengtson out of form, Barrett and Imbongo have been competing fervently for the role of lone forward. Barrett put in a tireless 68 minute shift against San Jose where he fought hard but failed to do the one thing that Imbongo did in his 22 minute appearance: score. After the game, both players emphasized the importance of doing well against San Jose because of the amount of competition. Head coach Jay Heaps should keep the same formula against the Dynamo with the potential of mixing it up during next week’s two-game road trip.
