FOXBOROUGH — Well, the 2018 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs begin Wednesday evening — New York City FC hosts Philadelphia at 7 p.m., while FC Dallas hosts Portland at 9:30 p.m. — and the Revolution, like we need we remind you, are not a participant for the third year running.
A team in the hunt for a playoff spot through the month of June, the Revolution’s whirlwind collapse in the summer of 2018 centered around the roster’s mentality, especially when it came to the club’s second-half performances in matches. Mentality was the preferred buzzword utilized by first-year manager Brad Friedel in a majority of his news conferences from July 14 until this past Sunday, and we’re sure it will be a talking point in 2019 when speaking in comparison of the 2018 edition of The Boys In Blue.
On Sunday night, Friedel addressed what the players, who will return to Route 1 in ’19, need to do in order to get their mentality in order. He had noted the returners will know the fitness levels expected of them coming into late January training camp, before they move into tactics.
Then, it’ll get into the little things — and trying to circumvent those same things from occurring, or at the very least, limiting those things from occurring, like they did with such frequency this past summer and fall.
“In soccer, you never know what’s going to happen in games,” Friedel said. “The LA Galaxy at home (a 3-2 defeat on July 14), we had a man sent off and then we lost the game. We were the better team. We came unstuck on two silly happenings (in second-half stoppage time). Those are the kind of situations, that’s a mentality situation right there on who can see the games out and who can’t.
“Every team in the world is looking for the players who can see those moments out, and we want to find a consistency amongst the wins and the draws as we go through the course of the season. We did a very good up to a certain point of never losing two in a row, and that’s something we’ll keep preaching to the players: when you get tired, how do you react? When you’re taking long trips, how do you react? When the coaching staff says something to you (that) you don’t like, how do you react? Always with the notion that you have to win a game, no matter how you feel, no matter how you want to act, what your true feelings are. Who are the players who can shut all that off and when? That’s what we’re looking for.”
Friedel also noted a great deal of the frustration in 2018 had to deal with “killer instinct in the final third, giving away individual errors, mentality, things of that nature. We’re going to address that in the offseason and come into the preseason.
“I really feel of the 11 draws — and a couple of the losses we had — eight of those draws we should have won,” he continued. “I did like the fact that other than Toronto away, Montreal away, and RSL, we were in the game to win it in the 90-plus minute, and that’s what you need to do in the professional game … and as long as you keep yourself in there with a chance to win — for the most part, we did that — and now it’s down to attention to details stuff. A lot of that will be down to us as a staff to get it right in the offseason, but the players we do take along with us will definitely be committed players. We’re looking up, and we’re looking forward to preseason starting.”
From July 14-on, here were the instances of where the Revs couldn't kill off the game, and subsequently dropped points:
- July 14, LA Galaxy: Revs were ahead, 2-1. Two second-half stoppage-time goals not 90 seconds apart by LA’s Dave Romney on a set piece — Antonio Delamea was ball-watching, and Claude Dielna slow to react as Romney put it home — and Chris Pontius with his second of the game after a pass from striker Romain Alessandrini went through the legs of Jalil Anibaba gives the Galaxy the 3-2 win.
- July 18, at Minnesota United: A poor header back toward Matt Turner by Jalil Anibaba led to Christian Ramirez chipping over an out-of-position Turner five minutes into the match, and a failed keep-away by Wilfried Zahibo in first-half stoppage time saw Darwin Quintero claim it, wheel to his right as cool as you please, find a sliver of space, and slot home for the Loons’ second goal of the night.
- July 21, at New York Red Bulls: The match had been all square, but New York started to get a better foothold in it around the hour mark and had the Revs on the back foot for the last half an hour. In the 68th minute, a foul by Claude Dielna yields a free kick out on the flank, and the resulting service sees Daniel Royer slide past an unknowing Andrew Farrell as Matt Turner is charging out to make a play, and Royer taps it in for the first goal.
- August 4, at Orlando City: Two poorly-defended, second-half set-piece goals by host Orlando City spoiled an otherwise good performance by the Revolution on Saturday night, with Scott Sutter’s goal in the third minute of stoppage time the decisive equalizer for the Lions. Sutter had started the move at the top of the 18, shook off Luis Caicedo’s mark, and while Caicedo tried to stay with him, the free kick went to Sutter for a glancing header that Turner couldn’t stop. But that wasn't all: Newcomer Cristhian Machado, a Bolivian international, gave the ball away in second-half stoppage time instead of trying to kill off the game by bringing it to the corner. As I wrote in my column afterward, "Maybe I’m an ass for thinking it, but shouldn’t a Bolivian international know how to kill off a game? Shouldn’t he have tried to play the play toward the corner instead of playing toward the center?" That led to a Kelyn Rowe foul, the free kick, and Sutter's goal.
- August 11, vs. Philadelphia: The Revs had come back from two goals down to pull level, 2-2, with the visiting Union, before a 74th-minute Philadelphia corner kick saw New England centerback Antonio Delamea reach out and handle the football, awarding the Union with a penalty. Fafa Picault stepped up to the spot and buried the pen to put Philly up 3-2, erasing all the good work the Revs had done in the half an hour beforehand.
- September 1, vs. Portland: Scott Caldwell had finally scored his first of the season just before the hour mark, giving the Revs a 1-0 lead on the visiting Timbers. But the lead lasted only 12 minutes, as Lawrence Olum scored off a corner kick, shaking his mark — Rowe — as Julio Cascante headed it to him as Matt Turner flailed at it. Andrew Farrell tried to clear it off the line, but he was behind the goal line by a yard. Also notable: Brandon Bye faced Olum, but fully didn’t get in front. After the match, Friedel spoke of the team's mentality: “Befuddled? Yeah. Disappointed? Yeah. But we’re also learning. Learning a lot about the players, learning a lot about what’s happened here the last few years. Learning the mentality about the players. We want winners. I’ve said it many times, and we’ll have winners here. That’s how it’s going to be. The staff and myself won’t accept things of this nature for long. Once you have your squad together, you persevere through the season, and then ultimately you’ll change personnel come the next season and we’ll aim to be better.”
- September 22, vs. Chicago: The Fire took a 1-nil lead into the half after Aleksandar Katai flicked the ball past Brad Knighton, but that would not have happened had Revs left back Brandon Bye not had a poor first touch on the sequence, nor had he lost his balance. Then, after the Revs equalized via Scott Caldwell, five minutes elapsed before a Fire counterattack burned New England a second time: Raheem Edwards crossed from the far corner into the Banner End penalty area, and while he looked for Nemanja Nikolic, his teammate was late in the slide, and instead, Revolution center back Michael Mancienne bundled the ball into the net. The Revs had plenty of the ball in the final 20 minutes, but couldn't find the final touch (see also: killer instinct in the final third).