If it Ain’t Broke…

Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – If you talk to anyone in Revolution blue this week, you might get the impression that the Eastern Conference Semifinal series isn’t currently weighted 4-2 in favor of the locals, but rather, knotted at 0-0. And that’s not due to bad math, to be sure.

Rather than resting on their laurels following last weekend’s lambasting of the Crew in Columbus, the Revolution are sticking to the same mindset they approached their leg 1 encounter – and with good reason.

“We came out with the right mentality,” Revolution striker Charlie Davies said. “(During) the warmup, I could tell that everyone was focused and that everyone was laser sharp, and I know we were going to have a big game.”

And a big game is exactly what the Revolution delivered during last weekend’s first leg. Not only did they wallop the talkative Crew XI, but they also grabbed goals from three different sources, lest anyone believe that the team’s success was predicated upon Lee Nguyen alone.

Davies called last Saturday’s performance a “statement game,” for in his view, it was signal to the rest of the league that the Revolution are a team to be feared this fall – especially when the offense is purring like a Porsche.

With that in mind, Heaps doesn’t feel the need to remind of his club of the dangers of getting too comfortable with a two-goal cushion currently in place.

“We’re not approaching it that way,” Heaps said. “Right now, we’re approaching it as another game at home, and an opportunity to step on the field. It’s really important for us to stick to our process, no matter what the score is right now.”

Part of that process is getting out the gate with flourish, much like they did in Columbus. Although the opening goal didn’t arrive until the 34th minute, there was no ambiguity behind the team’s intent when Jermaine Jones slammed the metal wall stationed behind Steve Clark’s net with a long distance rocket inside of a minute.

“When we start well, and get off and get out of the blocks well, we’ve come out of the games in a good spot,” Heaps said. “I think it’s important in the playoffs to protect your home, and you really try to step on the field and take advantage of that.”

In other words, don’t expect the Revolution to sit back and protect their lead after referee Armando Villarreal blows the whistle. While that tactic may work for some, the locals have learned over the course of their 34 fixtures they don’t wear the mistake-avoidance approach very well.

With the Revolution plotting an encore of last weekend’s performance, one player who’s particularly eager for Sunday to arrive is none other than Davies, who became the first player in club history to tally multiple times in a postseason game five days ago.

“We’re excited,” Davies said. “We’re planning on trying to make another statement with this game and going to the Eastern Conference finals, hopefully, with a lot of confidence and the form just the way we need it.”