On Saturday, March 16, the New England Revolution hoped to accomplish two historic firsts: open the season with back-to-back wins and defeat the Philadelphia Union. Both objectives proved to be elusive as the Revs fell to the Union 1-0 courtesy of a Jack McInerney goal in the 76th minute.
The Revolution lined up in the same formation that was used against the Chicago Fire with three personnel changes. Scott Caldwell and Bobby Shuttleworth were inserted for the injured Kalifa Cisse and Matt Reis while Kelyn Rowe was given the nod over Donnie Smith. Of these changes, the omission of Cisse was most apparent.
Against the Fire, Cisse was seen throughout the field providing crucial tackles and accurate passes all while being an important cog in the center of the park. The Malian international was constantly providing a safe outlet since he was always within 45 degrees of the play. Cisse’s game wasn’t flawless but he did bring a lot of confidence to the the team.
Caldwell, though steady and loaded with potential, simply didn’t have the same presence. The Akron graduate, who was paired with Clyde Simms in the first half, played sound defense, including a slide tackle on McInerney in the 32nd minute, but hardly ever ventured outside of his half. This was troublesome because Cisse’s high pressure helped breakup plays and force turnovers. Without this, the giveaways by Revolution players become more noticeable and the Union had more time to coordinate their attack. The arrival of Andy Dorman in the second half helped since both defensive midfielders alternated when it came to getting forward.
The absence of Cisse was also obvious when it came to possession. The Revs, who ended the game with 44% of possession, struggled with keeping the ball the entire night. The defense often bypassed the midfield in favor of long passes that led to 50-50 balls. While Jerry Bengtson and Chad Barrett were able to win some of these, it was Union who usually came out with the ball. In the previous week, Cisse served as the link between the defense and the offense with the 29-year-old frequently being asked to collect the ball safely and transition it towards the attack. The Revolution ended the night with 68% of their passes completed which was 8% less than their opponent.
The game’s biggest moments had little relation to the absence of Cisse and more to do with old mistakes haunting them. The Revs had their best opportunity of game in the 35th minute when Bengtson collected a Lee Nguyen pass and drove the ball low. Zac MacMath (4 saves) produced a kick save that kept the ball out of the back of the net. The miss would come back to hurt the Revs when the game’s decider came in 76th minute. In the lead up to the play, Andrew Farrell was beat by the speed of substitute Antoine Hoppenot which forced AJ Soares to come in and hit the ball out for a corner. McInerney’s initial header from the Sebastien Le Toux cross was saved by goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth (3 saves) but the 20-year-old was able to put the rebound into the net. Bengtson’s miss and the poor defending that led to the goal reeked of 2012.
The return of Cisse will help solidify the midfield but the Revs will need to do a better job of defending set pieces and capitalizing on their own opportunities when they play Sporting KC in their home opener on March 23. The game will mark the return of Benny Feilhaber who was traded away in the offseason. Unfortunately for the Revs, they will be without the only man to score this season as Bengtson will be with the Honduras national team.
Three More Thoughts
Juan Toja will be the man of controversy this year. Toja started his second consecutive game in the false-number 9 role and fans were once against split about his contributions. The Colombian’s quick passes and smart footwork provided many impressive moments, including a 78th minute chip towards Bengtson that could have tied the game. Despite the flashes, Toja was often guilty of giving the ball away and falling down too often. There are too many encouraging factors, like his budding relationship with Nguyen, to completely write off Toja but the former MLS All-Star will need to start producing if he doesn’t want the fans to turn on him.
Kelyn Rowe faded in and out of the game. Rowe received his first start of the 2013 campaign after being limited to a substitution appearance last week. The second-year player looked sharp in the early minutes by getting into the attack, forcing turnovers and covering for Farrell. Rowe’s performance would soon turn with poor touches becoming the norm. Rowe would reemerge in the 81st minute when he played a dangerous cross towards Barrett that was mishandled by MacMath. Rowe will need to be a threat for the entire 90 minutes or he could see his role diminish to that of super sub.
Goncalves puts together another solid shift. After being burnt by John Lozano in the previous year, Revs fans were understandably skeptical of Goncalves. Goncalves didn’t exactly help his case by putting together shaky preseason performances against Vancouver and Seattle. Two games into the season, the defense, marshaled by Goncalves and Soares, has done a great job of limiting the chances of their opponents and only allowing one goal. Goncalves has established himself as a strong defender that doesn’t shy away from a tackle as evident in the 36th minute when the Portuguese player muscled Le Toux off the ball. There is still work to be done, however, as Goncalves needs to limit his aimless long balls while also working on his positioning. In the 83rd minute, Goncalves was caught too high which led to an awkward moment where Soares and him were trying to figure out who was going to play the ball.
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
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