The Revolution’s recent stories have been about points dropped. Earlier this season they did take points from West Coast trips earning a tie against LA, a good result for New England. Seattle has again built an impressive record. I think their season will end as the past few have: challenging into the playoffs, but out of contention for the cup. That said, this is clearly a team with expectations to run the Revs out of town and take three points from a win in front of their home fans.
Sounders Brad Evans and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado are expected out against NYRB Thursday night. Both are likely to return Sunday to take on the New England Revolution, provided Evans’ mid-week absence is precautionary as reports suggest. Freddy Montero will be a handful and look to build or finish scoring chances for Seattle. The matchup between Osvaldo Alonso and Shalrie Joseph in the middle of the field will be fun to watch. I’d bet on Shalrie winning that battle, but, as ever, that won’t guarantee a Revs win.
For the Revs, Benny Feilhaber was upgraded in the early-week injury report to “probable.” Benny is also visible in the background of @Jeff_Lemieux’s video updates participating in practice. He will likely make the trip to Seattle and may even start.
Coach Steve Nicol’s switch to a 4-4-2 has simplified the Revolution’s attack and generated more scoring opportunities. Sadly, opportunities and not actual goals scored remain the extent of our offensive production. Lekic did knock in his second goal last week against Chicago. I wouldn’t complain if that was the start of a scoring streak for him. The Gambians, Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi have also recently earned more minutes and threatened to contribute scoring. Ryan Guy, originally drafted by Dallas, joined the team after playing in Ireland and even recorded a save in his first appearance as a sub against Chicago.
Moving a position up next to Lekic means one fewer player in the center of our midfield as we shift away from the 4-5-1 formation. Shalrie Joseph is quite capable of filling more space in the middle, though that could limit his contributions on offense if he is paired with Feilhaber. Dabo is likely out, which means Feilhaber or a defensive payer will join our captain, Shalrie. Domi could also miss another game, though Darius Barnes has played well when given minutes this year. In general, the Revs younger players have responded well to the veterans challenging them in practice and frequently taking minutes. It would be better for the team if those same veterans were more consistently healthy. Diego Fagundez is the youngest Rev and he will play on the U-16 team in the Development Academy playoffs. Hopefully he will continue to tally goals and assists, and incite New England attacks this year and for years to come as he work his way up to the first team.
Finally, and unfortunately, I cannot ignore what happened in the Fort during the Chicago game. I have not been able to attend nearly enough Revolution games over the years. Frankly, the stadium experience has never been as thrilling as opening night in 1996. I hope that the team staff, stadium security, and local law enforcement demonstrate more respect for the supporters groups in the future. In the best case scenario a public meeting sets expectations for everyone visiting and working in the stadium so that the supporters groups can continue to demonstrate every New England fan’s passion for the game and the team.
If you are more curious about the incident or the history context, I recommend you visit the following sites. Evan Whitney, who participated in “Pictures of Chairman Mao”, a Revs fanzine with an Internet presence back in the day, wrote a piece for “The Drug is Football” (http://www.thedrugisfootball.com/2011/06/fortgate-everything-old-is-new-again.html). L.E. Esseinberger interviewed current Midnight Rider’s president, Fran Harrington (http://www.examiner.com/pro-soccer-in-boston/revolution-s-fort-incident-midnight-riders-president-fran-harrington-weighs-in) – I am a member of this group. I always like what Prairie Rose Clayton has to say (http://tifosi.hooverdam.net/?p=523), even when she doesn’t have much to say. Fans from around the league have expressed their support for the Revs fans, including a great show of support during Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EvrqArFQoY&feature=youtube_gdata_player). At this point we can only wait to see how the people who run the New England Revolution respond. I hope they acknowledge that they are stewards of our club and that their future success will be built on our passionate support.
Image courtesy of mlssoccer.com
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