Shipp Praises Caldwell’s Work
- Updated: October 6, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
There weren’t a plethora of positives for the Revolution to take from Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Fire, but one of the game’s central figures singled out praise for the locals’ central midfielders.
Fire midfielder Harry Shipp, who scored the game-winner and assisted on the equalizer, said that his squad was given a stiff challenge by Jermaine Jones and Scott Caldwell during the first half.
“I think in the first half, Caldwell and Jones did a really good job of shielding their center backs,” Shipp told the media after the match. “They make it hard. Of all the teams we’ve played, those two guys, especially Caldwell.”
There’s little mystery surrounding Jones’ skillset and abilities. Hence, the hefty fee it took the organization to win the bid for his services.
But Shipp believes Caldwell was just as important to the Revolution’s shape, which helped keep the Fire off the board during the first half.
“I think he’s really smart in how he shields, he makes it hard to get in those dangerous positions,” Shipp said. “You end up having to drift out wide, you end up having to do some things more creative in the second half.”
The adjustment worked to perfection for the Fire. Even though Caldwell collected two interceptions and a blocked shot while passing at a 74.3 percent clip in 74 minutes of action, Shipp but used his vision to find David Accam for the 51st minute equalizer, then employed some pluck to win a dangerous ball from Andrew Farrell before burying the game-winner in the 59th minute.
While Shipp credited the efforts of Jones and Caldwell for keeping it close during the first half, the realization that a different approach was needed allowed the Fire to catch the Revolution in some uncomfortable positions.
“We were able to win some balls higher up the field,” Shipp said, “(and) kind of get them in transition instead of trying to build from the back every time.”
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