A week after rising to .500 on the season, there were a few questions to be answered. Could Maroon make it three wins in a row? Would there even be enough players to compete on the basketball court? Would anyone even be paying attention to the game with the NBA Draft happening at the same time?
Down a few bodies and with 7 total players there, Maroon was lacking in numbers but not in talent and grit. Jordan and Jake were there, which is really all we need in terms of scoring. Emmett was there and then left at halftime to go to New York(??), dropping the number to 6. And we brought in a ringer in the form of Jordan's other friend who can also dunk. At this point I'm positive we have the most dunkers in the entire league, maybe more than the other teams combined.
Anyway, this will be quick since we really controlled the game right from the get go.
Actually Good
Jake. He is a good player at roundball. Can get buckets form literally anywhere on the court.
Actually Bad
Our attention span. Constant checking in with the sideline for draft updates. Not great but thankfully this is the only time it will happen.
Actually Good
Jordan. He's capable of taking over the game at any moment and had no less than 6 steals that he turned into easy layups. It helped that the other team telegraphed their passes like they were modern-day Samuel Morse, of Morse Code fame.
Actually Bad
Jake. For getting hurt. Collided with another player and got a deep gash on his eyebrow that'll need stitches. Not only that but he's likely concussed, not great news since we're playing them team who blew us out in Week 2.
Actually Good
Role players stepping up. With the depleted lineup, Chris A., Tyler and myself put in longer shifts than usual and contributed nicely, especially Chris who had a few important buckets.
Actually Bad
The awkwardness of staring at the floor as the other team (all black guys) accused the two old white refs of being racists and stopping the game for a few minutes to do so.
Double digit win means Maroon goes above .500 for the first time and are now riding high on a 3-game win streak. Next game is the first of Camp Season, meaning four (soon to be five) of us will be very tired heading into the game. Not ideal, but we will fight through it, that's a promise folks.
I knew coming in this would be a tougher test than the win in Fortress Foxboro, and boy was I correct. Add in the fact Toronto had Jozy Altidore back while we went with a weaker lineup with the Open Cup in the middle of next week and a league match the following Sunday (and then another game in the middle of the NEXT week).
London Woodberry got the start at right back with Andrew Farrell moving over to left back, Je-Vaughn Watson was next to Gershon Koffie in the midfield, while Juan Agudelo got his first start up top since May 6 with Kei Kamara starting on the bench.
Toronto got on the board first through Drew Moor...
Watson... What in the blue hell are you doing? Really, what was that? You're embarrassing us out there man!
Since I was mean but correct there I will now say a nice thing. One thing I did like was then looking for Delamea on corners. When my strongest Slovenian son is on a hot streak, you ride it.
As has been the case with his team for a few games now, they started slow and picked it up as the first half went on. This is, in fact, not the best strategy. I know, I am also shocked at this revelation. The Revs had a few chances as the first half began to wane, but the final touch wasn't there.
They came out a lot better in the second half, though still down a goal. So what did Jay Heaps do? Get that BUM Je-Vaughn Watson out and put Kei Kamara in. The Juan/Kei/Lee trifecta was looking good for a bit before Juan was injured, so I'm hopeful they can pick up where they left off and, assuming none of them get injured, carry the Revs through the rest of the season. But back to the game.
Lee Nguyen made a fantastic goal-line clearance on a Sebastian Giovinco free kick that was surely going to go in had Nguyen's head not bounced it off the crossbar.
A sidenote, I am continually amazed at Diego's ball control. It's quite literally glued to his feet.
As much as I lambast London Woodberry, often deserved, he had a very nice play in shutting down Giovinco on a break and holding him up until Anguoa arrived to help. Not talking about any old ball player, we're talking about Giovinco here.
Now I could go into detail about every chance the Revs had in the second half to equalize, but it's easier to just say that Juan/Kei/Lee/Kei/Teal was INCHES away. For most good teams, the outlier game is when these chances don't break their way. In the case of the Revs, it's an outlier game WHEN they go our way. I am very close to declaring Kei Kamara a BUM, because when London puts in a good cross and you have a wide open chance, you NEED to put it away, especially with his salary and pedigree. This goddamn team...
To make matters worse, my strongest Slovenian son Antonio Delamea collided with Koffie and ended up having to be stretchered off. He's obviously though as nails so I am hoping it's nothing too serious, maybe just a busted nose that a mask could cover. Avoiding a concussion or broken bones around the face is paramount.
And as the icing on the cake, we got vintage Giovinco at the end of stoppage time...
Man of the Match
No one. Look, you could maybe make a case for a few guys, but for me, no one really stood out enough and we didn't take any points. Just thought it was a poor overall performance.
Our finishing needs so much work. We need a left back prospect up with the first team. If we trot out Andrew Farrell or Kelyn Rowe out of position to play there out of necessity one more time my head will explode. We didn't address AJ Soares leaving for 3 years, I'd like to address Tierney's replacement now so it can be a seamless transition, even though seamless is for sure not what this team does.
Next game is the Open Cup on Wednesday hosting DC United at Harvard with a 730 pm kick off. Definitely expecting another B-squad type of lineup in that one, so buckle in for that rollercoaster.
Writing the Quavo blog got me to thinking, what's the best starting five you can put together made up entirely of rappers? Now, we've seen some in NBA Celebrity games, charity games and on social media. Some played when they were younger. So there's a good amount of tape to put a squad together.
PG: Quavo
Quavo apparently doesn't have an agreed upon height, I've seen 5'10 and I've seen 6'1". Both are good for a point guard. As you can see in the video above, he seems to have good court vision and passing prowess, perfect for this team. He has a bit of an unorthodox shooting motion but it works for him. He's also a lefty, which may not matter but it's an intangible I like.
SG: RiFF RAFF
RiFF is 6'2", which isn't bad given he's, you know, not an actual NBA player (though he's said more than once he thinks he could have gone pro if he put his effort into that instead of music). As you can see from the video, he's got a sweet shooting stroke and can lock in from deep. He's got a bit of range on that jumper to. I view him as almost a Kyle Korver type. Don't expect him to drive the lane too much, but he'll pull the trigger from beyond the arc, whether off the dribble or getting a pass from Quavo. RiFF RAFF is the 3-point specialist of the team.
SF: Lil' Dicky
Dicky is only 5'11", but the man has game for days. I think he's a good choice for a small forward, mainly because he can drive. While RiFF is a pure shooter, Dicky has the extra facets to his game. He has handles, can drive and has a soft touch when finishing around the rim. Add in the fact he's wet from anywhere on the floor, and opponents will have to respect that range which opens up the lane a bit, and you have a very good fit for this team. Dicky slashing with Quavo feeding him will be amazing.
PF: The Game
I LOVE The Game's game. I view him as a sort of Draymond Lite. He's 6'4" but has muscles on top of muscles and you know he isn't afraid to bang down low and fight for rebounds. I think that when it really comes down to it, he'd be a pretty gritty player. Based on the video above, you can tell he likes playing close to the basket, but he does have some three point range, which is good for this team since it'll be a bit of a Brad Stevens, 5-out offense. Whereas Quavo is more relaxed, and Dicky and RiFF are more humorous, Game brings the toughness and tenacity to the squad.
C: 2 Chainz
Standing 6'5" and lanky as all hell, 2 Chainz will start at center for this team. He clearly fears no one considering he posted up KG in the first video. Also, he's maybe the tallest rapper I know of, which helps his case immensely. He played so well in high school that he got a scholarship but left after one year to do the whole music thing. As I have previously stated, we are running an offense that requires spacing, and I think Tity Boi brings that to the table.
6th Man: Chris Brown
Chris Brown has maybe more footage and highlight reels than some actual NBA and college prospects. The dude LOVES playing ball. He's 6'1", meaning that not his team he can fill in at either guard, and probably small forward as well. So why is he on the bench instead of starting? Well, you'll be shocked to hear that I think Breezy isn't exactly a team player. I think Quavo is a better fit as a starter since he's more a traditional point guard and likes to actually dish the rock. Brown is easily the first guy I bring off the bench if we need a scoring burst though. He's almost like a Lou Williams but in a Jamal Crawford role. He's gonna get buckets, but will do better when he starts on the bench.
Rest of the Bench: Snoop Dogg, Cam'Ron, J.Cole
Snoop Dogg is our grizzled veteran who brings the experience to the locker room. A guy who can take the younger guys like Quavo under his wing. Think of him a something of a PJ Brown on the 2008 Celtics. He can still give meaningful minutes if needed and won't be a huge cap hit, plus he brings some more length to the team at 6'4" and lanky, which is desperately needed since we are a short squad.
In his prime, Cam was arguably the best out of the entire team. He claims he was ranked in the top 25 players for his high school class (the validity of this claim is disputed). If you have time, I suggest reading this SLAM article on his basketball playing days. Fascinating stuff. Like Snoop, he'd be an older guy on the squad.
J. Cole has seemingly built an entire music persona out of the basketball narrative. Much like Michael Jordan, Cole was also cut from his high school team, but did play two years of varsity ball. He was also a contender to walk on to the team at St. John's but was cut. This article gives a good look into his basketball career. Then there's his dunk in the NBA Celebrity Game:
I think he'd be one of those guys that may not be the most talented, but still good enough, and a guy who just brings all the heart, hustle and desire in the world. He's also 6'3", which makes him a candidate to play as either a bigger small forward or a smaller power forward.
Quavious Marshall, better known as Quavo and one third of the hip-hop trio Migos, is a man of many hats. The 26-year-old is obviously a breakout star in the rap game.
Now, you could say it isn't great that he likes to sneak off and do features without Offset and Takeoff, but that's not what we're talking about here. Frankly, I only brought that up because it's maybe my favorite thing ever on Twitter.
And then this brief mention in the Augusta Chronicle: "...quarterback Quavious Marshall threw for 280 yards, 188 in the second half, including two TD passes."
The man can do it all. Music? Check. Fashion? Check. Trendsetter? Dab. Athlete? Check.
With all this information, I am inclined to say that yes, Quavious Quavo Marshall is, in fact, the most talented person of the generation.
After a convincing 3-0 win over Rochester Rhinos midweek in the US Open Cup, the Revs were back at Gillette in MLS action and taking on Chicago Fire, who came into the matchup sitting in 2nd place with 28 points, just one back of Toronto.
Chicago has been a team who, prior to this outburst in 2017, have always been towards the bottom of the league in recent years. A team others would see coming up on the schedule and be confident about a good result. Now to some extent that sentiment remains solely for the fact that they are, indeed, Chicago Fire and sometimes stigmas are hard to shake, kind of like the Revs choking in big games. So while they are a team that should undoubtedly be taken seriously, in the back the minds of the rest of the league and fans, in places you don't talk about at parties (mainly because if you talk about MLS at parties you'll look like a nerd and no one will want to be around you, this is from personal experience), you assume that Chicago will still bungle this.
The lineup remained what has become the de facto and preferred starting XI.
— NewEnglandRevolution (@NERevolution) June 17, 2017
You can make the case that Kouassi instead of Koffie in the midfield and maybe Agudelo for Kei or Caldwell would make the actual preferred XI, but for right now, this is the best XI we can put out there.
On the Revs side, the first half was marked by good buildup followed by dud after dud int he final third. That last pass just was not there. One of those games where everything looks good right up until its time to finish, much like a date or a final exam.
On the Fire side, all the talk coming in was about German international legend, Bastian Schweinsteger, and with good reason. The former Bayern Munich man has been a stud in the midfield in his inaugural season stateside. He's looking like one of the highly touted singings that DON'T flop (see: Villa, David for one example).
But the man the Revs really needed to worry about was Nemanja Nikolic.
The Serbian-born, Hungarian international has been white-hot this season, bagging 12 goals heading into this match in his rookie season after transferring from Legia Warsaw in the Polish first division. Sometimes as a striker you need a bit of luck, and not hat goal Nikolic had all the luck in the world. Not to take away from his ability, because he has that in spades, but luck can be just as important.
Juan Agudelo came on for Caldwell to start the second half, and despite some more good looks with he extra attacking presence, it took away from the defense.
Anguoa basically gets forced to play the ball in the air and that leaves Solignac open for a close range strike.A defensive breakdown that suddenly changes the entire complexion of the game.
And you know what? We didn't see the Revs fold like a wet paper bag. Antonio Delamea put home what can only be described as a gritty goal.
Agudelo keeping it alive and Delamea clangin' and bangin' to get a head on it.
Teal Bunbury and Lee Nguyen both missed golden opportunities late in the game. And then in the 89th minute, off of a corner there were three shots and three blocks. Possible handball, but great defending overall from Chicago at the end, and on a set piece to. And the final chance from the Revs, at the death, after a phenomenal touch from Lee Nguyen, Gershon Koffie just puts one over the crossbar.
And that was it. Chicago takes all the points and ends the Revs 11-game unbeaten streak at home, dating back to August 2016.
I was again highly impressed by the play of Diego Fagundez. You can tell he has so much confidence in his game right now, and despite not being a 20-goal scorer right now, he's such a dangerous threat with or without the ball.
I was also impressed by Delamea once again. I love this guy. Tough as nails. It's been a big Delamea week. He got a call up with the Slovenian national team and played all 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Malta, apparently learned how to play goalie...
And has now bagged his first MLS goal. All while being the best defender on the team. I was also going to comment on how it may be problematic that the goalie and two central defenders do not share a first language, but I had forgotten how good Delamea's English is. Like it's really good for someone who just moved to the United States. The MLS website even went as far as to say he's proficient in English, which is great when it comes to his communication with Cody Cropper. Benjamin Anguoa on the other hand knows little English and speaks French as a first language. Delamea knows a little French apparently, but building silent chemistry between the three will be the quickest way to bypass the language barrier back there.
Man of the Match
I don't know what to put for Toni's music so here is some Slovenian rap.
Another good game from Toni. As much as Diego did tonight, the goal really helps push Toni over the edge. Especially at the end of the match, the guy was all over the place. He'd be back on defense and race up to play offense, was flying around on corner kicks and the last free kick. He's a special one. He could have done better on the opening goal, but to be honest I also thought that ball would not bound directly back to Nikolic with an open net.
Next up is a rare Friday match as the Revs head to the 6 (remember when Drake tried to make that a thing?) to take on Toronto FC. Toronto will be back to full strength, so it'll be a much tougher test than the last time these two played.
A week removed from a nail-biting, high-scoring victory to move to 1-2 on the season, Maroon was back at it looking to make it two straight and improve to .500 on the season. It was a full squad for the first time ever in its current incarnation, as Chris was back and in the starting lineup, while "Lonzo" Brian (he has maybe a weirder jump shot than even the real Lonzo Ball) also made his return and started on the bench.
I'm going to test out a new system for these wrap ups, bear with me on this.
Actually Good
We felt we had good momentum coming into this game after a really nice win last week. Sometimes the mental game is just as important as the physical one, and we had the edge not he mental aspect from the second we got to the gym.
Actually Bad
Chris had just come from work, so he didn't have his won athletic shorts, nor any of his favorite shoes. He had these LeBron's he said were free and just in his car. You could instantly tell how uncomfortable he really was in these kicks. He was having trouble getting up for dunks and was missing a few, in game and during warmups, he would normally flush like a brand new toilet after Thanksgiving.
Actually Good
New Guy Jake performed really well last week, and as the newest full-time member of the squad, he outperformed that this time around. I don't know the exact numbers, but I'm willing to bet he went 10-11 from 3, including pulling up from damn near half court and SINKING one in the first half. A few breakaway dunks to, just for good measure. I think he had over half our points, probably like 52? He was, in fact, actually good and not bad.
Actually Bad
Our defensive communication is not there at all. We need to really work on that moving forward. Too many times this season lack of talk on the floor has led to easy buckets for the opponent. That and the lack of rebounding.
Actually Good
We were playing a team with one ringer who was their best player, and not even he played that well.
Actually Bad
To go off the last Actually Bad, our offense is basically try to run and gun on the fast break, and when we can't the ball goes to one of Chris, Jake or Jordan (or Emmett when he's on the floor) and they play 1 v. 5, basically. Some semblance of ball movement would be good to get them easier shots. There was actually a really good sequence where Jake had the ball and no dribble near the corner, I cut towards him and get the ball, he moves into a corner 3 spot and I shovel pass it to him and then set a screen on his man so he can pull up right away and drill it. Stuff like that, simple passing and building chemistry on the floor, will put us over the edge.
Actually Good
Jordan continues to be the best and most consistent player on the team. He's a guaranteed 20 to 25 points minimum every time. While Jake can certainly go off, he might not be dropping 50 points weekly. With Jordan, you have an EXTREMELY high floor to compliment the high ceilings of Chris and Jake.
A 92-69 (nice) win to go to 2-2. We have 2 players (Jake and Jordan) I would call World Class, one in Chris I would put just below them, and then another in Emmett I would say is on Chris' level or just below him. In the end, they're all A to A+ players, which is scary. You get those four on the floor together with a rebounder or defender and there are just too many options for the opponent to take away. Focus on Jordan? Jake will rain threes on you. Focus on Jake? Chris will use his strength to drive through the lane, body you, give you a noogie, and dunk on your corpse. Focus on Chris? Emmett will put you in a spin cycle and either find a cutter or finish at the rim. And focus on Emmett? Jordan will look like a left-handed Kyrie and hit a jumper in your face or kiss the glass with maybe the softest touch around the rim I have ever seen live. And we don't even have Evantz back yet, who I know from personal experience can get white hot beyond the arc.
Next game will also be the first day of camp orientation. Hopefully we won't be too tired form camp days moving ahead, but we'll criss that bridge when we get there.
Spotify users such as myself anticipate the end of every week not just because it means the weekend is here, but because of the services' "New Music Friday" playlist. You get the best drops of the week and anything else that comes out on Friday in one place for you to judge and add to your various collections and playlists as you like.
But Taylor Swift adding her collection back to Spotify, and other streaming services, over the weekend is bigger than any new releases.
I've long been a Taylor Swift guy. Frankly, I believe that if you're a guy who can't admit she puts out heaters, you're wildly insecure and overcompensating for something. They guys who go, "What? Taylor Swift? That's gay bro! That's chick shit dude!" Shut up and listen to her make those guitar strings hum and her voice take you to a happier place you meathead.
Now we know she has a vast library and bangers upon bangers, so which ones reign supreme? Glad you asked.
Honorable Mentions: Blank Space, Love Story, Red, Mean, Wildest Dreams, Thug Story feat. T-Pain
10. Shake It Off-1989
The lead single from 1989, Shake It Off was EVERYWHERE. And with good reason. As is the case with any T-Swift jam, it's catchy as all hell. Shake It Off has an upbeat tempo, and that video is entertaining for the weirdest reasons.
9. All You Had To Do Was Stay-1989
A sneaky entry. I might have you top in arms over this being part of the list over some classics, but this is such a good song. That chorus especially is phenomenal.
8. I Knew You Were Trouble-Red
I still remember when this song dropped. I looked at Twitter and everyone basically had the same reaction: "Is this Taylor Swift on an EDM song? Is she singing over dubstep? What is happening?" I Knew You Were Trouble was her first major departure from country and country-pop, and it was a smashing success.
7. You Belong With Me-Fearless
The music video for this song is as iconic as they come. It's been replicated in the likes of Family Guy, viewed over 720 million times on YouTube and firmly established early-Tay as a Girl Next Door type that just wanted to be noticed. You had my attention, Taylor. Then, now, forever.
6. Our Song-Taylor Swift
I guess having a song is a thing couples do (please factcheck this), so Taylor Swift literally made a song called Our Song. Genius. It almost depicts a Romeo and Juliet type of relationship, where two lovers are sneaking out and talking late on the phone and all that. Possibly problematic, but fire nonetheless.
5. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together-Red
Break up songs are where Taylor Swift makes her bread. She might get into relationships just so she can catch feelings and be left heartbroken, knowing she's about to secure the bag. We are never ever ever, getting back together! You know you wanna sing along.
4. Bad Blood Remix feat. Kendrick Lamar-1989
Specifically has to be the Kendrick remix. These two on the same song, good lord have mercy. Kendrick, in my opinion, actually goes to work on this song AND sticks to a Taylor "Salty And Thowing Shade" blueprint.
3. 22-Red
People wait their whole lives now to turn 22 JUST because of this song. And I can see why. Just yelling "HEY! I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22!" is a boatload of fun.
2. Style-1989
My absolute favorite song on 1989, which is my favorite Swift album. The intro guitar, the pace of it, her voice, everything about this is perfect. It would be #1 if it wasn't for...
1. Mine-Speak Now
THIS is true perfection. The chorus is my favorite T-Swift chorus of all time. The beat is great as well, but that chorus (in combination with the beat) makes this song a complete fire flames track. If this isn;t your favorite Taylor Swift song, you are, in fact, wrong and not right.
PS-It pained me to leave Blank Space off, but I couldn't bring myself to make this a top 11. Top 11's are ugly and I will never make them unless it's something like a Best 11 in soccer. That's a promise.
I've long been an Olivier Giroud fan. I think he gets so much stick from Arsenal, French and general fans to the point its overkill. He's a good striker but tends to biff some easy chances, I won't deny that. But then he'll win you back over with a strike like this, or the Scorpion Kick...
I think Arsenal should be in for a top-rate striker this summer which would mean Giroud remains a super-sub, but that may be his best role at this point in his career and how Arsenal will line up next season. But he bangs in a good amount goals no matter what every season, and thats so valuable.
Last thing, what makes the goal even better are the reactions of the goalie and Antoine Griezmann.
Goalie just falls over like he got shot, and then Grizi calling for a cross while Oli plays up a ball to himself, before use putting his hands behind his head in disbelief as the ball swerves into the back of the net. Perfect.
After a bye-week, which I did not know was a real thing in men's league basketball at a JCC in Greater Boston, the Maroon Team was back in action and facing off against the same team we scrimmaged a month ago. Having prior knowledge of a team in this league makes a world of difference, obviously. They had some sharpshooters and a point guard who loved to drive right. They were also missing a few guys, I think, including this one deceptive kid who looked like he shouldn't know how to shoot a ball, let alone make it rain from beyond the arc.
Maroon were also missing a key player in Chris 2. We did however find a replacement in a friend of maybe our best player, and that kid absolutely went off. Immediately the chemistry was better just because of their connection, and that paid dividends on both ends of the floor. Not to say we're good defensively yet, but we definitely hustled and communicated a lot better this week. I think we still are yet to hold a team under 85 points in three official games.
Now I was saying before tip-off that the most dangerous team is one with nothing left to lose. And Maroon, well we couldn't get much worse. Two games in a row we lost, and basically got run out of the gym by teams we probably should have beaten. Not good. Well what do you know, I was right. Maroon is on the board. We left it all out there. Not a perfect game by any stretch, but a huge improvement. We finally scored more points than the opponents, folks. And we also happened to put up more than 70 for the first time. 97 points, it was WILD seeing our game score and then walking past the 2nd Division game on the way out and seeing a 47-36 game with 4 minutes left. Let us play those teams so we can put up 150.
Now I know what you're all wondering: How did your boy do? Not to brag but I dropped a great Delly statline. 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, at least 25 hustle points, good defense, a lot of heart and desire, brought my lunchpail and hardhat. GRIT.
Maroon is on the board. Next week we will likely have Chris 2 back, and this new kid will apparently be joining the squad as well. Things are trending up for us, DO NOT LET US GET HOT.
While the Revs have yet to win a game on the road this season, they've yet to lose one at Gillette Stadium. Sure, Toronto was missing Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley when they travelled down from Canada, but a win against the league's best team is still a win against the league's best team.
After getting back to the friendly confines following a few days in the New York/New Jersey trash pit area, the Revs were back to what is essentially a first-choice lineup, even after many were playing just Wednesday. Coming in, I was worried that fatigued would set in, and that could spell certain doom when facing Sebastian Giovinco. Cody Cropper was back in net, Tierney-Delamea-Angoua-Farrell manned the backline, Gershon Koffie (more on him later) got the start in the midfield with Scott Caldwell, Kelyn Rowe and Diego Fagundez, and Kei Kamara paired with Lee Nguyen in the attack.
Benjamin Angoua opened his MLS goal account with a header off of a corner kick.
It looked like Lee was trying to find Delamea on a run towards the middle of the box, but Angoua literally stood still and lost his marker, so wither Delamea lettuce ball go or he just didn't jump for it, but it fell in the perfect spot for Benji to rise up and put a powerful header in the back of the net.
Phenomenal run by Juan, perfect through ball from Lee, the pass over to Deigo, and then post, post, Colombian head, back of the net. Just how they drew it up.
There were two Revs goals called back for offside, here's one...
— NewEnglandRevolution (@NERevolution) June 4, 2017
Just blatantly onside. Sad! Jail time for the referees!
And we wasted a few chances just trying to do too much in the box and holding the ball rather than putting a shot on net and looking for a rebound. It really could have been a goal-fest, because between our missed chances and the couple of shots Toronto put off the post it could have been something like a 6-3 game.
In the end, a 3-0 win is just as good, especially since clean sheets can pay massive dividends when it comes to tie breakers with goal differential.
I was surprised at how quiet Giovinco was in this one to. I don't watch enough Toronto FC matches to know if he really needs Jozy and Bradley in order to thrive, but he's easily one of the best, most dynamic and most exciting players in MLS and the Revs held him in check all night. Delamea and Angoua were solid defensively stopping him, and Caldwell and Koffie in the midfield were superb in slowing him down even before he got to the backline.
Like I said earlier, more on Koffie: re-signing him is making Mike Burns look like a goddamn genius. He's familiar with the team and the league, is a quality player who only adds to our depth and talent in the middle, and he can now step in and make a huge impact as a starter again with news that Xavier Kouassi will miss 4 to 6 weeks with a hamstring problem picked up just before his game-tying goal against NYCFC on Wednesday. It sucks because Kouassi has been rock solid this year and has shown us why he was a DP signing that was hyped up by the front office. Without another general like Koffie, I think we'd be feeling the loss of Kouassi a lot harder than we are or will.
Man of the Match
Diego Fagundez was by far our most dangerous offensive player this year and last night, bagging a goal, basically assisting Agudelos, and being a threat all night. Go Diego Go! indeed.
Revs 3-0 Toronto. SORREY!
Next up is the Open Cup against Rochester Rhinos (where we have loaned players before) on the 14th. June 17 is the next league game, at home against Chicago Fire. It should be noted that going forward, 4 of the next 6 league games will be at home, where we do not lose.
One last thing before I end this one, shoutout to Juan Agudelo and especially Kelyn Rowe for being named to the USMNT 40-man roster for the Gold Cup. Not sure if wither will make the final roster, but it's nice for them to be recognized fro having great seasons, especially Rowe. This is really his first look from US Soccer, and he deserves it. It's disappointing that Fagundez is cap-tied to Uruguay now, since he could do wonders for the US and is amazing form right now. Uruguay just dent seem keen on using him going forward, which is sad because he's a really good player. I was surprised not to see Lee in the US roster either. But I guess it doesn't hurt to have him be well-rested as we near the dreaded and expected summer slump.
Anyway, that got off the rails for a second. Good W. Cue the music!
