{"id":37690,"date":"2015-08-16T03:06:13","date_gmt":"2015-08-16T07:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=37690"},"modified":"2015-08-16T03:14:33","modified_gmt":"2015-08-16T07:14:33","slug":"revs-weather-multiple-delays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=37690","title":{"rendered":"Revs Weather Multiple Delays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo

Photo credit: Kari Heistad\/capturedimages.biz<\/p><\/div>\n

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Four hours and 40\u00a0minutes after the opening whistle, referee Jose Carlos Rivero finally whistled to end the game.<\/p>\n

After kicking off at 7:38 ET from Gillette Stadium, the game was put to a halt less than 13 minutes in because of bad weather in the area. After a 109-minute delay, play resumed and made it all the way until halftime. During the break, another storm made it\u2019s way into the area and causing a 61-minute delay.<\/p>\n

The second half kicked off at 11:30 ET.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough,\u201d Revolution captain Jermaine Jones told NESoccerToday.com<\/em>. \u201cWe went on bikes, we went in hot water to try and keep the body warm. It\u2019s not easy. I think the game was over four hours so it was crazy but we got the three points and that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The game didn\u2019t have a chance to really open up before the first stoppage. Neither team registered a shot on target while touches were very limited (Charlie Davies had just one at the first break).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough because I felt like we were starting to find out groove,\u201d Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen said. \u201cWe started having more possession there and then you have to go on a break, and I think that kind of played to Houston advantage, but the guys did great to mentally prepare for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nguyen had the best chance from either side shortly after the game was back underway. Diego Fagundez took a shot from outside the area that was deflected off a Houston defender and ended up finding Nguyen on a through-like ball. Nguyen released a shot on a tight angle but Houston goalie Tyler Deric closed down enough and got enough of the shot to force it wide for a corner.<\/p>\n

Fagundez then had a pair of chances in a five minute span but again Deric had an answer. First it was Goncalves that found Davies on a long ball and it took just one touch for Davies to lay it off for Fagundez. Fagundez got over the ball and sent a bouncing shot on target but Deric knocked in down. Just minutes later, Faungdez was nearly on the end of a neat combination play but Deric was off his line before the Homegrown Player could get to it.<\/p>\n

Once halftime hit \u2014 10:13 ET \u2014 so did the thunder, lightning and rain. That sparked the second delay, which lasted just a minute over an hour. All together, the players were off the field for 76 minutes this time around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just stayed in the dressing room doing work, exercise, moving around on the bike and making sure we are ready in case he blows the whistle earlier,\u201d Goncalves said, noting he had never played in a game like this before and joking about how late he had to stay up. \u201cAt this time I\u2019m in bed usually. I had to get the permission to stay up a little more. It\u2019s difficult but if it\u2019s the case, you have to be professional, mentally a little stronger than usually. Mentally you get a little tired but the other team they are also going to be tired. You must think about this and all the work you do in the week. We suffer all the week with hard training and then we come out on Saturday to win the game and that\u2019s what we did. If it takes 90 minutes or three hours, it doesn\u2019t matter. At the end of the day we need the three points.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the breaks, beyond staying warm, the team was able to talk a bit of strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go over tactics quite a bit,\u201d Revolution defender Chris Tierney said. \u201cIt was actually a unique situation where we’re 12 minutes into the game we already have a chance to come together as a group and look things over, and talk about what changes we want to make, and I think especially at halftime, we did a good job of making those adjustments and finding a way to score.”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to find out what we can make better but you try to keep your body warm so when you come out you can be ready straight away,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough when you start to play and then stop and have to come in and then again. It\u2019s not easy but I think the team handled it really good and we\u2019re happy with the three points.\u201d<\/p>\n