Winning Midfield Battles Key for Revs vs. TFC
- Updated: April 8, 2016
Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Make no mistake: the Revolution won’t be resting on their laurels when it comes to their preparations for reigning MVP Sebastian Giovinco, who’ll be in town this weekend along with Toronto FC for a Saturday clash at Gillette Stadium.
While the Revolution were only on of a few MLS teams that kept the talented Italian off the scoreboard last year, assistant coach Tom Soehn knows better than to copy and paste last year’s gameplans, then hope for the best – especially with Michael Bradley unhindered by injury this time around.
“Those two are a big cog,” Soehn said. “When Michael wins the ball, his first look is Giovinco in behind, and Giovinco knows how to run in behind, so we have to be very leery of him.”
Leery with good reason, of course. Not only does Giovinco possess a remarkable ability to finish from nearly anywhere in the final third, but he also finds a way to escape multiple markers.
“You think that (something) works, and then somehow, he gets out of it,” Revolution center back Andrew Farrell said. “It’s tough because they have so many weapons. It’s hard to focus on one guy, but if you have to focus on one guy, it’s the reigning MVP.”
Indeed, Toronto has plenty of options at its disposal aside from the Atomic Ant. In addition to Bradley, the club acquired veterans Will Johnson, Steve Beitashour, and Drew Moor to shore up the rear, where another newcomer – goalkeeper Clint Irwin – has given the Reds a true no. 1 this season. Up front, youngsters Marky Delgado and Daniel Lovitz have both proven themselves capable of providing support and service to Giovinco.
“They’ve got a lot of new faces that they’re working into the lineup,” Soehn said. “They change it up a little bit, and with their three up top, and it can be anybody that can hurt you.”
Fortunately for the Revolution, one important piece to the Toronto FC puzzle that they won’t have to worry about is Benoit Cheyrou, who’ll have to sit out Saturday’s contest after he was sent off last week at Colorado. But with Jozy Altidore expected to start, the Revolution backline will need to keep the lines of communication open throughout in order to avoid the prospect of Bobby Shuttleworth picking the ball out of the net.
As dangerous as the Reds are up front, Soehn believes that the best approach to stifling the likes of Giovinco and Altidore is to win the midfield battle.
“The main key is what Will and Michael do in the middle to start the attack,” Soehn said. “Giovinco’s huge, and we just have to be mindful of him.”
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