Five Questions: Revolution vs. Rapids

Saer Sene will be looking to get back on the scoresheet in Wednesday's contest against Colorado. (Photo: Joshua Pearson)

Four days after suffering its fourth shutout of the season, the Revolution return to action for a home game against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night.

The intra-conference tilt is the second of a three-game, eight-day stretch for the Revolution that concludes on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. And with their last win coming on Mar. 31, nothing less than three points will suffice for the reeling Revs.

Here are five questions to consider before the ball’s passed back from the center circle.

1. What lineup changes will we see in the second round of the three-game gauntlet? On Saturday, Jay Heaps utilized a fairly recognizable starting XI where the only surprise was Kelyn Rowe over Benny Feilhaber on the wing. But with Feilhaber approaching full fitness, the dynamic midfielder may be in a position to get his first start since Mar. 17. Also in line for a possible to return to the lineup: John Lozano, who hasn’t seen action since the Mar. 10 season opener at San Jose. Of course, knowing how critical points are in the only home game of the three-game bottleneck, expect Heaps to keep much of his first XI intact. But, don’t be surprised if Alec Purdie, Fernando Cardenas and Bjorn Runstrom come on earlier than usual to spell the starters.

2. Which Revolution squad will we see in the opening minutes? It was a just over a month ago that a plucky Revs walked into The Home Depot Center and dominated the defending champs in a 3-1 shock win. In that game, the Revolution scored two early goals and never looked back. Last week, against a similarly-talented team, the Revolution turtled up early and conceded a 7th minute goal that they wouldn’t recover from. Although an early goal – see the 2-1 loss to D.C. on Apr. 14 – doesn’t necessarily guarantee victory, one thing the Revolution cannot afford to do is open with the tentative, mistake-avoiding form seen at Red Bull Arena.

3. Can Saer Sene finally overcome the recent hijinx that’s haunted him inside the 18? Perhaps no player on the roster has been more polarizing than the blonde-mohawked Frenchman. In his first four MLS games, Sene scored two and showcased the promise that Bayern Munich saw when it enlisted him for its reserve squad. But in the last two games, Sene has looked very much like a player who’s confidence might soon be posted on a milk carton. Against D.C. and New York, the swift striker has watched no fewer than six sure-fire chances get smothered, collected or stopped cold. There’s no doubt that Sene has the talent to become a top 10 striker in MLS. But to do so, he has to start bagging his chances.

4. How will the Revolution contain Omar Cummings? If there’s one thing the defense has to do to keep the Rapids off the board, it’s silence Cummings, a notorious Revs killer. With the speed, strength and touch to wreak havoc against any back line, A.J. Soares will be called upon to rise to the occasion against another dangerous striker. Although the second-year center back has shown well against the likes of Kenny Cooper and Robbie Keane, Kevin Alson and Shalrie Joseph will likely be called upon to help out in the rear – especially when Cummings has the ball at his feet.

5. What will it take for the Revolution to snap its three-game slide? The Revolution have done a lot of things right during the course of its last three games. They’ve held the ball. They’ve created chances. The defense has improved. So what else will it need to do to get back to the form seen against Portland and Los Angeles? Stephen McCarthy said it best following Saturday’s loss: You have to put the ball away. When the net gets big, the ball needs find it. Possession, good passing and punching into the area are all encouraging signs. But a pretty loss still gets you the same amount of points for an ugly one.

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