New England Soccer Today

Five Things We Learned: #NEvNY

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

It wasn’t the liveliest midweek match ever played in MLS, but that hardly mattered to the Revolution, who planted their flag at the top of the table after beating the Red Bulls 2-1 at Gillette Stadium.

Revolution coach Jay Heaps deemed the match more of a fight than a football game, while Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch wasn’t terribly pleased his his side’s performance, calling it “one of the worst of the year.”

So what did we learn from Wednesday’s festivities?

1. The Revolution continue to capitalize on their chances. For the second straight game, the Revolution got the most out of their chances to come out on top from another six-pointer. The first arrived barely two minutes into the match on a training ground sequence that saw Diego Fagundez score for the fourth straight game. The latter unlocked a 1-1 game as Kelyn Rowe volleyed home a Scott Caldwell pass right on the doorstep to put the hosts ahead for good. All told, the Revolution have now claimed five goals on seven shots on target over a four-day span. Not bad for a squad that couldn’t buy a goal with a Bill Gates’ Black Card earlier this summer.

2. Juan Agudelo doesn’t need to score to make a profound impact. Over the last few weeks, Revolution supporters grew accustomed to seeing the physical forward come off the bench and score late. While he wasn’t able to etch his name on the scoresheet during his 65-minute run, Agudelo was still just as dangerous. His hold-up play allowed the Revolution to race to the board when he set up Fagundez for the first tally, and continued to facilitate the attack by drifting wide when needed. After the match, Heaps had nothing but praise for his striker, who put together one of his best performances on a night in which his team needed him more than ever.

3. Don’t look now, but Scott Caldwell may have just cemented his reputation as a big-game player. He doesn’t put up the flashiest stats, nor does he been bestowed his own bobblehead, but with the stakes high, few players in the league are more reliable than Caldwell. With Jones suspended, and one of the most potent set of midfielders in the east eager to punish a makeshift backline, the third-year pro rose to the occasion. He completed a team-best 86.1 percent of his passes, and collected 47 touches, the second-highest total behind Lee Nguyen’s 58. Oh yeah, and then there was that nifty assist on the game-winner. Jones may be the player the Revolution look to when the chips are down, but Caldwell has often been at his best when his team needs him the most.

4. Kevin Alston and London Woodberry sacrificed their offensive prowess for the greater good. Show of hands: who was concerned about what the Red Bulls would do to a backline that featured a pair of fullbacks who hadn’t seen action in over two months? Yes, there was plenty to worry about when it came to the kind of form that Woodberry and Alston might showcase on Wednesday. But the defensive duo quieted any fears by staying true to their responsibilities even though both may have wanted to bomb forward more often. Could the Revolution gotten more opportunities with Alston’s speed and Woodberry’s crosses on display? Sure. But they showed that they were committed to the cause by staying back and doing whatever they could to keep the Red Bulls from stringing together a sixth-straight multi-goal display.

5. Expect Andrew Farrell, Bobby Shuttleworth and Diego Fagundez to all get rest on Saturday. With the Revolution set to play their third match of the week on Saturday, we all know there’ll be more changes in Montreal. And if history is any indication, you can essentially pencil in who’ll get a chance to catch their breath at Stade Saputo. After an active match at Toronto followed by another 90 minutes against New York, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Farrell stay on the bench this weekend. Ditto for Bobby Shuttleworth, whom Heaps has been reluctant to start more than twice a week since the veteran keeper became first-choice last year. Then, of course, is Fagundez, who has run his socks off non-stop since the middle of the summer. It may not be a first-choice XI we see on Saturday, but if Wednesday’s match was any indication, there’s enough reason to believe that even a mix-and-match XI can get the job done.

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