Revs Training Report: 9/17

The Revolution continued their preparations for Saturday’s match against the Columbus Crew out on the practice pitch behind Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. The session was open to the media for the first 15-20 minutes during passing/possession drills.

With the four players loaned to Rochester back in town after the Rhinos were bounced from the postseason on Saturday, Wednesday’s session offered a rare sight, as coach Jay Heaps had nearly a full roster at his disposal. The only absences: Jermaine Jones, who suffered a left leg injury during Saturday’s game against Montreal, and Stephen McCarthy, who underwent surgery on his knee last week and is expected to require six weeks of recovery.

Heaps on Jones’ status: “We’re progressing with him, but at the same time, we’re managing not pushing him too fast, and we’re optimistic.”

Here are some other observations from Wednesday’s session:

-Injured midfielder Andy Dorman appears close to returning after he was seen partaking in the passing/possession drills without any noticeable hindrance. The Welsh International was previously limited to jogging along the sidelines and working exclusively with the training staff as he worked back from the MCL sprain he suffered in July.

-Speaking of veteran midfielders, Shalrie Joseph, who was not spotted during training last Wednesday, was out on the practice pitch today. He, too, participated fully in the opening drills. Something that may or may not be worth nothing: the 36-year-old’s passes still have considerable zip on them.

-Another rare sight seen: four keepers working with goalkeeping coach Remi Roy. With Luis Soffner up in Rochester for much of the season, Bobby Shuttleworth, Brad Knighton and Larry Jackson held down the fort on the goalkeeping drills for much of the season, with an occasional cameo from an Academy goalkeeper during the summer.

-In addition to Heaps, Kelyn Rowe, Darrius Barnes, and A.J. Soares all spoke to the media prior to training. The topics at hand: the early goals conceded in their last three, the team’s improved resolve, and how to avoid fouling the Crew near the 18, lest this – or this – happen again.

-Heaps on the team’s early form in recent weeks: “I think if you look at our film, the starts have actually been really bright. It’s been a mistake here or a mistake there, it hasn’t really been a team breaking us down or us not moving the ball well. It’s really – whether it was a throw-in vs. Chicago, or whether it was Andrew Farrell getting tripped up (vs. Montreal)…so there are reasons why you go behind in games, but it’s not really one area where you can pinpoint. There’s been times where you can say, ‘Look, we haven’t started well, and haven’t played well.’ But I think we have started well, and I think we have played well.”