The New England Revolution earned their first point of the 2014 campaign when they battled the Vancouver Whitecaps to a scoreless draw. While the Revs will be happy to earn their first shutout of the season, the team will continue their search for the allusive first goal.
The shutout was aided by the return of Jose Goncalves. The Portuguese defender once again donned the captain’s armband after being left out of the game day 18 last weekend. Goncalves looked committed throughout the night, helping limit the Whitecaps to only two shots on target.
“I think everything is going normally right now and everyone is focused on the game,” Goncalves remarked. “There can be a lot of outside speculation but I’m here playing with my team which is the most important thing.”
While the defense returned to its normal stinginess, the attack continued to struggle. The Revs took 17 shots on Saturday with three being on target and zero getting by goalkeeper David Outsed.
Chris Tierney helped create the home side’s first two opportunities. In the 5th minute, Tierney sent in a corner kick that was headed towards goal by Andy Dorman, but Ousted was there to push the ball over the net. In the 13th minute, Tierney headed Ousted’s punt to put Teal Bunbury behind the defense. Ousted rushed off of his line to clear the threat, colliding with Bunbury in the process.
“(The team’s scoreless streak), it’s one of those where you’re trying to break the ice and the ice is not broken yet,” Diego Fagundez commented. “It’s tough because you feel like it’s on yourself and it’s just not working.”
Head coach Jay Heaps looked to his bench in the second half to try to change the complexion of the game. Daigo Kobayashi became the team’s first substitute when he entered for Saer Sene in the 58th minute. The Japanese playmaker was active against his former team and almost scored a goal in the 79th minute.
“(Daigo Kobayashi) came in and I thought he had an excellent game,” Heaps praised. “I don’t think he had a wrong foot. He had a great chance, worked hard. He’s so good with the ball and crafty.”
Heaps would also introduce Dimitry Imbongo and Scott Caldwell during the game’s dying moments. The appearance was the first of 2014 for Imbongo after being left off the game day roster for the previous two matches. The Caldwell substitution was made out of necessity after Kelyn Rowe went to the turf with an injury.
The Revs had a final chance to grab a game-winner in stoppage time when Andrew Farrell found Fagundez. The 19-year-old took a right-footed shot that was blocked. The ensuing corner kick wasn’t a threat, forcing the Revs and Whitecaps to split the points.
The Revs will now return to the training grounds to prepare for next week’s clash against the San Jose Earthquakes.
“We need to get back in training next week and get back into a winning mentality,” Goncalves said. “We definitely are going for the three points in the away game, which is going to be tough. We lost a lot of points early in the season, but we still can change everything and turn it around.”
Three Thoughts from the Game
- Bunbury is creating space. With no goals through three games, it’s safe to say that Bunbury hasn’t lived up to the expectations laid upon him as Juan Agudelo’s heir. While the former Sporting KC man has to be more clinical in the final third, he has already shown that he has good off-the-ball movement. Last week, Bunbury helped create space for Fagundez when he traveled to the left side of the field. Bunbury eventually squared the ball to Fagundez, who was denied a goal by Zac MacMath. Bunbury showed similar smarts this week when he distracted the Vancouver back line by running away from Rowe. The Revs should be happy to see Bunbury excel at the small things because they will hopefully lead to bigger moments.
- Dorman did well as the lone defensive midfielder. Two mediocre performances to start the season relegated Caldwell to the bench as Heaps chose to give Dorman the start. The Welshman not only protected the back line, but also helped motivate the attack. In the fifth minute, Dorman made a trademark run into the box to head Tierney’s corner kick towards net. In the 20th minute, Dorman accurately switched fields to find a speedy Farrell. As his 38th minute yellow card supports, Dorman is a more reckless option than Caldwell, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
- Farrell is an excellent right back. After playing 90 minutes as a central defender last week, Farrell returned to the position where he made 32 appearances last year. The Louisville product was sensational with his positioning and one-on-one defending. His attacking moments were perhaps more impressive as the Louisville product used his speed and strength to make several great runs up the field. While Farrell could certainly have a good career as a center back or defensive midfielder, it might be best to keep him at right back. If Farrell continues to thrive in that position, it’s not unlikely that he could be a regular fixture on the US men’s national team.
