From the starting line up the signs pointed to a conservative, counter-attacking gameplan for the Revolution. Fatigue, from the recent schedule congestion and the heat, as well as goal keeper saves would prove to be the storylines from this match. New England went into Kansas City’s LiveStrong Park, avoided a red card ejection, and left with a 0-0 draw.
Both New England and Kansas City were playing their third games in seven days at the end of a mid-summer Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday stretch. That many games so close together combined with a temperature of 99 degrees (Fahrenheit for our Canadian readers) hinted that we were unlikely to see a track meet. Jay Heaps again changed the line up, likely to rest or save some tired legs, and probably also with an eye towards a strong defensive performance and hopeful counter attack. Sene and Simms were both starters Wednesday in Montreal. Clyde Simms has a calf injury (again, or a different one?) while Sene has not looked as fresh and sparkling as he did for stretches earlier this season. Darrius Barnes earned his second straight start, though he moved out to the left side to make way for Stephen McCarthy’s return. With Barnes at left fullback, Tierney was pushed up to left midfield and Rowe swapped back to the right wing. Shalrie Joseph replaced Simms and his post-game statements revealed that he has been trying to shake a back injury. With Lee Nguyen starting as a withdrawn striker or more forward positioned midfielder – let’s get used to this, I like it – that left Ryan Guy as our lone striker. A whole lot of clogging up the middle and “keeping shape-” what might be called ‘parking a yellow, Columbus-style bus’ this season – seemed to be the Revs game plan. If we could weather the SKC attack and work our plan we would get a handful of chances and be able to bring in Sene and maybe some other speedy ball handlers late. In this instance a bit of compromise on the “attacking soccer” style seemed a smart decision.
Ryan Guy had shots in the 4th and 14th that forced saves from Jimmy Nielsen. The second effort inspired, from my admittedly biased perspective, a great question about goal line technology. These were our Revs best chances as fatigue and leg cramps slowly became a more prominent part of the proceedings. Dehydration played a role in the departures of both Barnes and McCarthy. I was glad to see the coaching staff wait for this to inevitably dictate who to take off. My favorite part was that Ryan Guy’s shots were on target. I’d rather we force saves than watch opposing keepers wave a ball safely out of bounds. This could become a bigger story if Guy and Brettschnieder start against Philadelphia next weekend. That would mean Sene gets a wake-up call from Heaps similar to the way Reis did recently, when he spent two straight games watching from the bench.
Our veteran keeper came up big in the second half. Matt Reis finished the game with six saves and some number of stitches in his forehead. I wonder which is the higher total for Reis, his saves or stitches? Reis’ save in the 52nd was strong and just an early volley in a second half onslaught. The Revs did use speedy subs, Cardenas and Sene, and width to effectively counter attack, but our lack of finishing meant SKC’s threats on our goal were for a potential winner. Kei Kamara’s elbow near the 90th minute opened Reis’ right eyebrow (similar to the way Sapong opened Barnes’ in the first half) but Reis would play another 10 minutes to keep the clean sheet.
The game plan to try to clog the middle worked. We didn’t completely stop Sporting KC from attacking, but we weathered their attempts. Everyone on the Revs was on the same page, press for turnovers and when we won the ball look for a pass to Nguyen. Nguyen and Tierney against showed their chemistry on the left side. This is good as we see more clarity in the roles for Nguyen and Joseph. We are starting to see where we’ll need Benny Feilhaber to fit into our formation. I don’t think we have seen Benny in a role that best matches his skills and those of his teammates on the field, yet. Like Benny, our Revs probably have their better games of this season still ahead of them. Anyway, that’s what I hope. Our next game is against another Eastern Conference foe, Philadelphia, Sunday evening on NBC Sports.
—The Rebel Alliance Podcast update: This week Josh and I will be putting out a special All Star break show. We hope to have mid season reports for each team. So, tune in to hear fans from across MLS give their impressions of how things have gone and where they might end up as we get closer to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
