2019 Revolution preview: New faces blend with old as season kicks off

FOXBOROUGH — After four months of waiting, real, meaningful matches resume for the Revolution this Saturday when they travel to FC Dallas for their 24th season opener in Major League Soccer. The long, eight-month slog toward a hopeful berth into the MLS Cup Playoffs has begun.

That means that last year is — thankfully, hopefully, please let it be? — in the rear-view mirror. To refresh: New England finished eighth overall in the Eastern Conference last season, taking 10 wins out of 34, with 11 draws. Eight of their games were stolen from them (buzzword, mentality) in the last 20 minutes, and at one point the Revs could not buy a win for over two whole months. Supporters are hopeful that the summer swoon which greatly affected and tripped up this team does not happen with this bunch, which saw 20 players retained from last year.

But like we said, last year is done and dusted. It’s a new season — and it’s fully Brad Friedel’s team now as he begins his second season in charge with the Revolution.

Let’s take a few minutes and go over what we know about this team headed into 2019:

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The front office was busy in the offseason

Say what you will about offseasons past with the Revs, folks — and yes, there are so many kilobytes to fill about that — but the New England front office was pretty busy over these last four months.

Right from the outset, the club bought the contracts of 2018 loanees Cristian Penilla and Luis Caicedo, then exercised options on 13. Four players from last year were already under contract. Long-serving left back Chris Tierney retired. And in December, the club re-inked Juan Agudelo to a new multi-year deal.

But that’s not all: general manager Michael Burns signed not one, but two local players — Nicholas Firmino of Somerville, Justin Rennicks of South Hamilton — to Homegrown contracts.

But… that’s not all: The Revs traded mainstay midfielder Kelyn Rowe in order to get left back Edgar Castillo from Colorado, took Colombian-born striker Juan Fernando Caicedo on loan, and in the days after the club went to Spain, signed Spanish midfielder Carles Gil to a designated player contract, with a reported transfer fee of $2 million.

The Revs also drafted Tajon Buchanan from Syracuse University on a Generation Adidas contract, as well as DeJuan Jones from Michigan State University two picks later; Jones finally signed on Monday. And just before training camp started, Burns turned the rights to Claude Dielna into $100,000 of General Allocation Money from Portland.

And while the fan base awaits news of a second designated player signing, it should be noted that the Primary Transfer Window in MLS is open, and that the club has until May 1 to make the last moves of the spring before having to wait until July.

Attacking options are deep in 2019

Caicedo No. 2 brings 89 goals to Foxborough, and will battle for time up top along with returning striker Teal Bunbury, who had his best season (10 goals) as a pro before his form tailed off, as well as third-year pro Brian Wright (1 career goal). Rennicks may see time as a No. 9, as well.

The attacking midfield is pretty jammed, too: along with Penilla, Agudelo, and Diego Fagundez returning to the squad, there’s Firmino, fellow Homegrown Isaac Angking, Buchanan, Jones, and, of course, Gil.

Gil brings incredible technical play on the ball, and has the ability to draw opposing defenders to him in an effort to dispossess. That should free up another attacking player to do their thing and score goals.

Defense is -- sighs -- practically the same as last year

I know I ramble on about the defense (it’s my cross to bear, somewhat willingly), but this is key: with one exception — Edgar Castillo — the defensive corps on this New England side is pretty unchanged from last year’s team which allowed 55 goals; 58, if you want to include the three Louisville City FC, scored in the US Open Cup last June 5.

Of course, Dielna’s gone, and so is little-used Nico Samayoa. Still here? Midseason acquisition Michael Mancienne, club Defender of the Year Andrew Farrell, Antonio Delamea, Jalil Anibaba, and Brandon Bye.

Oh, and Gabriel Somi. How could I forget?

And in the central defensive midfield is intact from 2018 to this season, with Homegrowns Scott Caldwell and Zachary Herivaux battling for time with Caicedo No. 1 and Wilfried Zahibo.

Mentality was the preferred buzz word that Friedel trotted out in the second half of last year, and while the club needed to fix its offense, it ignored a great deal of the defending in the offseason. The hope in Foxborough is that the players in the back stop switching off in key moments, and don’t remain the team that found itself butchered in the second half of 2018. We’re keeping our eyes on it, of course, but there’s something else to keep in mind about it…

Who gets the starting nod in keep?

Friedel has mentioned the competition in front of the onion bag this spring, with Matt Turner, Brad Knighton, and Cody Cropper all performing well. And we cannot pin every single goal scored this preseason on the goalkeeping. We just can’t, as it would be totally unfair given the at times lackadaisical defensive play in front of them.

And you also have to remember something: goal scorers are going to score, regardless of whichever threesome or foursome the gaffer trots out in front of the keeper. Some players just have incredible quality with the ball and do magical things with it. And I’ve said it before: MLS is a finisher’s league. Finishers are going to finish.

How does the season end?

Given some of the preseason performances against MLS competition — it was an Orlando City B squad that ripped the Revs’ first-choice selections for six last week — I’m still sticking with my New Year’s prediction: New England makes the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

It will, however, come with a catch.

Unless the Revs fix this defense — and again, I know, finishers will find a way to finish — we’re going to see a lot of the same things we saw in 2018; late reactions, ball-watching. On the NERevsUK podcast this week, I issued my final record prediction: 12-13-9. That’s 45 points. Will it be enough to grab the seventh and final playoff spot in the East? Time, of course, will tell.

But I’m holding out for more offense out of Friedel’s attacking corps. I’m looking for goals a-plenty; after all, that’s the reason they spent most of their time seeking out attacking-minded players. I’m looking for finishing, better breaking down of stubborn defenses, and a better mentality in the back.

All three going New England’s way would blow my prediction out of the water.