Shaken, Not Stirred

The Jay Heaps Era kicked off in a remarkably similar fashion to the way the Steve Nicol Era ended: lots of long balls, a lack of possession and the absence of the finishing pass.

With a number of areas that still need improvement, the Revolution opened the 2012 season with a 1-0 loss to the Earthquakes on Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Chris Wondolowski scored in the 15th minute while Jon Busch stopped the only shot he faced to spearhead San Jose to victory. On the other side of the pitch, the Revolution debuted seven new faces, including first round pick Kelyn Rowe, who started on the right side of the midfield.

Without the services of starting defender Darrius Barnes, Heaps was forced to go with a makeshift back four. Center back A.J. Soares slid to the left, while Stephen McCarthy saw his first start at center back.

Nine minutes into the match, the Revolution attempted to take the focus off their back four when Clyde Simms – one of the seven newcomers – slid a pass inside the box to Benny Feilhaber. But the winger’s shot strayed wide of the near post.

Despite the early look, it was the Earthquakes that took advantage of their early chance. In the 15th minute, Shea Salinas grabbed a Shalrie Joseph giveaway and raced into space and fed it ahead to Wondolowski, who buried it to put the hosts on the board.

Instead of plotting a response, the Revolution was left reeling. Unable to get a foothold on the proceeding, they predictably reverted to their 2011 form with a familiar brand of Route 1 ball.

With their execution faltering from the run of play, the Revolution reverted to another trademark of last season: potential redemption on set pieces.

In the 32nd minute, Feilhaber sent a free kick from the right channel into the area, where it was flicked toward the far post by Soares. But once again, the ball went wide of the post.

Meanwhile, the Earthquakes nearly sneaked one by on a free kick of their own in the 34th minute. Marvin Chavez fired one into the 18, where Wondolowski nearly redirected it through before the ball jumped over the bar.

Feilhaber found another chance to equalize in the 48th minute, but was betrayed when a heavy first touch in the shadow of the net allowed Busch to smother the opportunity.

The long balls and heavy touches continued through 80 minutes. And that was just fine by the hosts, who were more than happy to allow their opponents to play right into San Jose’s hands.

With the attack in dire need of a spark, Heaps inserted attacking midfielder/withdrawn forward Lee Nguyen in the 79th minute. It was a move that nearly worked to perfection.

Two minutes into his Revolution debut, the former PSV Eindhoven playmaker single-handedly put the hosts on notice when he dribbled along the touchline and toward goal. With a tight look on goal, Nguyen tried to put it on the doorstep, but San Jose defender Victor Bernardez deflected it toward Busch to close the door.

In stoppage time, Feilhaber came within inches of stealing a point when he launched a long-distance shot that flew just wide of the far post.

When it was all said and done, the team that went undefeated in preseason play was all but missing from Saturday’s match. Rowe played confidently and even showed a few flashes in the defensive third. Simms did well to mop up in the rear and Lozano played a physical brand of football against San Jose striker Steve Lenhart.

After Saturday’s loss, the Revolution will get their next crack at win number one when they play Sporting Kansas City at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday,  Mar. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30pm ET.

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