Saturday, September 10, 2016

Revs Are Hot, Hot, Hot, Beat NYCFC 3-1




First things first...







Yes, after a near-three week hiatus, I am back. I don't know what it was, the Revs lackluster play until recently or maybe deep emotional trauma caused by my last post, that caused this unintentional break, but it happened.

Now, where were we last time I posted? Well, the most recent Revs post is about Sebastian Giovinco dropping his nuts all over our faces. After that the boys picked up a US Open Cup Semis win (more on this later), followed by two losses and two draws. They finally seemed to right the ship last week with a 2-0 win over Colorado.

In that Colorado game, head coach Jay Heaps finally experimented with his lineup, moving away from the 4-2-3-1we've seen far too much of and shifting to a 4-4-2 diamond. He's also started using Brad Knighton in net and knocking Bobby Shuttleworth out of the 18 entirely, opting instead to put new signing and USMNT goalkeeping prosper Cody Cropper on the bench. He's moved away from Teal Bunbury, aided by an injury spell to make that decision easier, and hasn't been able to use Kei Kamara the past two games due to Sierra Leone national team duties (and a slight "injury" keeping him out of this one). This has forced him to turn to a squad that's a little more creative, has some fire and chemistry, which some have said is completely off right now. There are rumors, completely unconfirmed or without any real evidence besides what we can see on the field, that Lee and Kei just can't work together. I don't know if it would be a result of clashing styles or real animosity as a result of prior matchups or what, but that's the hot topic right now.

NYCFC came in as the top team in the East, so if there would ever be an indicator as to how fluky that Colorado win was, this was it. And the Revs passed the test.

The backline of Farrell, Goncalves, Woodberry and Tierney paired with Knighton has been solid. I know Je-Vaughn Watson is really a right back, but I hope the Andrew Farrell Center Back Experiment (Trademarked) is over. He's a right back, and a damn good one. Woodberry was getting exposed as a right back when he had to fill in, and putting him between one of Goncalves/Tierney or Gonclaves/Farrell can help relieve the pressure and mask his weaknesses. Caldwell, Nguyen, Koffie and Rowe as a diamond midfield has been a revelation. You get two of your most creative guys in Lee and Kelyn in good positions to do what they do best (create) and you get them combining with each other and taking pressure off of each other. And then an absolute thunderbolt of a striking pair. Diego and Juan are like two bees just darting across the field and attacking defenders. It's beautiful to watch.

Before we get to any highlights... It's that time of year again!

Warms my heart to see the lines out there during a soccer match. Also...


Hey kid, it's the "Beautiful Game", not the "Game Where I Get To Take Home The Match Ball". Learn the etiquette one time for me.

These guys definitely enjoy TAILGATESZN. Ok, moving on.

SWAGUDELO


And then Lee...

Absolute beauty of a team goal. Rowe with the nifty moves, pulls back and puts in a nice ball across the goal box. Diego hits a perfect dummy. Lee Nguyen collects, puts on the slight dip to freeze the defense and fires home. Wonderfully worked, and exactly the kid of soccer we expected this team and their firepower to play the entire season.

Credit where credit is due...

Thats a nice looking score from NYC. All Lampy had to do was taaaappp it in. Pass splits Woodberry and Koffie as they took on the attacker charging  forward and left Lampard all alone.

Good feelings didn't last long for the City boys.

Another magnificent team goal. That through ball from Rowe to Nguyen was downright sexual. Then the cut back by Lee to find Juan. And Fagundez finishes off the long rebound with some nice footwork of this own.

And that was all she wrote. A 3-1 win over the conference leaders. Two-game win streak in the bag. It's far from the end, but it was needed. The Revs sit just one point back of Orlando for the last playoff spot in the conference but the Lions have two games in hand right now. Still, a good foundation is forming to finish the season off strong and make a playoff push.  If you want a spin zone: It looks like the Revs are coming out of their yearly summer slump right now.

Not saying this is all because Lee brought back the headband, but...
Stay Woke

Man of the Match

Swagudelo himself. Juan Agudelo is on fire right now. I don't know what it was, but I think a fire has quite literally been lit under this ass. You could see it tonight. He scored the opening goal and set the tone. He hustled his ass off. I mean you can have all the quality in the world, but the one thing everyone can possess is a high work rate. Juan put in absolute WORK tonight. 


Just one example is from Diego's goal. Watch it again, I'll wait. You see how Juan kept that going? Gets his shot knocked back and he goes right after it with no hesitation. Fights off the defender and ends up ion the ground trying his hardest to keep the ball in Revolution possession, eventually poking it to Diego. That goal doesn't happen if Agudelo doesn't hustle his ass off there. Another example of his form and mindset right now....




Brilliant turn. I mean, what else is there to say? The touch was sublime. Not only that, but the way he finds the space for the give-and-go, turns and fires a shot off. It gets blocked, but then you see him hit the ground in frustration. That's a man who cares, Even his post game comments were telling.

“Personally, it’s the most fun I’ve had all season, these past two games,” Agudelo said. “It’s how I love playing and I’m sure all the other players around me are loving it, too.”

 They're hitting a stride right now, and it's phenomenal to watch. 

 Next match is Tuesday at 10 PM down in Dallas. US Open Cup FINAL against FC Dallas. The first major trophy won by the club was the 2007 Open Cup, and the last trophy they actually have won in the 2008 North American SuperLiga, which no longer exists. Eight years without any silverware, and a golden chance to end that drought Tuesday. Barring training injuries, and depending on the status of Watson and Kamara, it should be a full team to choose form for Jay Heaps. Gut feeling is he stays with what has his squad on a two-game win streak where they outscored opponents 5-1, but then again we never really know with ole Jay. 

 Let's Rip.
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