Revs Find Offense, But Consistency Key

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Struggling to find the stat sheet, Lee Nguyen put up an assist and goal to give the Revolution their second win of the year.

Struggling to find the stat sheet, Lee Nguyen put up an assist and goal to give the Revolution their second win of the year. (Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution)

With implementation of the 4-1-4-1 formation last Saturday, New England found the firepower they were searching for, scoring 2 goals on the Philadelphia Union resulting in a 2-0 win. As the defense remains strong, head coach Jay Heaps may have found his play makers in Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe in the midfield.

A handful for defenders, Lee Nguyen was emerging as a play maker and goal scorer last season. Nguyen remained quiet until Saturday however, scoring no goals through the first six matches. One could feel a sense of urgency from the team as it felt like just one goal could get things rolling and help the Revs find their game. Thanks to Lee Nguyen’s great vision against the Union, he was able to find Rowe on the right hand side and lead to a beautiful through pass for Diego Fagundez’s first goal of the season.

Alongside a dominant performance by Nguyen was teammate Fagundez, whose small size played no role in stopping him from getting his fair chances of goal opportunities. Diego put up 3 shots of his own and crashed the box in perfect timing to put the Revs up 1-0 in the 61st minute. “It felt amazing,” said Fagundez. “You saw the stadium – pretty filled up tonight – so getting this win for Boston and for Kevin felt good for everyone. We’re all happy.” While Diego is finding his confidence it isn’t too early to wonder if he deserves the start over Saer Sene or Jerry Bengtson any given night.

Moving ahead, shots on target will remain the most important stat for New England. Seven shots on target Saturday was not an overwhelming amount, but considering the team has already went two games with zero this season, seven is better than none. Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth has also shown his potential of recent, making alert decisions to stop Philadelphia goal threats and holding a season goal against average of 1.20. His skill be critical to success, especially with Matt Reis’ return in question.

The Revolution will head to Portland next for a challenging test at Jeld-Wen Field this Thursday. Not only will the team have to come out scoring, but the Timbers remain one of the hottest teams in the MLS, winning three of their last four matches and sitting comfortably in the Western Conference with 13 points. Kickoff is set at 10:30pm ET, with coverage found on Comcast Sportsnet and 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Matt Bloom

A Near Scoreless Start

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After 5 games, Lee Nguyen is still searching for his first goal of 2013, as well as the team’s second.

New England is off to one of the most unusual starts Major League Soccer has ever seen, sporting a somewhat remarkable stat. Through five games played this season, they are both the worst offensive team and best defensive team in the league. Allowing just two goals, the Revolution have scored a sad one goal of their own and somehow sit 8th in the Eastern Conference at 1-2-2.

Last week’s draw against Seattle was the team’s second game in which they recorded zero shots on targets. It also marked the 4th game in a row the Revs have not scored, as their lone goal came in a 1-0 victory in Chicago to start the season. Although speculation arose whether or not the Revs could score in the absence of striker Saer Sene, no one predicted scoring to be this bad of a problem. Where has Bengtson been? Where has Nguyen been? Sure Sene is coming back to full health, but it is hard to tell if the team will get their swagger back so soon.

It is time for roster changes up top, possibly a formation change as well. Jay Heaps loves his 4-4-1-1 now because New England’s back line arguably the strongest in the MLS. Nothing is getting past Goncalves, Soares, or Farrell, but the team must open up the pitch to allow players like Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe play their run-and-gun style of offensive. Hopefully Heaps will shake things up when Sene returns to the Starting XI, placing both Sene and Bengtson in a more conventional 4-4-2 formation.

If all else fails New England may have to fit Chad Barrett or Diego Fagundez into the starting lineup more often. Although young and less experienced than their teammates, they could be the spark the club is looking for. A scoring drought cannot be ignored, and even though the next goal could be the one to get things rolling, that goal needs to come soon.

The Revolution will have a great opportunity to score this Saturday, as they face Eastern rival New York Red Bulls in Harrison, NJ. Kickoff is at 7pm ET, coverage can be found on the Comcast Sports Network or 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Matt Bloom

**All of us here as The Foxboro Fort wish Matt Reis’ father-in-law John Odem and Chris Tierney’s girlfriend a healthy recovery following the tragic events at the Boston Marathon**

Revs Come Away With Ugly Draw

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Courtesy of the New England Revolution

Courtesy of the New England Revolution

In what could have been a hard earned victory and confidence booster in front of their home fans, weather permitted both New England and Kansas City from scoring Saturday, leading to a 0-0 draw in the Revolution’s home opener. New England is now 1-1-1 on the season and tied for 5th place with D.C. United in the Eastern Conference.

Wind is hardly a good thing at a stadium like Gillette, where a convenient opening between sections 143 (The Fort) and 101 created a wind tunnel that forced the ball to twist and swirl all game long. Shots were wildly off target and the keepers couldn’t even the settle the ball for goal kicks. Although you never want to blame the weather for match results, the Revs have had it tough to open up the season. First playing in the Windy City, followed by a slushy mix of rain and snow in Philadelphia, the beautiful game is being played in far from beautiful weather. One thing is clear after the past few weeks in the MLS, teams in cold spring climates should NOT be playing home games this early. Yes, scheduling is extremely difficult, but perhaps some neutral site tournaments to start the year could be implemented.

Aside from the weather, it was easy to tell what was plaguing New England’s goal problems. Scoring chances were prevalent, but the club rounded off the day with a dissapointing 3 shots total, none of them on target. Compared to Sporting KC’s 13 attempts on goal, players have to work harder to find open runs and execute on those up for grab headers over the box. Perhaps Jerry Bengtson was missed as he can certainly fly over defenders, but you can not rely on one man to win every match.

The referees were rather atrocious, inconsistent for the full 90 minutes and missing obvious fouls that banged up New England pretty bad (see Ryan Guy’s stitched eye). It was refreshing to see striker Chad Barrett earn the start up top even though goal chances were slim. Barrett looked quick on the pitch but most importantly was not scared to be physical and draw fouls. Most of back line was sound, including newcomer Andrew Farrell who makes a convincing argument for midfielder when bringing the ball up the right side.

New England will be challenged these next two weeks, facing a hot FC Dallas team on Saturday, March 30th at home, followed by a trip to Seattle in early April. Dallas comes in to Foxboro sitting at the top of the Western Conference at 2-1-0. They lead all MLS teams in total shots with 19 after 3 games. Defense, possession, and finishing opportunities will be the keys for a Revolution victory.

Matt Bloom