The New England Revolution are the hottest team in the league. They have won six in a row and haven’t lost a match in 68 days. On Wednesday, the Revs took down then-Eastern Conference leader New York Red Bulls 2-1 on goals by Diego Fagundez and Kelyn Rowe. They also won without having Jermaine Jones or Chris Tierney in the lineup. While the Red Bulls do have two games in hand, the Revolution are now first in the Eastern Conference, and only two points behind being in the Supporters Shield lead.
There is a myriad of reasons for the Revs’ current run of form, but the main two reasons are their most influential players peaking at the right time, and the optimization of Coach Jay Heaps formation. This combination makes New England the most lethal team in the league at the moment.
Diego Fagundez has scored in each of the past four games. Kelyn Rowe has scored a goal in each of his last two games. Lee Nguyen has five assists and three goals in the past 9 games. While these are just numbers, the team as a whole is brimming with confidence. They are taking on players, making passes, taking shots and making plays they wouldn’t normally attempt if things weren’t going so much so in their favor. When you are winning and playing well, the actions you may have held on prior now seem easily achievable. And now that the Rev’s are starting to fulfill the vision of Coach Heaps formation, the sky is truly the limit.
Much of this has been covered over the course of the season, but the Revs play a 4-5-1 and rely heavily on the midfield to play dynamically both ways. However, it is the fluid nature of their formation that makes it so effective. What we are seeing now is the new triangle formation. Players switch out of their natural positions according to the location of the ball on the field, and spacing is kept exact and regimented so defensively coverage is always set, and offensively each player is coiled and ready to attack.
It is this reason pundits argue that the Revolution’s offense is rooted in a counterattacking philosophy. That is misleading and shortsighted though. Much like in basketball’s version of a triangle offense, every pass and cut serves a purpose. In the offensive third possession the Revolution end up playing a series of two-man games, where each pass serves to set up the next opportunity for a decisive run, through-pass, cross or give and go. Defensively passing lanes are narrowed, men in possession of the ball are kept in check and defenders always know they have coverage if a player gets by them. The Revolution are ostensibly playing as one shape that constantly flexes but never loses its form.
We saw all of this in action against the Red Bulls. Whoever made the highest run, be it Agudelo, Nguyen or Rowe stayed up to become the striker and pressured the defense. The players next highest than fall back to a defensive midfield role. If a defender such as Woodberry stepped up to take on a player or make a run, Kelyn Rowe dropped back to take Woodberry’s spot at defense. When possession was switched, the series of triangles throughout the field quick allowed movement of the ball and created opportunities for long passes that triggered scoring opportunities.
The result of the form and formation means greater distribution of scoring. 5 players on the team have at least 5 goals. 5 other players have at least 5 assists. Teams can’t focus on just one player like Nguyen or Fagundez because Rowe, Davies or another will be open to score. Combine this with New England’s deep bench means a player like Teal Bunbury can play only 10 minutes in a game in order to keep legs fresh and allow Kelyn Rowe or Juan Agudelo to start.
The season isn’t quite over, with a handful of games remaining in the regular season, but often success in the playoffs is a result over who is in the best form down the stretch as the season winds down. We saw this when DC United lost in the first round of the playoffs after winning the supporters shield for best regular season record. The Revolution are winning because of their adherence to their formation and their confidence from their solid form allows the team to take greater chances than they ever have. The nucleus of the team has not changed which means they are a team that feels connected to one another and acts as one cohesive unit. As long as the team stays united, stays hot and plays the formation the way it is meant to, another trip to the MLS cup is certainly within reach.
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