Technically Speaking: Revolution vs. Philadelphia

Lee Nguyen scored his first goal of the season against the Union on Saturday. (Photo: Chris Aduama/aduama.com)

In an emotionally-charged game played under nearly ideal conditions, the New England Revolution beat the Philadelphia Union cleanly, 2-0, on Saturday night.

The Revs had the better of the game after the first seven minutes, scoring two sweet and well-deserved goals in the second half. On all tactical fronts – ball possession, defense, and goalkeeping – the Revs’ game was improved over last week’s effort vs New York. I was particularly impressed with Bobby Shuttleworth’s authoritative sorties out of the goal, for several critical saves. It was also exciting to see the Revs winning balls aggressively in midfield, especially in the second half, and engaging in effective wing play. And I was pleased to see Kalifa Cissé keep his defensive position better (though I think he still needs to focus on maintaining the appropriate triangle of center backs and defensive midfielder). These efforts had a lot to do with the final score.

Rick Sewall

I was initially dubious about the starting lineup. Evidently, Jay Heaps decided to go with youth over experience, perhaps a good idea, considering they play again this coming Thursday on the west coast. Nonetheless, the fact that Clyde Simms, Andy Dorman, and Darrius Barnes saw no action at all (I gather Juan Toja is injured) surprised me a bit. Who can argue with winning, though?

I would love to hear the Union’s opinions of playing on the Gillette surface after playing on natural grass last weekend vs DC United, and regularly playing on a nice natural grass surface at home.

In tennis it takes a thorough knowledge of the grip, the backswing, the stroke, the follow-through, the foot positioning, and overall body behavior to hit a stroke properly. Even for advanced players, tennis coaching focuses on technique as much as tactics. Same with the golf swing and golf coaching: it is concentration on precise technique that will allow the golfer to drive the ball straight down the fairway. Without constant reinforcement of technical knowledge and awareness, both tennis and golf practitioners will clearly lack the needed concentration for a successful outcome.

The same is true of the soccer power kick. Talented players like Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe are finding ways to get a clear shot on goal –a difficult enough task in itself. But their execution of the power kicking technique leaves a lot to be desired, making it very difficult for them to concentrate when shooting and resulting in their missing the target far too often. The same can be said for the team more generally. Perhaps the most obvious sign of this lack of concentration is when players pull their heads up too soon after contact with the ball, making it impossible for them to follow through appropriately. The attached picture shows Hubert Vogelsinger, Austrian national team player and American technical instructor par excellence, demonstrating the power kick follow-through. Enhanced technical knowledge results in greater confidence when shooting and an increase in team shots on frame and in goal total. Good shooting wins games.

Now the Revs have to worry about Portland. A win or even a tie there would be a feather in their cap.

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