Revs Look to DCU As Winless Streak At Nine Games
Source:revolutionsoccer.net
Matt: Mea culpa: I haven’t written as much this year as I planned. Some of it, honestly, is that I have a subconscious policy against writing negative blog posts. I’m happy to admit when things aren’t going well, and we have, but except for well-known examples in sports most players and coaches are working their hardest to perform their absolute best on the pitch. They didn’t get to where they are if they weren’t competitive people, and they know they are privileged and lucky enough to be paid well to play a game most of us played at one time or another when we were younger.
Josh: I appreciate that. We love the Revs, and will keep cheering for them from every kickoff to the final whistle. And in times like these, reflecting on the struggle can feel like kicking a team when they’re down. We can discuss the reality while also celebrating shining moments in this rough era for our Revolution.
Matt: Let’s start with the bad: Winless in nine games. Since May 31. In a game against a weakened Montréal side - Owusu didn’t play, and Vrioni earned a red card in the 37th minute. Before that, their previous win was on May 3rd against a dysfunctional Toronto team. The Revs have had their moral victories, like coming back from a 3-0 deficit to tie it 3-3, or losing to Miami in a tight contest 2-1, but recent losses to the Red Bulls (5-3) and, most recently, Montréal - a painful 3-1 spanking in Foxborough - have the fan base more than ready for big changes.
Josh: That’s the flip, right? We know there is something broken when a team as talented as the 2025 Revolution are struggling so hard. So there has to be something missing - either improve the chemistry, motivation, and teamwork that we have, or get some fresh perspective on the field or in the Managers’ box.
Matt: Both of the Revs Supporters Groups, The Midnight Riders and The Rebellion, have released statements calling for a coaching change, and one of them is calling for both the President and the Sporting Director to step down as well. I definitely understand where the sentiment is coming from, and it’s even more painful when you remember that this is a circumstance born of the Bruce Arena firing.
Josh: Coach Arena did or said something he shouldn’t have, and him stepping down should’ve helped improve the situation. However, it does not feel like the Front Office then turned around and put their energy into the best replacement option possible. We obviously don’t know the terms of contract and how much money that, perhaps, the organization still has to pay out from now two years ago, but they’re leaving the fans with so many questions and few answers. Between the interim and long term Coaching replacement, and the 2025 trades with Wooden Spoon San Jose, it seems right to question their decisions and demand answers.
Matt: Some would argue that while the FO might have put their energy into the best replacement possible, from the outside it might not have looked like a situation that some coaches were willing to step into. That, for me, is why it feels like it echoes so loudly right now. That being said, looking at the last two months of games, here’s how the numbers I’ve been tracking stand up:
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Kit | Formation | Score (NEvsOpp) |
xG | Opp xG | Goal Scorers | Scored 1st | Revs by 1/2 | NE GK Saves | G open/set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 25 | Nashville | Home | White | 3-4-1-2 | 2-3 | 1.4 | 2 | Chancalay, Ceballos |
Revs | 1, 1 | 3 | 0/2 |
| June 28 | Colorado | Home | White | 3-4-1-2 | 3-3 | 2.8 | 1.3 | OG, Gil Urruti |
Colorado | 0, 3 | 1 | 1/1 |
| July 5 | Portland | Away | White | 3-4-1-2 | 1-2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | Langoni | Portland | 1, 0 | 3 | 1/0 |
| July 9 | Miami | Home | Blue | 3-4-1-2 | 1-2 | 2.3 | 1.5 | Gil | Miami | 0, 1 | 1 | 1/0 |
| July 12 | Austin | Away | White | 3-4-1-2 | 0-0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | - | - | 0, 0 | 4 | 0/0 |
| July 16 | NYRB | Away | White | 3-4-1-2 | 3-5 | 2.3 | 3.3 | Campana x2,OG | Revs | 1, 1 | 4 | 1/1 |
| July 19 | Orlando | Home | RED | 3-4-1-2 | 1-2 | 2.4 | 1.5 | Chancalay | Orlando | 0, 2 | 4 | 1/0 |
| July 25 | Montreal | Home | Blue | 4-3-2-1 | 1-3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | Chancalay | Revs | 1, 0 | 2 | 1/0 |
It’s good to see Chancalay having a successful return to form. He’s able to take pressure off of Gil, and indeed Gil can feed him the ball rather than feel the pressure to hold it and try to create a shot. I’m also glad that Langoni got on the board once against Portland, though of course I’d like to see more of that.
On the downside, you can see that the Revs are under their xG in 7 out of 8 games, while their opponents are scoring above their xG in 7 out of those 8 games. The Revs score first in 3 of those 8 games, and there’s clearly no correlation in these games between winning and home vs away or kit color.
Josh: You and I might disagree on the root cause here. I don’t know what the MLS commentators are talking about saying Campana & Chancalay aren’t delivering. As you noted above, twelve goals in eight matches. That’s usually something clubs can celebrate.
Matt: As for Campana, I think people are expecting more from him because the Revs paid Miami $2.5 million for the transfer, and his base salary is 1.25 million, making him the third highest salary on the roster. That’s why the fans are looking for those goals. Chancalay, on the other hand, is coming back from an ACL injury. I think he’s on track to full form and one of the players on the pitch who is ALWAYS trying to play forward. But sorry…I interrupted you. Continue.
Josh: Charlotte & Chicago have 14 and 12, respectively, in that same number of matches. So the Revs are scoring on pace with the teams in the playoff race. As it turns out, yielding twenty goals during that series highlights the opportunity. And if we got an assist from the quality of kit design, we’d be singing a different song.
Matt: Overall, the most discouraging thing as a fan was to watch the Montréal game and see that the energy of the team was extremely low. I’m not saying every player every minute, but dang, was there just not a lot of gumption on the pitch that night.
Josh: I’ll pick out a couple question marks and you and the readers can decide if I’m right. Watching back the footage of the recent matches, I consistently see Langoni getting handled, and Yusuf flat-footed outside the 18-yard box. I want to be annoyed by those two, but I can’t yet, because the only two defenders who are consistently engaged are Beason and Polster (who isn’t a true defender). The struggle is real when you lose by 3-1 to a team with a (now) 4-15-6 record and a -23 goal differential.
Matt: I definitely thought Yusuf was having an off game, but who knows if it was due to a tweak or being banged up, or if the Montréal player marking him just had his number all night. As for Langoni, so far this season his highlights have been breakaway moments or assists going high that he can win the footrace. Those are my thoughts right now, anyway.
The rest of this month, starting with a home match against DC United, includes LAFC (home), Columbus (away). And Charlotte (home). I’m sure these players are working their butts off, but at this point if the New England Revolution walked away with 0 points from August, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s not that I think they can’t win points, or I don’t want them to on some misplaced sense of principle, it’s just - they haven’t shown people that they are able to do it at this point in the season.
Josh: We can hope that starting off this series with a home match, honoring the 30 years of New England Revolution soccer, featuring Golden Boot-winning & Maryland Terrapins jersey-wearing Taylor Twellman…
Matt: Yes, go Terps!
Josh: Go Terps! …and against a DCU side that is also on the struggle bus, will get some spark lit under these players, and we might break the trend. Sorry for the run-on.
Matt: So to end on what I see as a positive - Matt Turner is back in New England! (cue fireworks)
Josh: Fireworks a-plenty. Ivacic has had some great moments and worked hard, but getting his mentor back in the box can only help The Fort find its footing. We were sorry to see Turner go, but we know he’s returning with a new arsenal of gameplay and maturity, as he returns to join his friend Carles.
Matt: My take: I know the team isn’t scoring goals, and I think Ivacic has done a very good job, but having a veteran of the 2021 team and someone who has gone away, faced the challenge of not being the #1 keeper on Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, or Crystal Palace, but also had some success (read: FA cup winner) return, I’m ready for any sort of spark that the team can get right now. The fact that they haven’t brought in a striker tells me that either the front office isn’t offering someone enough, or maybe the 2025 Revs aren’t as appealing to a forward or attacking midfielder as I wish they were.
Josh: One great signing, and some confusing business deals lead to… a better last phase of the season? The trading window also included getting a 2025 International Roster Slot from Austin FC in exchange for $100,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $125,000 in 2026 GAM. And that slot was quickly given away to Vancouver for $50K 2025 GAM, so they could bring on a Bayern Munich legend?
Matt: According to posts on social, the Revs had acquired an international slot from Vancouver in April and they were fulfilling an agreement to return said slot during the summer window.
Josh: Ah, see, I definitely don’t know everything. Arguably most things. And in these conversations, we can see at least two other front offices are playing the long game. Maybe our Revs can learn from these negotiations.
Matt: No worries, you hold your own. To finish out with something to anticipate this weekend - DC United and the New England Revolution are playing at the same level. The Revs have won only two more matches than DC this season, and DC United is only slightly more dependent on set pieces for goals than the Revs. I hope this doesn’t mean that this will be a match of constant fouls, but both teams are probably not trying to avoid the dark arts, or “go high,” at this point in their seasons.
Josh: DC is known for their volume of penalties & cards. If they’re also playing to stay off the bottom, it’s going to be rough. I hope the Ref is ready to run a tight match sooner than they often do.
Matt: Hopefully a lot tighter than that last Montréal game. That ref lost the thread no more than thirty minutes in. So…not to twist the knife, but more and more people are saying that the Revs are out of contention for the playoffs. It’s numerically possible for them to make the playoffs, but being 10 points out when there are only 10 matches left is a heavy lift. And that, given there have been no changes other than Matt Turner, make it clear to me that the front office has likely classified this season as a lost season. Maybe in the weeks after the final game against Chicago on October 18th, we will finally see some changes that can give all but the most ardent fans some hope.
Josh: That’s a rough reality check. The Revs are firmly in the middle, separated from the bottom tier by more than one win, but the upcoming schedule, and the lack of shakeup midseason leads me to think you’re right. Having supported teams on the bottom before, sometimes that last 8 weeks of the season is when players show they deserve to keep their paychecks, and that can at least give the fans something to cheer for.
Matt: I’ll be there against DC, and would love to see a reenergized Revs team disassemble the United. (see what I did there?) Go Revs, Bring the Fight! Protect the Fort! Spill the Tea!
| Category | Matt | Josh | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 5 | 6 | 5.5 |
| Midfield | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Defense | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| GK | 7.5 | 6 | 6.75 |
| Strategy/Coaching | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Team Composure | 5 | 4 | 4.5 |
Average Score on the Revs Slyde-ing Scale: 5.46/10 - Not Looking Good At The Moments, But...There's A Chance. I'm Telling You There's A Chance
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