FOXBOROUGH — New England’s 1-nil defeat to FC Dallas on Saturday night is in the rearview mirror as the Revs took the training pitch for the first time this week on Tuesday morning (Monday’s deluge canceled training) in preparation for Saturday night’s matchup in the Buckeye State.
The Revolution take on the Columbus Crew – New England manager Brad Friedel’s original Major League Soccer club when the league kicked off in 1996 – at MAPFRE Stadium.
But Friedel did take some time to discuss the loss to Dallas with the media.
“After watching the game, especially the second half against Dallas, we played pretty well and we out-shot them by five in the second half; overall in the game, we had 63 percent of the ball,” he said. “We had numerous chances, and some of the chances, after I watched them again, were even better than I thought they were when we were watching the game. FC Dallas was resolute, they’re a good team, they haven’t been beaten yet, but I did think we were worthy of winning the game.
"On the penalty decision, it was a penalty; we’re going to get some of those, and (sometimes) we’re not. Everybody makes mistakes in that manner, and I know (former England football official; now in charge of PRO’s VAR system) Howard Webb very, very well, and he’s a very, very good referee and very good at his job. I know he’ll get to grips with all the VAR as we go forward.
“I’m a lot more pleased with what I saw after I watched the game many times, and take the emotion out of it, and we’re going to have an exciting one against Columbus.”
“We have to move on from (Saturday)” Revs defensive midfielder Scott Caldwell said. “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we work on it this week and we really focus on Columbus.”
Caldwell also acknowledged a couple of gaffes he made in the 16th and 26th minutes, which subsequently put goalkeeper Matt Turner in a spot of bother immediately after.
“My awareness wasn’t as good as it needs to be. I need to be on the half-turn, be able to switch the ball quicker. And another thing, foul. Don’t let that create into an attack. Once they win the ball, foul,” he said.
Friedel, who made 45 appearances for Columbus in '96 and '97, acknowledged the Crew’s weaponry, particularly former Los Angeles Galaxy striker Gyasi Zardes and Argentine midfielder Federico Higuain.
“They’re good, they’re very good; they send their fullbacks high, which we do as well, so it’s two teams who like to attack,” Friedel said. “You have to be very disciplined in the way you defend against them, and then try to expose their weaknesses. They don’t have many weaknesses, but nor do we. It’ll be, again, an entertaining encounter.”
When asked how to slow Zardes, Friedel said, “I think it’s very important that your line and your communication that you have in your defensive block is very solid. You try to limit the space that they can play into; they do play the ball over the top. You have to have your right distances between your back line and your goalkeeper. There’s ways to contain everybody, but Gyasi is a very, very good player. He’s a powerful runner, and he was a very good addition to their team.
“They have a distinct style of play, and the word entertaining is going to come to mind. We like to get the ball down and play; they like to get the ball down and play. We both like the physical side of the game, and we also like the technical quality. So we’re going to their stadium – my old club, as well – and it will be nice to go there and coach against them. I think it will be a fun evening for everyone to watch.”
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