In this second year on the job, head coach Jay Heaps has transformed the playing style of the New England Revolution. In the final two years of the Stevie Nicol era, the Revs allowed 1.69 goals per game while only scoring 1.09 per game. In contrast, Heaps’ men have accumulated a goals against average of 1.15 while scoring at a rate of 1.2 goals a game.
On August 1st episode of CSN’s State of the Revs, Jay Heaps explained the improvement by saying, “It’s really important to have a guy that sits as a defensive midfielder because we want to be so attack-minded that we have to have the proper balance. So right now the key to our formation is having that balance, whether it’s Scott Caldwell or Clyde Simms or Kalifa Cisse as our holding defensive midfielder.”
Since switching to the 4-1-4-1 (or the 4-3-3 as Heaps prefers), three players have auditioned for the role of lone defensive midfielder. Caldwell appears to be Heaps’ first choice as he has appeared in 16 games, which tops Simms’ nine and Cisse’s six. I took a closer look at the numbers in order to get a better understanding of battle between the defensive midfielders.
Cisse (2 games) and Simms (3 games) haven’t appeared in many games as the lone defensive midfielder which hurts the value of this study. Furthermore, numbers don’t tell the whole story of a soccer game since there are plenty of off-the-ball moments that aren’t calculated. Regardless, the numbers do provide some interesting insight:
- Simms keeps possession. With an average passing completion of 92%, the former DC United player is able to keep the ball moving in a safe manner. The stat becomes move impressive when it’s considered that Simms is attempting an average of 37 passes per game. Furthermore, Simms is being asked to perform in hostile conditions since all of his appearances as a lone DM have occurred on the road (Houston, Chivas USA, Columbus and DC United). With his experience and solid passing, Simms can be calming presence on the field.
- Caldwell is attack-minded. There have been four occasions when Caldwell has been asked to replace the lone defensive midfielder in the second-half (Portland, Chivas USA, Columbus and DC United). The Revs have earned points in all of the games with goals being scored against Chivas, Columbus and DC. The rookie has good vision and passing which makes him an attacking threat. While he hasn’t gotten on the score sheet yet, it should be noted that Caldwell had 20 goals and 22 assists while playing for Akron.
- Cisse hasn’t done enough. Sure a sample size of two games isn’t definitive, but Cisse’s stats aren’t impressive. The former Bristol City player has made an average of 42 pass attempts per game (highest on the team) but has only completed 82% (lowest on the team). Perhaps more troubling is the fact that Cisse loses possession because of a tackle at an average of 8.5 times a game. The stat becomes worse when you consider where Cisse is losing the ball. As the diagram below shows, Cisse sometimes loses possession dangerous positions. The defensive midfielder is supposed to be a model of stability and Cisse’s stats don’t show that.
(Image courtesy of MLSSoccer.com)
- Caldwell went through growing pains. The first two games where Caldwell had lengthy shifts as the lone defensive midfielder were shaky (Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC). Against Real Salt Lake, Caldwell only completed 75% of his passes while losing possession because of a tackle on nine occasions. Worse, the Revs dropped all three points after getting the first goal. One has to wonder if Simms’ possession-oriented play would have helped the Revs salvage points. In his second outing, Caldwell increased his passing percentage (84%) but still struggled with keeping possession (tackled 10 times). Since these games, Caldwell has become more reliable with passing and possession.
- The battle will continue. Competition over the defensive midfield position is lively since each player offers something different. Caldwell is a young attacker that can cover a lot of ground while offering important tackles. Simms is a seasoned veteran whose grunt work is often unappreciated. Cisse is a hardnosed player who has been derailed by injuries but has the pedigree to be successful in MLS. As long as these players stay healthy, Heaps could be making his choice on a game-to-game basis. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be shocking to see players split time depending on the team’s needs.
