At this point its pretty simple, if we don’t score we won’t win. This was a game in which the ref, “let ’em play,” and New England was never going to win a shoving match. It may still be too early to evaluate this version of the Revs. However, achievements pushed further towards an undefined horizon or beyond also means that “too early” might disguise that it could be too late for notable achievements this season.
The Revs started this game aggressively and looking to attack. Against this physically imposing Kansas City team that presses high and battles for every ball I was disappointed to see New England attempt long aerial passes in the first ten minutes. To be fair, watching Lee Nguyen especially, it also seemed like we were asking to be steam rolled whenever we tried to play with the ball at our feet.
I thought the passing for New England was a bit off – a successful pass is a connection between players and ‘close enough’ is asking for trouble. Teal Bunbury stuck his foot in on a bouncing ball between Clyde Simms and Stephen McCarthy, knocked it over the last Revs defender and he finished off his one-on-one with Matt Reis. That goal proved the best chance for either team and sufficient for SKC to take the win.
So, we had a confused plan of attack – are we building possession through passing on the ground or using long, vertical passes to attack directly? We had an opponent that was satisfied to stifle and disrupt our game by playing close in – there was no space anywhere. Well, there was a bit for Imbongo, though he certainly didn’t shift the shooting accuracy stats.
There is a chance that Jerry Bengston returns for next Sunday’s game against Montreal. AJ Soares will also likely return. While their return would be a welcome injection of grit and quality this loss to SKC would be oversimplified as missing them. The pressure on the Revs as a group and Bengston individually is rising each day. Far too similarly to 2011, our scoring seems to have dried up and our defense is starting to show signs of crumbling. I will be watching the remainder of this season for finishing, and combination plays across the field that keep possession. Without those I fear that results might be too much to hope for.
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
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