Technically Speaking: #CLBvNE

Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com

Last Saturday, the Revs got four terrific goals to beat the Crew 4-2, almost guaranteeing their advancement to the league finals, very likely against the Red Bulls, who beat DC United in their first game, 2-0.

The Revs-Crew score was reflective of the game in general, with the Revs almost completely shutting down the Crew’s dynamic scoring duo of Frederico Higuain and Ethan Finlay, and doing an excellent job curtailing midfielder Tony Tchani’s runs with the ball and the accurate through passes.

The first goal was scored by Charlie Davies in the 34th minute on a set piece from the right side. Kelyn Rowe made a perfect diagonal cross to a running Davies, whose sparkling dive header put the ball in the goal. Charlie’s perfectly-timed run kept him easily onside as he broke through the Crew’s flat back-line. In pointed irony, defender Tyson Wahl vainly spread his arms as a signal to fellow defenders not to break the line even as, behind him, Charlie buried the ball in the net. Beware the offside trap!

As this goal was extremely well taken, the only way the Crew might possibly have prevented it was to have a defender (1) see Charlie making the run, and (2) run with him in an attempt in some way to prevent the header. No matter what, this sterling goal would have been very difficult to stop.

Chris Tierney’s 51st minute goal was a Higuain-like free kick that curved into the upper right corner from about 23 yards, giving keeper Steve Clark no chance. The Revs’ message to the Crew appeared to be: if you can score this way, so can we.

Lee Nguyen’s 70th minute goal showed the Crew and the whole league that if you give him an inch, he will take a mile. His long dribble and subsequent shot to the left corner was a display of skill that not many other players in the MLS could have matched.

Davies’ second goal, in the 78th minute, was almost a duplication of Lee’s, and was icing on the cake, pretty much writing finis to the Crew’s home-field stand.

The only mistake I would point to was when the Revs’ defense got caught ball-watching on Justin Merman’s goal in the 64th minute. He was in prime position directly in front of the goal when he scored, about 10 yards from the goal line, and totally unmarked. Not a single defender was within four yards of him. It takes total concentration to keep an eye both on the ball and on attacking players in scoring positions, but this is a basic defensive principle in soccer. From what I’ve seen, all MLS teams need to improve in this area.

If the Revs stay as focused as they were in this game, they should advance easily.