Five Things We Learned: #NEvNY
- Updated: April 4, 2016
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Leave it to the Revolution to get their first win of the season in controversial fashion. During a rare Friday home match. On April Fool’s Day. And with Mark Geiger as the referee.
Because nothing is ever easy for the Revolution during the early portion of the schedule, it appears the combination of the aforementioned circumstances was just what the locals needed to get over the hump.
Sure, the shots of the woodwork against DC and Philadelphia spoke to the locals’ previous misfortune. Ditto for the red cards that newcomers Je-Vaughn Watson and Gershon Koffie picked up along the way. But as with all things in Major League Soccer, luck usually has a way of evening out before long. Unless you’re Chivas USA (sorry, Jesse Marsch).
All jokes about contracted clubs aside, let’s turn the clock back to Friday and see what we learned from another compelling chapter of the Revolution-Red Bulls rivalry.
1. Like love and war, all’s fair when an opposing player’s down. The Red Bulls may have felt hard done by the way Revolution scored the deciding goal, but then again, what did they expect? You can talk about sportsmanship and honor all you want. When three points are at stake, and a winless side like the Revolution is quickly advancing the ball, you cannot count on said winless side to kick it out if there’s an injured player on the ground. Nor can you rely on the referee. You have to play to the whistle, which is exactly what the Red Bulls should’ve done. Was it considerate to continue on while Kemar Lawrence laid on the ground? Probably not. But then again, they don’t raise MLS Sportsmanship Award banners in Foxboro. U.S. Open Cup? Yes. SuperLiga? Sure. Sportsmanship? No.
2. When the wind is blowing, Juan Agudelo will almost always get the start. Sensing a physical battle against a Red Bulls side missing both of its starting center backs, Jay Heaps was probably already inclined to give the start to Agudelo over Charlie Davies anyway. But once he saw the forecast for 22 mph winds, he knew there’d be some messy soccer ahead. And messy soccer isn’t Davies’ forte, to be sure. Although Heaps wasn’t thrilled with the first half performance, the early part of the sequel saw Agudelo get in position to assist on Diego Fagundez’s game-winner. To be certain, Davies hasn’t lost his starting spot. That said, Heaps is no Kevin Hart when he’s talking about capitalizing on matchups.
3. It’s something of a headscratcher when Kelyn Rowe gets the nod next to Scott Caldwell instead of Daigo Kobayashi. It wasn’t all that long ago when the Japanese midfielder was called upon to partner with Caldwell while Jermaine Jones recovered from hernia surgery no. 1. Not only did Kobayashi succeed; he thrived by completing over 90 percent of his passes, and giving the midfield a healthy dose of grit. But on Friday, Rowe was back in the deeper part of the midfield for the second time this season while Kobayashi took a seat among the substitutes. Granted, Rowe didn’t have a terrible night. Then again, if you have a player of Kobayashi’s quality at your disposal, it begs the question as to whether he’s fit or battling an undisclosed injury (see: Agudelo, Juan, summer of 2015).
4. Bobby Shuttleworth continues to be the most valuable member of the Revolution defense. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the early going could’ve been a lot uglier if not for the Revolution keeper. To date, Shuttleworth has faced a league-high 71 shots, and to his credit, stopped 72 percent of them. On Friday, Shuttleworth remained the Revolution’s best insurance policy when he denied Bradley Wright-Phillips twice in the latter stages to preserve the win. While Shuttleworth has certainly shown himself more than capable, the defense cannot continue to lean so heavily on the shot-stopper going forward unless the objective is to get him as many bids for MLS Save of the Week this year.
5. They may have finally won, but another slow start signals that the Revolution do might actually miss Jermaine Jones more than they’re letting on. It only took five tries, but to their credit, the locals found a way to pocket their first set of three points on Friday, but only after they overcome another lethargic start. In fact, Heaps was so displeased with what he saw during the first half that an “emotional” halftime talk was needed. Given that the slow starts have become an early trend this season, it’s clear that the Revolution are missing a player that had the same fire as Jones, who almost always seemed to get his squad fired up before they stepped onto the pitch. The acquisitions of Xavier Kouassi and Gershon Koffie may have addressed the void on the team sheet, but the jury is still out as to whether either player can inspire squad the same way Jones once did (at least when he was healthy, and not rehabbing on the opposite coast).
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