Dark Days for the New England Revolution

These are indeed dark days for the New England Revolution. Post game remarks by coach Steve Nicol and Pat Phelan stated that the first half vs Philadelphia was the worst half of soccer either had seen in their time with the team. The first team has arguably not put together a quality game at all this year. 

I am struggling to find another team to compare with this New England Revolution team. Rick Pitino’s Boston Celtics teams and the one youth team I played on when we lost every single game are the only comparisons that come to mind. Every single team in MLS can be contrasted with the Revs. Manchester United provided quite a contrast. As expected, even in the first half when the Revs held them scoreless and were able to build possession, there was faint hope we would compete with the EPL champs. Philadelphia submitted fine evidence to back up the contrast so visible in the standings. With thieir 3-0 win over New England, Philadelphia moved into first place in the Eastern Conference while successfully holding the Revs down at the bottom.

The swirl around this team right now is ominous and desolate. The team has cut more players since the start of the season than they have signed. The Revs have released forward Stolica, attacking midfielder Perovic, offensive minded French defender Domi, and, on Monday, French possession midfielder Dabo retired. Both French players were rarely healthy enough to contribute. This game was always going to be difficult without Shalrie Joseph rallying the team. His leadership was sorely missed. The Revs lacked passion on their home field without Shalrie and perhaps because the crowd was so quiet. I could almost hear individual fans talking in the stadium during most of the game. The loudest group of fans were Philadelphia supporters. 

This was the first league home game for the Revs since last month’s tie with the Chicago Fire. There will not be another home game until August 6th, when we host Chivas USA. I bring that up because this was the night that the Revolution supporters groups walked out of the stadium in protest. (I suggest The Drug is Football or simply googling, “support the fort” or “fortgate” for more information.) The players looked lost and no good deed earned much in the way of cheers, though plenty of supporters in midfield seats were cheering, as the Sunday night crowd minus The Fort looked minuscule in the giant home of the NFL’s Patriots. The challenge of rallying from this embarrassing defeat may be easier on the road for the next three games. I will certainly be watching to see how the home support looks and sounds on August 6th. Ultimately, the feeling around this team is unlikely to change without wins.

The attention for New England now turns to Wednesday’s game against DC United. United has recently suffered seasons near last place. They had inexperienced youth on their roster and then hired a first time coach. After their dynastic early MLS years, I bet those seasons of struggle were disappointing. I almost feel some sympathy for them. Instead, I envy their resurgence. DCU have not returned to the top of the league contending for MLS Cup. This United squad, though, is tough to play.  

Santino Quaranta, rookie Blake Brettschnieder, and others are listed as out for DCU. Jakovic is listed as probable while Marc Burch and Josh Wolff are listed as questionable. Charlie Davies and Joseph Ngwenya will be available as forwards. Dwayne De Rosario will play as their creative and attacking midfielder. DCU has tied 4 and won once in their last 5 games. The win seemed a bit of revenge with DeRo scoring the game’s only goal against the Red Bulls. DC secured ties against RSL, Houston, Philly, and Dallas. United scored in all of those games except against Dallas in the Texas heat.

The Revolution will line up against a DC team that believes they will score against us. On defense, Bill Hamid posted a shut out in Dallas during DCU’s last game, so we can expect confidence at that end of the field, too. Shalrie will likely rally an improved effort out of his team in his return. Whether or not that brings improved offense, especially considering Benny Feilhaber’s absence and Dabo’s departure, will remain to be seen. As I said ahead of the Philadelphia game, a 0-0 tie would be a result and a great way to build confidence in their collective defense for New England.

With only two days since the loss to the Philadelphia Union and a visit to Colorado on Saturday night right around the corner the Revolution’s commitment and concentration will be tested. Both of those attributes were missing during crucial moments of last week’s loss. The present time is characterized by dark and ominous events for the Revs. Hope is distant and the challenges seem to loom. Little besides pride, and that has been sorely dented lately, remains as motivation. The saying goes, “it is darkest before the dawn,” the question then is will it get darker or is dawn approaching soon?

(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)