SuperLiga swagger
- Updated: August 31, 2010
Coming off Saturday’s heart-wrenching 2-1 loss to Philadelphia, the Revolution were already eyeing the silver lining that is tomorrow’s SuperLiga Final against Monarcas Morelia.
Shalrie Joseph celebrates the Revs 2008 SuperLiga Championship. (Photo by Art Donahue/artdonahue.com)
“It’s behind us,” said Revolution midfielder Pat Phelan in reference to the last week’s loss. “We’ve got an opportunity to get some hardware and get something out of the season, so our focus is on that.”
And with good reason. The 2010 MLS season has not been especially kind to the Local XI. Sporting a disappointing 6-12-3 league record going into September, the ragged Revolution hope to engineer an unforgettable moment in the midst of a forgettable season.
“We have to get the victory at home and win the final,” said Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph. “We need to start feeling good about ourselves again.”
Although there’s been little to feel good about the Revs’ performances in league play, SuperLiga has been nothing short of a blessing to the Revolution this year. During this year’s tournament, the Revs’ defense only allowed two goals in four games and is showing the swagger of a winning side.
More importantly, they won all four, which certainly gave them confidence in league play, as they went a combined 7-0-1 between July 10th and August 14th in all competitions. Suffice to say, SuperLiga has been the elixir that has cured what ails this side.
Then, of course, there’s the not-so-small matter that the Revs are the only MLS club to claim a SuperLiga trophy, which they won in 2008. A repeat would be a monumental achievement for a team that has found very little to be proud of this season.
“To be able to do that again would speak volumes,” said Phelan. “Especially with the kind of season we’ve had in MLS. It hasn’t been too kind to us and this could be huge for our season.”
Indeed, any accolades the Revolution can acquire this season would certainly ease the sting of a season hampered by injuries, suspensions, and ejections. And the players know it.
“We want to win something,” said Joseph. “If not the MLS Cup, then the SuperLiga Final.”
Not that it will be easy. Although the Revolution already beat Monarcas Morelia 1-0 back on July 20th during SuperLiga group play, the Mexican side will likely return to Gillette Stadium in far better form now that the Mexican Primeria Division is full swing.
“We gotta bring it all, especially against a team like Morelia,” said Joseph. “They look like they’ve been playing well from what I’ve seen. They’re going to be sharp, and we’re going to have to pick up our intensity and be ready to play.”
There’s little doubt that these players believe they can do it. With “win” and “Wednesday” liberally sprinkled into the locker room conversations this week, the focus is clear: just win, baby. Win it for your teammates. Win it yourselves. And, perhaps more importantly, win it for the fans.
“We gotta bring some kind of trophy back to the fans,” said Joseph. “They deserve some hardware for supporting us even through the (lackluster) performances we’ve been putting out this year.”
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