The Revs play only three games in the month of April. Thursday the 5th in Dallas, the 14th we host DCU, and the 28th we visit the Red Bulls. Coach Heaps will use the practice time to more fully integrate new additions, heal up, and get a better sense of the choices he has for our line up. Before a slightly longer break between games and only a few days after our surprising victorying Los Angeles the Revolution take on a stumbling Dallas team.
FC Dallas opened their season with a win over New York, a tie with Portland, and then consecutive losses to Kansas City and D.C. The current injury report lists David Ferreira and Scott Sealy as out while George John is listed as questionable. Daniel Hernandez and Jair Benitez have been suspended. Brek Shea will still line up, though I have read bits in a few places that suggest the Olympic qualifying crash has weighed heavy on his game – I’ll wait and see for myself. FCD will want to erase the memory of their 4-1 dismantling by DCU with a good showing against our boys flying the flag of New England. Without their top choice defenders, or Hernandez, their Shalrie Joseph, Dallas may be vulnerable. Different from the Los Angeles team we just beat, however, Brek Shea represents a serious threat along the wing.
New England smothered the LA midfield into ineffective frustration last week. Coach Heaps has plenty of midfield talent to put on the field, even without Benny. Benny Feilhaber remains out along with Zak Boggs and Sainey Nyassi, both of whom are on the disabled list. John Lozano and Kevin Alston, two defenders, are both listed as doubtful. If Dallas is forced into relying too much on Brek then I like our Revs chances in this game. Last week’s line up might run out Thursday night looking for a second consecutive road win, and our team’s third win in a row. That last sentence alone features the positive changes the Revs have made in contrast to last season.
At forward Saer Sene and Ryan Guy could team up again, though, perhaps Coach will give a certain Columbian his first minutes. In midfield, the rookie Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, Shalrie Joseph, and Clyde Simms have demonstrated the ability to disrupt other teams’ possession and string together our own passing game. Flo Lechner may replace Kevin Alston as a starter – a knock to his historically vulnerable hamstring is more likely to keep Alston out than a kick to his face. AJ Soares and Stephen McCarthy in the center with Chris Tierney on the left will make up the rest of the backline in front of keeper Matt Reis. The Revolution still feels like a team coming together and we are only in the early stages of this season.
Growing up with Red Sox lore and watching Rick Pitino’s Celtics teams has taught our fans to be wary of hope and the suggested promise of success. FC Dallas will surely want to move on from an embarrassing loss at United – no one likes losing 4-1. The width of play that Dallas can bring could stretch or unbalance the Revs, we haven’t seen a player like Brek Shea, yet. This is not a full strength Dallas team, however, so I expect the Revs to commit themselves to attacking. Weeks ago this stretch looked a terrifying set of road challenges against Western Conference contenders in their home stadiums. Cheers for the Revs who have surprised everyone so far. Let’s see what they can do in Frisco.
Watch The Rebel Alliance Podcast for our check in with Total-MLS Dallas writer, Cory Jensen. This mid-week game has proven a podcasting challenge, so it might be a preview, or a recap, or both!
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
