{"id":27932,"date":"2020-07-17T11:42:16","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T15:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=27932"},"modified":"2020-07-17T11:50:08","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T15:50:08","slug":"kelyn-rowe-new-england-revolution-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2020\/07\/17\/kelyn-rowe-new-england-revolution-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelyn Rowe returns to action with New England Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Orlando, Florida \u2014 <\/strong>While the coronavirus pandemic kept players around the world off the field for weeks on end, few players at the MLS is Back Tournament experienced a wait longer than New England Revolution<\/a> midfielder Kelyn Rowe.<\/p>\n

Rowe completed his first full-game performance in more than nine months in the Revolution\u2019s 1\u20130 victory over the Montreal Impact<\/a> last Thursday. He showed few signs of rust, completing 88 percent of his passes and helping New England boss possession for most of the match.<\/p>\n

The Revolution plays D.C. United Friday night<\/a> in their second game of Group C with a chance to advance to the knockout round. Rowe says his team, which currently sits second in the group behind Toronto FC<\/a>, seeks a similarly dominant performance against D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou build on it,\u201d Rowe told Last Word on Soccer<\/em> in an interview Thursday when asked about transitioning from one game to the next. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to play the way we did [against Montreal]. We had good moments on both offense and defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first game of the year for myself and Carles Gil, so we\u2019re getting back into it. There are a lot of loose bolts to tighten, but we\u2019re going to build on the possession we had and the chances we created.\u201d<\/p>\n

No time to waste chances for Kelyn Rowe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

New England out-shot Montreal 19\u20137 and controlled the flow of the game but nearly dropped points as the Impact fought back with a flurry of late chances. Such a comeback would have been par for the course at the MLS is Back Tournament, where blown leads and second half rallies have been a hallmark of competition.<\/p>\n

In fact, D.C. United produced a similar performance when it came back from a two-goal deficit with a man-disadvantage to tie Toronto in the first group game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you can take away that their team doesn\u2019t give up,\u201d Rowe said. \u201cThey had everything against them, down 2\u20130 and down a man and they fight and claw to get back into it and tie the game. We have to play 90 minutes and not give anything away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto, last year\u2019s MLS Cup runners-up, returned to winning ways Thursday evening, beating Montreal 4\u20133 in both sides\u2019 second game.<\/p>\n

But other tournament favorites, like reigning champions Seattle Sounders FC<\/a>, defending Supporters Shield winners Los Angeles FC<\/a> and Eastern Conference juggernauts Atlanta United<\/a> and New York City FC<\/a> all remain winless.<\/p>\n

Rowe said the tournament\u2019s unpredictability is a warning for all teams to maintain their focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou watch any given game and it\u2019s kinda wide-open,\u201d Rowe said. \u201cYou don\u2019t know what will happen, and when you think you do the tables turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at a full season, and you look at the beginning of the year, a team like Seattle doesn\u2019t always do well but by playoff time they\u2019re the best team in the league. Teams don\u2019t have that luxury of a long time this time. We\u2019re going game by game and know we have to show up all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rowe: \u2018It\u2019s impossible to be fully distracted\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The MLS is Back Tournament started in the middle of a pandemic and on the heels of nationwide protests about racism and police brutality. Players have used their platform as professional athletes to raise awareness and have shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement while on the pitch.<\/p>\n

Rowe believes he and his teammates have appropriately balanced competition with responding to the challenges outside their bubble environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken a positive attitude, and the whole bubble is what you make of it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t go home and be with your family, or leave the resort, but what we have is incredible. We have entertainment, it\u2019s safe, and we get three square meals a day with some good snacks as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s impossible to be fully distracted, and I wouldn\u2019t want my teammates to be either one. You have to compartmentalize and make sure the correct things are in the correct mind. When the time comes for a game, that\u2019s the biggest importance. Whether it\u2019s a small protest in games, or a phone call to our families, we\u2019ve stayed positive and stayed in control of what we can control. As time goes on that will be harder because we\u2019ll have been away longer, but as of now we\u2019ve done a good job supporting each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>