{"id":36767,"date":"2015-07-11T11:41:44","date_gmt":"2015-07-11T15:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=36767"},"modified":"2015-07-11T12:06:43","modified_gmt":"2015-07-11T16:06:43","slug":"five-questions-nyvne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=36767","title":{"rendered":"Five Questions: #NYvNE"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>

Photo credit: Chris Aduama\/aduamaphotography.com<\/p><\/div>\n

There’s a saying that the darkest part of the night is right before dusk. We all know that soccer clubs do not adhere to the rules of nature,\u00a0but it’s not outside the realm to think that\u00a0a\u00a0turnaround for the slumping Revolution might be right around the corner.<\/p>\n

In news that shocked no one, Jay Heaps called last weekend’s\u00a0fiasco in Frisco the\u00a0worst loss of the season. Last year, the Revolution dropped a 5-1 loss at LA\u00a0– their worst of the summer 2014 – only 14 days before getting back in the win column, and not long after, turning the season around.<\/p>\n

Obviously, past results don’t predict future success. We’re not saying\u00a0with 100 percent certainty that\u00a0the loss in Dallas will eventually set them back on course. After all, there’s no steadfast rule in soccer that a team will turn the corner after a humiliating defeat. Even so, there are a couple of things to consider that may signal a reversal of fortune for the Revolution.<\/p>\n

The first: a loss as painful as the one in Frisco forces a club to face the music. The problems become impossible to overlook after the kind of drubbing the locals took in Dallas. And after a three-day rest – their first such break since mid-June – they finally get the opportunity to take corrective measures.<\/p>\n

The second: with the aforementioned mini-break at their disposal, the Heaps told the media that he finally had the opportunity to look back at the first half of the season after the recent cluster of games prevented him from doing so. With a better picture of what’s undermined his squad’s success since early-May, the coaching staff has a better idea of where to make changes, at least in theory.<\/p>\n

It’ll remain to be seen whether that turnaround arrives\u00a0this weekend, next weekend, or next month. For now, let’s focus our attention to Saturday’s match.<\/p>\n

1. What, if any,\u00a0changes will we see?<\/strong> Prior to Wednesday’s training, Heaps said there will be changes behind the scenes now that he’s had the chance to sit down and\u00a0analyze his team’s play during the first half of the season.\u00a0Given the way the team’s played over the last two months,\u00a0it’s not unreasonable to think that gameday adjustments\u00a0are in store, as well.\u00a0After what went down in Frisco, it looks like we could see Andy Dorman back in the lineup and, possibly, the return of Juan Agudelo\u00a0on the right. Another potential returnee: Kelyn Rowe, who might be\u00a0primed to\u00a0take advantage of\u00a0a depleted Red Bulls backline.<\/p>\n

2. Will it be another tough day at the office for the midfield?<\/strong> There’s no doubt the Revolution are at a disadvantage when Jermaine Jones isn’t in the lineup. Without him, there’s been a noticeable dip in grit and leadership. Even so, that doesn’t mean they’re doomed to another drubbing at Red Bull Arena. Yes, the Red\u00a0Bulls’ midfield\u00a0is a talented group – perhaps\u00a0even more talented\u00a0than the one the Revolution faced last week at Dallas. But if the Revolution can get back to capitalizing on turnovers, and catching the Red Bulls flat-footed in transition\u00a0– something that’s happened to them far too regularly as of late – then a win isn’t outside the realm.<\/p>\n

3. Can Charlie Davies get back on the scoresheet?<\/strong> Given the amount of work he’s undertaken with little reward as of late,\u00a0you have to think he’s due. After\u00a0getting next to nil service in Frisco,\u00a0and not much more of\u00a0it\u00a0the week before against Vancouver,\u00a0the veteran striker has to like the matchup before him. He’s scored four goals in his last four contests against the Red Bulls, who’ll be without Kemar Lawrence and Karl Ouimette on Saturday due to Gold Cup duty. Plus, with London Woodberry set to return to his right back’s spot, the likelihood of Davies getting his seventh – and maybe even eighth – goal of the season should be greater than it was last weekend.<\/p>\n

4. How can the Revolution avoid an encore of last week’s performance at Toyota Stadium?\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Aside from winning more midfield battles and being strong in transition, one of the biggest challenges the Revolution face on Saturday is the one taking place between their collective ears.\u00a0Yes, the\u00a0group as a whole cannot\u00a0allow\u00a0themselves\u00a0to get mentally worn\u00a0down the same way they did in\u00a0Dallas.\u00a0They cannot dwell on the failures, and allow them to pile up in their minds. Over the course of their nine-game unbeaten streak (remember that?), the Revolution weren’t perfect. They weren’t invincible. But on the whole, they played with confidence. They played with the assurance that no matter the circumstance, they would find a way to get the result. In order to get out of this rut, the locals have to avoid the worrying, and play to win.<\/p>\n

5. Is Saturday’s game a must-win?<\/strong>\u00a0Let’s be real: Saturday’s match\u00a0isn’t\u00a0a do-or-die game. Whether they win, lose or draw against the Red Bulls, there will still be 13 games to work with. Even so, a loss – or even a draw – won’t do the Revolution much good.\u00a0Not only will it extend their slump, but it will leave the door wide open\u00a0for the Red Bulls, Crew, and Orlando City to all overtake them in the standings by the end of the weekend. Oh, and did we mention that all three have games in hand? Forget the rivalry game storyline. This is the kind of\u00a0match that could make those final 13 games all the more difficult if the Revolution don’t get maximum points.<\/p>\n

What other questions surround the Revolution heading into Saturday’s match? Tell us in the comments section!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What questions surround the Revs going into Saturday’s match at Red Bull Arena? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[891,49,70,1274,892],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nesoccertoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Teal-10.png?fit=600%2C415&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36767"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36767"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36781,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36767\/revisions\/36781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}