Our New England Revolution return to action in MLS this weekend in Washington D.C’s RFK Stadium. Our Eastern Conference 9th place team visits DCU who, perhaps surprisingly, stand in 6th place. Though both teams are coming out of an international break one of us is more rested and restored than the other. The Revs will want to player spoiler again and steal points from DC United.
The last game the Revs played stopped a couple of streaks. Our Revs had matched and then set a new record for consecutive games without a win. Between early July and last week’s game we played 10 games without a win – the longest stretch for any Revs team in 17 years. Columbus came to visit for our third and final match just a few games after coming back, twice(!), against us in our second match, 4-3. Their late addition, Higuain had not lost in MLS until we hustled, pressed, and worked for that 2-0 win. That wasn’t a small victory. Aside from halting our plunge into futility records, we kept Columbus from solidifying their playoff position. After our first game of this season ended 0-0 we also won the season series, 5-4, with three road goals and two home shut-outs.
Our Revs return from this international break more healthy and rested. Jerry Bengston made two appearances for Honduras, scoring in each win over Cuba. He was the only New England Revolution player to travel and play during the weekend of World Cup Qualifying. This weekend’s opponent, DC United saw, perhaps their most influential player, Dwayne De Rosario, suffer a knee injury while playing for Canada against Panama. He, like our Saer Sene, will miss the rest of the 2012 season. Though this injury doesn’t completely disarm DC United, who have plenty of quality players, the Revs will not have to worry about DeRo’s passing, shots, or late game magic. I want to see our Revs improve on the two losses for a combined, 5-3, scoreline we have so far against DCU.
Our Revs will have to get through Brandon McDonald and Emilio Dudar in the center of DC’s defense to put shots on Bill Hamid’s goal. Perry Kitchen’s play in midfield will likely prove an obstacle, one I think the Revs can work around, but an obstacle nonetheless. Despite De Ro’s absence, United could field DeLeon, Pontius, Pajoy, and perhaps even Najar in hopes of creating and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Najar has seen some time at right back recently, so he may be attacking from deep in their end. The most significant adjustment for DC, however, will be to play with out De Rosario.
In the last few games we have seen more from Diego Fagundez, and with Sene out I expect to see him earn another start. Dimitry Imbongo will likely return to the bench after Jerry Bengston’s return. Bengston has practiced a couple of times with the team this week and brings a personal two game scoring streak from his time with Honduras. Jerry, we’ll all be cheering for you to keep that going.
Aside from goal keeper, the forwards might be more predictable than the rest of the line up, right now. Will Benny Feilhaber play this week? If he doesn’t play the questions about whether or not he will ever play for the Revs again will only get louder. Ryan Guy and Lee Nguyen seem to have earned starting spots, though their exact positions might shift. Clyde Simms will return to RFK as a visitor and play in his familiar central, defensive midfield position. Juan Toja is still developing his fitness, but he will likely see the field as a late game substitution. Kelyn Rowe and Chris Tierney could each see time in the midfield, though in Tierney’s case that might be more surprising. Surprising because that would likely mean that Kevin Alston would play another game at left back. I was happy to see the strengths of Kevin’s game emphasized and his shortcomings minimized in his last few outings on the left. Another regular starter, AJ Soares, could return to central defense, or we could see McCarthy and Barnes in the middle again. Jay Heaps is still looking for the best group of players to put on the field.
Our Revs’ lineup may still be in flux, but we have and will continue to learn about the quality of players currently on our roster. Though technically not eliminated from playoff contention, New England is clearly looking to 2013. While Jay Heaps and his coaching staff evaluate individual player performances and search for strong, positive combination play, the entire team knows that we can still influence the playoff race. While our last win, over Columbus, gave DCU hopes of reclaiming a playoff spot, this week we could frustrate those same DC hopes. We may not have a relegation battle to harden our resolve, but our games are far from meaningless. Team defense, starting with pressure from Fagundez, will likely be the storyline in this game, as it was in our last win. A result for the Revs at RFK would push New England’s new streak to a 4-game unbeaten run.
I’ll be watching from the starting lineups to the final whistle. I’ll be looking to discern where our Revs are headed. Head over to #TRAP headquarters to listen to Josh and I discuss the Revs return to action. C’mon you Revs!
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
