Revs Notes: Koffie OK, Tierney & Smith on the Mend
- Updated: February 24, 2016
Photo credit: New England Revolution
Gershon Koffie certainly didn’t have to wait long to take his lumps in a Revolution uniform.
On Saturday, in only his second preseason match with the Revolution, Koffie was smacked in the face by a high-velocity shot courtesy of Graham Zusi, and was forced to exit the game.
Although Koffie appeared to be woozy in the aftermath, Revolution coach Jay Heaps told the club’s official website that his central midfielder’s early was “precautionary.”
“The ball hit him off the face and you want to be overly cautious in preseason,” Heaps told revolutonsoccer.net earlier this week. “He probably could’ve been able to finish, but we didn’t want to even risk it. We didn’t even give him the choice; we just took him out.”
With Koffie apparently clear to play in Wednesday’s preseason match against Houston, it’ll be interesting to see if he’s partnered with Scott Caldwell in the defensive end of the squad’s midfield corps. To date, the team’s projected starters at defensive midfield have not played together.
Speaking of starters, left back Chris Tierney, who didn’t see the field during the Revolution’s first two Desert Diamond Cup matches, returned to training after suffering an undisclosed injury.
Another player battling back from injury is midfielder/defender Donnie Smith, who coincidentally, is one of the names listed on the depth chart at left back.
While Wednesday’s Revolution-Dynamo Desert Diamond Cup clash appears to be a preview of their First Kick match up on Mar. 6, don’t be fooled: the lineup you’ll see from the locals will probably bear little resemblance that Heaps intends to use in 11 days.
Traditionally, the Revolution head coach uses the preseason to get his starters into a normal rhythm of playing on Saturdays ahead of the regular season.
With that in mind, look for the Revolution to use a mashup of starters and reserves throughout Wednesday’s match, while Saturday’s tournament finale will likely resemble the lineup Heaps will employ at BBVA Compass Stadium for Matchday 1.
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