After three disappointing away games, the New England Revolution will return home on Saturday to face the San Jose Earthquakes. During their last home-stand, the Revs went 3-0-1 in league play before going winless on the road (0-1-1). If the Revs hope to return to their winning ways, they will need to take advantage of a weakened San Jose side.
The Earthquakes are in a period of transition after dismissing longtime head coach Frank Yallop and promoting assistant coach Mark Watson. Watson, a former Revolution player, has guided his team to a 2-2-0 record since taking over which nearly equals the Earthquakes’ win total in the first 15 games (3-6-6). Watson’s most impressive victory came last weekend when San Jose overturned a two goal deficit to defeat the LA Galaxy in stoppage time.
“They just came off a good result against LA so it’s going to be a tough game,” Diego Fagundez commented. “But we know that they have a game Wednesday so they’re going to be tired and we’re going to look into that. Our team is resting. We have a whole week to train and get better. Come Saturday, we’ll show them what we got.”
Last Saturday’s result was an important confidence builder for the Earthquakes but the club wasn’t as fortunate on Wednesday when they were suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Chicago Fire. The game was a balanced affair with both teams exchanging goals. Even after Chris Rolfe provided what would become the game-winner in the 84th, the Earthquakes continued to show their determination and grit until the dying seconds.
“We can see that it’s a team that never gives up,” Jose Goncalves explained. “They get two goals (against the LA Galaxy) and they end up winning. We must be very focused. It’s very important for us; we have two games at home.”
The big difference between the games on Saturday and Wednesday was the absences of several key players. Chris Wondolowski, Clarence Goodson, Nana Attakora and Marvin Chavez were unavailable on Wednesday, as they will be on Saturday, after receiving call-ups to the Gold Cup. San Jose was also missing Shea Salinas (suspension) and Steven Lenhart (injury) but both players are looking to contribute against the Revolution. Salinas has a lot of composure on the ball as evident by his team-leading five assists. Lenhart brings a different skillset to the Earthquakes since he is a physical striker that is one-half of the infamous “Bash Brothers,” a nickname given to him and Alan Gordon.
Fagundez strategized by saying, “You just have to be smart and beat them at it. You can’t let them bully you around. You have to do stuff that will hurt them and if you can do that then they’ll be in trouble.”
Gordon is currently on a good run of form and has scored all three of his goals this season in the last two games. Although Lenhart has only netted one goal this year, he remains a threat after scoring ten last year. If Lenhart is not ready, Adam Jahn could get the nod. The rookie has epitomized the Earthquakes’ never-quit attitude as he has four goals this season with many coming late in the game. Regardless of who gets the start, the Revs know that they will be dealing with strong strikers that like to fight.
“It’s different than to play against small striker who likes to run in the back,” Goncalves said. “Big strikers like to hold the ball and win the box. They are more box strikers. We played a couple of teams with physical strikers, I think against Dallas and against Philadelphia. I think we know what we have to do for the weekend.”
Saturday’s affair looks to be in the Revs’ favor since it will be San Jose’s second away game of the week and the team will be missing many key contributors. Nevertheless, the Revs know they need to be focused if they want to collect points and rise in the standings.
Goncalves explained, “They are playing on Wednesday, away. It’s not easy. I think that they’ll be even fresher if they play on Wednesday. We must take this game very seriously because they have players who can score like as we saw against LA.”
What to Look for Against San Jose
1. The Revs need a striker to step up. Juan Agudelo’s right knee injury is devastating to the Revs since he was an important component to the Revolution attack. The Revs have accumulated a record of 3-1-1 in games where Agudelo has appeared while outscoring their opponents 12-4. The mere mention of an Agudelo-less team stirs memories of earlier in the season when the team struggled to get shots on goal. Hopefully Chad Barrett, Dimitry Imbongo or Jerry Bengtson uses this as an opportunity to solidify their role on the team.
2. Someone needs to play enforcer. As mentioned above, the Earthquakes are a physical team that will fight for every ball as a way of disrupting play. This might be troubling for the Revs who rely on skillful passes as a way of unlocking defenses and providing goal-scoring opportunities. Although he’s a striker, Agudelo has done a great job of playing the enforcer role by offering hard bumps whenever an opponent gets out of line. With Agudelo out, the team needs someone to provide force in a discrete manner. This could mean the return of Kalifa Cisse, though it would be difficult to move Scott Caldwell out of the starting lineup considering his vision for the game.
3. The defense needs to stay strong. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the Revs’ most recent results is the fact that they have allowed eight goals in the last three games in all competitions. Although the Revolution still boast one of the best defenses in the league, the last few weeks have created questions. A shutout will go a long way in restoring confidence. This will be no easy task, however, since San Jose has a lot of attacking options despite their depleted squad. The return of Andrew Farrell is an important step in the right direction but the defense also needs to be composed, while using good communication, in order to keep a clean sheet.
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