Let’s be clear, the NFL’s New England Patriots are a dynasty. Six super bowl appearances in 13 years. Nine AFC Championship Games. Four Super Bowl Rings, and a 77% win percentage since Tom Brady was QB.
They soon might not be the only dynasty in New England, however. The New England Revolution are making their case for being called such. True, they have only made the playoffs the last two years. That being said, they are coming off a 10-1-1 record in their last 12 games to end the regular season, only to lose to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final. This team is built to last and the stats of this year’s team may surprise you.
Only one of their starters is over 30, Jermaine Jones who is 33 but can play for three more years.
2015 New England Revolution: Dynasty or Disappointment?
Six of their starters are 25 or under. Diego Fagundez is 20. Andrew Farrell and Juan Agudelo are 22. Kelyn Rowe, Scott Caldwell and Steve Neumann are 23. Teal Bunbury is only 25 and Kevin Alston is only 26. If Jay Heaps can keep all these players and Lee Nguyen (28) and Charlie Davies (28) together, there is no reason this team can’t compete for the next five years at least.
Admittedly, this team has had some ups and downs. Last year they went on seven game winning streaks and seven game losing streaks. They often play on a soccer field with football lines and in a half-full non-soccer facility. Their style of play, though, is some of the most exciting that MLS has. They are a team of flair and style and thanks to Jermaine Jones, now a team of grit and bite. Too often they would give up late goals, causing ties or losses that should have been victories. That all changed with Jones’ arrival this past summer and they did it without losing any of their possession control and innovation passing. That should continue in 2015.
The Revolution underwent little change from last season but did exchange two large pieces. Central defender AJ Soares was initially heading off to Italy but seems to have taken a hard left turn along the way and now is at Viking FK in Norway. Whether that is a step up for him remains to be seen. The other big move coming the other way across the pond is Juan Agudelo. Agudelo spent the last 9 months doing some soul searching on the European continent, believing himself to be at Stoke City until a visa request was denied. ‘Swagudelo’ returns to the Revs and will provide a strong presence up top. The team would certainly be more attack minded if they put Davies and Agudelo up top together but for now it seems that they will launch with one attacker, likely Agudelo, and have Davies come in as the closer. Both can finish, attack the defense and benefit from the technical passing of Nguyen, Jones, Rowe and Fagundez. The midfield will again be stacked.
The formation of the Revs will likely be 4-5-1, however, occasionally they have dabbled in a 4-4-2. The likely midfield will be Fagundez, Rowe, Nguyen, Jones, and Bunbury. While Jermaine Jones will be out the first couple of weeks with a sports hernia, and Lee Nguyen is slowly being eased into the lineup with a groin strain, this team should still be firing on all cylinders with a cast that is tight-knit. One of the trademarks of this team is their fiery nature and celebratory spirit. You can catch them yelling at each other one second and partaking in a robust goal celebration two minutes later. Jones certainly brought the iron to the Revolution’s defensive spine, but it has been Lee Nguyen who has been the grand orchestrator for this midfield. What will take them to the Promised Land will be the players who have shown steady flashes of brilliance, as long as they avoid the all too often dips that in the past have prevented their true ascension to greatness.
Kelyn Rowe and Diego Fagundez, along with Andrew Farrell will be the three players who will truly determine the Revolution’s success this year. We know Agudelo can produce in the MLS and we know Bunbury will be solid and serviceable on the wings. Rowe and Fagundez can make this midfield the most dangerous and dynamic in the league. Fagundez spent time with the Uruguayan U-23’s this offseason and this experience should pay out for New England in spades. The fact that Kelyn Rowe did not make the USMNT January camp is surprising to many, but it is primarily due to his inconsistency. Rowe is his own greatest strength and largest weakness. He can get frustrated to the point where he takes himself out of the game or forces errant, overly-ambitious shots and wild passes or worse, late and foolish tackles that lead to card accumulation. The midfield will be strong but the defense leaves some questions.
With the departure of AJ Soares, Andrew Farrell will slide into the middle to pair up with Jose Goncalves. Farrell’s position switch is a reason he is listed as one of the players to make or break this years path to the cup but he should be fine. In truth, this will be one of the strongest central defender pairings in the MLS, but the outside defenders do cast some questions. It will likely be Chris Tierney on the left side and either Kevin Alston or Jeremy Hall on the right. Tierney knows how to hit free kicks, but I don’t think he will be called on to do so that often. Bobby Shuttlesworth was great in goal last year, and at 27 should be their keeper for a while.
The Revs will need to be consistent this year and if they do not win the MLS cup, it will be a disappointment. Furthermore, if they don’t win 2 or 3 cups in the next 5 years, that disappointment will only be greater. They have great depth, with Kobayashi, Neumann, Caldwell, Dorman, Barnes and more, and Jay Heaps does like to make the most of his substitutes. If the injury bug does not hit, if Fagundez or Rowe or Agudelo aren’t lured away by Europe and if the team does not implode, the team will be the Eastern Conference champion with ease. While this may sound like a lot of “if’s” the Revolution is overflowing with talent. When they are overflowing with confidence they are both the most dangerous and most susceptible team in the league. Here is hoping coach Heaps can find the balance to lead this team to their first MLS cup championship in 5 tries.
It all starts on Sunday, March 8th with a marquee matchup against Seattle. Don’t be surprised if this is also the last game of the year, at MLS Cup 2015. Dynasty or bust.
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