Was last game a one-game thing? Will NYCFC bring us back to reality? Completely forgot there was even a game tomorrow. Salute to Heroes night as well.
http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/ma...ngland-revolution-vs-new-york-city-fc/preview 8:00pm start, following BC vs UMass at noon.
Absolutely it will. We played a depleted Pids team and although the ball bounced our way, it could have easily bounced their way. NYCFC is the real deal, with real pedigree and a coach that seems to know the intangibles.
Honestly, I hope it does bring us back to reality. Otherwise, our fever-induced stupor where the FO thinks we're okay is going to continue....
Despite Kamara returning, I wouldn't be upset if we see the same lineup. Maybe bring Watson in for Woodberry. We looked good offensively, and Kamara on the bench gives us great flexibility. At minute 60: Agudelo fading? Kamara in a straight swap. Can still go to two forwards later with Femi. Nguyen ineffective again? Kamara in for Nguyen, 4-4-2. Fagundez or Rowe ineffective? Kamara in, either on the wing, or shifting to 4-4-2 with Nguyen on the left wing and Fagundez/Rowe in the middle. Need more firepower? Kamara on for Caldwell or Koffie and Rowe into midfield. With one guy on the bench, Heaps can change the game in 4 distinct ways. Since we looked good without him last week, that's how I would proceed.
But Heaps is soooo good at seeing the game evolve and knowing how a particular tactical move can change the game with one fell swoop.
Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup final not distracting New England Revolution By Brian O'Connell ESPN FC 9/8/2016
Come to @GilletteStadium's box office with an Active Military ID to redeem free tix for tomorrow's #NERevs match. pic.twitter.com/q1adTv7wen— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 9, 2016
Wait.....it's an American Football lined field night? I was already annoyed with the 8pm kickoff that was first listed as 730 when I put the game on the calendar. Super.
So far, so good. I don't relish what this means for our front office, but it's nice to be steamrolling NYC (at least for a half).
That why the crowd seemed bigger on TV? Saw people standing behind the fort, on the bridge, and around the tower, which I don't remember being very typical.
Remember a couple years ago, when Lee Nguyen was having his magical season, and Fagundez, Rowe and company were playing off him with tons of creativity and verve? This totally felt like that. (Which I suppose begs the question of where it's been in the interim. ) Tonight's game really hinged on strong individual performances, across the board. No one had a bad game. The only negative for me was the number of chances squandered.
Yes, I also remember that we used to start two forwards then as well. Funny, now that we are doing that again, the team is actually showing some offensive firepower again. I don't ever want to see a lone forward formation again this season.
We looked very good. Heaps would be crazy to mess with this lineup. Kei may stay hurt for a while. I think when he's playing, its all about feeding him. When he's not playing, we're more a team and look better. Did somebody slip something in Juan's drink? This is the guy that was getting NAT callups. Lee too for that matter. Rowe is still the weak link but other than turning it over too much, is still useful.
Yes - and this team is doing that without Jermaine Jones. Even if the revs make a good run the rest of the year and/or win the USOC on Tuesday, Heaps should still be replaced.
It is hard to find any complaints about last night. Very fluid and the scoreline really flattered NYCFC. 5-1 would have felt more suggestive of the game play. Just watching a non lone forward setup is so much more the way I enjoy watching the game. I hate hold up play and love players who connect. Lee still got the ball stuck on his feet a few times but for the most part the ball flowed.
Armchair Analyst: LD returns, Revs find a diamond & more from MLS Week 27 Matthew Doyle for mlssoccer.com
I'd like to point out that this formation is basically our regular line-up in slightly different spots and Kei on the bench, we faced a Colorado C team and NYFC couldn't get their heads out of their asses the whole game. That said, the Revs are playing better. It seems like the formation lets the Revs play higher up the pitch, and Koffie played really well shielding the back line, which is a concern because Caldwell and Daigo can't really do that.
I agree with his comments about Koffee - he's good at sensing the pressure on his back and isn't afraid to turn and go forward when there's only token pressure. That's makes us a lot quicker transitioning to the attack - especially up the middle, rather than out to the wings. ----------- We need to have this kind of attacking flow to keep pressure off of our defense. One of the few times NYC went after our defense, we made the same kind of mistake that's been plaguing us. But, the Revs players have grown to love this kind of flowing, attacking game. All the attackers seem to be thriving in it and really getting involved. Nguyen and Fagundez are showing energy we haven't seen in a long time. Agudelo was really starting to pick up steam early in the season, then Heaps inexplicably sat him down during his point-making streak. Probably Goncalves' best game of the season - don't think he put a wrong-foot forward all game. Farrell was also very solid - a couple of scary desperation tackles, but he pulled them off. Loved Agudelo's effort play to poke the ball back to Fagundez as he was going to down at the top of the box. Equally loved very calm, cool, collected finishes by Agudelo, Nguyen and Fagundez on each of their goals. They took their time, made a little shift to open things up and left themselves with fairly easy finishes! I think the Revs' play had a lot to do with NYC's problems. We pressed them high and forced mistakes. And, even though the formation isn't much different, it seems to have sparked a whole different mindset. We are finally going on the attack, instead of just passing it back and forth and then back and back.
This was a lot of fun to watch. I only got to watch the 2nd half, and had to watch YES. But the YES announcers were very complimentary of the Revs play and style, and especially of Agudelo's effort on Fagundez's goal which I thought was great. I agree that the only downside was the number of chances we didn't put away. I was surprised that Bravo was red-carded. If anyone deserved an ejection from that challenge it was Koffie who got there late and came in with both feet in that same jumping motion that got him his first red-card (which was soft, but still the foul was committed by him, not the other player). It's a shame we didn't switch to this formation 7 games ago...
That's the nicest thing you've ever said about Rowe! IMO, Rowe, like Agudelo, Nguyen and Fagundez, was great, and played a creative role in most of the Revs' attacking football. I think that part of the reason it has been so effective is that teams haven't bothered to prepare a game plan to deal with it. In time teams will adjust. The key will be to see if the Revs can make adjustments during the game.