Been There, Done That
- Updated: September 25, 2015
Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The Revolution have been here before. Twice in the last two years alone, to be more precise.
On Saturday, the opportunity to punch their ticket to the postseason for the third-straight year awaits the Revolution, who’ll face the ninth-place Union at Gillette Stadium.
While the locals enter Saturday’s contest riding a five-game winning streak at home, Revolution striker Charlie Davies believes the fact that he and many of his teammates know what it takes to lock up a playoff spot gives them the upper hand against a squad that has plenty of talent to go around.
“I think it’s our experience,” Davies told NESoccerToday.com. “We understand what lies ahead and how we have to go into every game as if it is a final, because the stronger we go into the postseason, the better our chances are of advancing.”
Indeed, the statistics bear out that the Revolution have shown themselves to be at their best down the stretch. In 2013, they finished the fixture list with a 5-2-3 record to clinch third-place on the final day of the season. Last year, the locals closed out the campaign with a league-best 8-1-1 record before going on to reach the club’s first MLS Cup final since 2007. And it’s been more of the same so far this season, with the Revolution 7-1-1 in their last eight.
Although the prospect of pocketing that playoff spot may seem like a formality for the third-place Revolution, no one in the home locker room at Gillette is counting their chickens before they’re hatched. Not Davies, and most certainly not center back Andrew Farrell.
“You want to know that you’re in,” Farrell told NESoccerToday.com. “Even though we want to win all of those last four games, I think just getting over the hump and be in the dance, it’ll feel pretty good. I have a list of goals before the beginning of the year, and that’s one check mark off the list, and it just keeps going and going, so it’s going to be an important game for us.”
An important game for the Revolution, yes. The Union? Not so much.
With the Philadelphia outfit six points below the red line with only four games to go, coach Jim Curtain recently told Philly.com that he’ll be fielding a “different” lineup on Saturday with next week’s U.S. Open Cup final on tap. By “different,” Curtain probably means “B-team.”
But that won’t mean the Revolution will take Saturday’s game lightly. Although they’ve already handed the Union losses in each of their previous two encounters this season, Davies is well-aware of the danger that a plucky Philadelphia side can pose.
“We know what they’re good at, and that’s taking advantage of set pieces,” Davies said. “(Cristian) Maidana’s got one of the best left foots in the league, and they’re great on the counter with Sebastien Le Toux, so we really have to limit turnovers in their half when we have a lot of guys in advanced positions and they’re able to break on us. Obviously, we have to limit the fouls around our box, too, so if we can take care of that, the game will play into hour hands.”
Making it six straight at home will be the name of the game, of course, even though a draw or loss – with the right combination of out-of-town scores – could also seal the deal for the Revolution. Rest assured, though, that Davies and his teammates will be eager to take control of their own postseason destiny.
“It’s on our minds, definitely,” Davies said. “We want to get that done. I think if we take care of business, we’ll be in a good position for the playoffs.”
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