Andrew Farrell and the Revolution back line get set to play D.C. United this weekend. Photo/Kari Heistad
To say that D.C. United and the New England Revolution are at loggerheads would be an understatement. Both teams, in their most recent stretch of games, had eerily similar, long unbeaten runs snapped in contests they probably should have won. And, on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, they’ll have the opportunity to clash directly for control of the Eastern Conference’s top spot. The D.C. United-Revolution rivalry was one of the most heated in the early days of MLS, though it’s deteriorated in the last few years in part because the teams haven’t met in the playoffs. But in a relatively weak Eastern Conference, New England and D.C. may be re-igniting the flames of their currently dormant, I-95 rivalry.
It all could start up again on Saturday. For the hosts, Saturday presents a key opportunity to leapfrog D.C., who have a game in hand on the Revolution. For D.C., the match is a chance to provide some much-needed insurance for the top spot as a dogged summer approaches. Translation: the Revolution can right the ship, snap their three-game winless run and go one point over D.C. to round out the week.
Let’s examine what needs to happen for the Revolution to come out on top and reclaim first place in the Eastern Conference:
Create and finish chances—One of the answers for why the Revolution have turned a nine-game unbeaten streak into a three-game winless run is inside the transcripts of post-game interviews with coach Jay Heaps. How many times has Heaps said in the last few weeks that not putting away chances, particularly early in the game, has cost his team valuable points? The answer is too many times. On Wednesday night at Sporting Kansas City, the Revolution created chances, as they almost always do. But Diego Fagundez missed a sitter in front of goal that could have changed the whole game. Granted, poor defending and a dubious penalty call also cost the Revolution the result. But there won’t be any leads to defend if the ball doesn’t find its way into the back of the net. The Revolution were out for blood during most of their recent nine-game unbeaten run. They scored a minimum of two goals in six of those games. That hunger for goals needs to come back now.
Jermaine Jones and Scott Caldwell in the middle—With Andy Dorman ruled out of this weekend’s clash due to yellow card accumulation, the most viable option in central midfield is to bring Jermaine Jones up from central defense. That’s Jones’ best position, anyway, and it’s also the reason he was brought to New England in the first place. How many bullies, accurate passers, and transition machines are there in MLS?
Jones is the best of every world. He also works well alongside Caldwell in the middle of the field. That will mean putting Andrew Farrell and Jose Goncalves at the back again, which isn’t a bad proposition at all. But from the opening whistle, Jones and Caldwell need to establish the Revolution’s possession game. Perry Kitchen, their counterpart on D.C., has been having a career season. The onus is on New England’s central midfield duo to neutralize his play.
Defensive strength—Heaps and his team have talked about blown leads just about as often as they’ve talked about not finishing their chances. Wednesday night’s game at Sporting Kansas City aside, the Revolution have been quite resolute at the back. Even when they’ve allowed goals, they’ve seemed solid along the back line. What’s truly hurting the Revolution on all sides of the ball is momentum. In the past three games there have been two different scenarios.
One is that they take the lead, play pretty tightly throughout the rest of the game, then allow a soft, avoidable goal. That’s down to technique. The other scenario is that the Revolution have control of the game and then inexplicably lose it. It’s smooth sailing and then, out of nowhere, a storm rolls in. That’s both a mental toughness issue and a matter of sticking with the momentum. Against a consistent side like D.C., keeping up the attacking—or, at the very least, winning the possession battle—is the best insurance for staying in control and closing out a result.
Keep an eye on Chris Rolfe—There aren’t many players in the league who were once promising stars that got forgotten and are now in the middle of a Renaissance. Chris Rolfe, though, is one such player. D.C. United got him for a song from Chicago and the league veteran is actually doing quite well. He leads United’s scoring with three goals. No, he’s not ripping holes in the net like a poacher. But, he’s certainly doing more than a lot of other highly touted players across the league.
The point is he can score and by virtue of being his team’s best offensive weapon he’s going to be trusted with the ball. Expect Rolfe to get chances. But, as nice as Rolfe’s re-emergence is, he’s still no Robbie Keane, David Villa, Clint Dempsey or even Chris Wondolowski. He’s quite defendable. That said, it’s in the Revolution’s best interest to quietly neutralize him. He may not have the same oomph to his game as some of his counterparts throughout the league, but he’s still dangerous.
If you want to reach Julian email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo
New England Revolution
D.C. United
