Sweeney: After Saturday, it might be time to blow the whole thing up for Revolution

FOXBOROUGH — Let’s waste no time with preamble. No one wants to read that crap anyway. Time to get to it.

And really, there’s only one true takeaway from Saturday night’s 2-0 loss to Atlanta United. And since it’s the only one, I’m going to bold it up so all you Revs fans who haven’t subscribed yet can see it, raise your eyebrows a smidge, and finally subscribe.

Quite frankly, this Revolution team is a certified dumpster fire.

Late in the second half Saturday night, a dear friend who works for Massachusetts Youth Soccer wrote to me on Twitter: “Sean, the Revs are a disaster.”

Another friend wrote to me, “There’s no chemistry on the field right now.”

Me: Nodding along.

All of that may not sound fair seven games in, but let’s be real: it’s closer to the truth than sugar-coating it for certain sensitive ears and eyes in the Revolution’s front office.

There’s less than a month until the end of the Primary Transfer Window, and this New England team is no closer to getting better than they were in the second half of last season.

This team is 1-5-1 and have only accrued four points in 2019; they have 45 points in Brad Friedel's tenure out of 133, so in all fairness, it's not just after seven games. They’ve lost three of four at home, which means the days of Gillette Stadium being Fortress Foxborough are long gone. Of course, I don’t see why anyone’s surprised by that, given how many players Friedel retained after 2018. When you stress changes are going to be made in the offseason and you retain 19 players not including Kelyn Rowe … yeah, the results are going to be the same against teams that get better in the offseason.

Oh yeah, about that: Atlanta United lost Greg Garza to FC Cincinnati and Miguel Almiron to Newcastle United. Miles Robinson of Arlington, Mass. — you know, the Revs’ backyard — has stepped into Garza’s role, and Atlanta signed the South American Player of the Year in Pity Martinez.

And they had a full month less than New England, who -- may I just remind you -- wanted to have a second designated player in the fold before training camp started on Jan. 21.

It’s April 14. Only one DP is here.

The Revs have registered minimal shots on-target in their last two games — one against Atlanta United by Tajon Buchanan, the first by a striker in the first 617 minutes of the season, and two against Columbus last week. There were five shots on goal against Minnesota United, and two against Cincinnati the previous week. You’re not going to win with so few attempts to score.

And I’ve written it several times in the last month: New England just can’t create, can’t do anything constructive against bunkered-in teams. Look at how many men Atlanta had behind the ball late in that game Saturday night. They kept Brad Guzan as safe as can be, nice and tidy against New England’s possession.

If you can’t get service into the box to new addition Juan Fernando Caicedo or to any of the players allegedly paid to score goals, you’re not going to score.

So the question is: How to fix it? Is it time to blow the whole bloody thing up? Honestly, I think that it’s far past time. Hell, it should have happened last November. Starting from scratch might have been the best thing for this team headed into 2019. Hell, the supporters begged for it.

After watching New England fall again Saturday night, the front row of section 143 — The Fort — only had six people remaining by the full-time whistle. The others, including the esteemed Monty Rodrigues — a man who spends his hard-earned income to not only support this team during home games, but he also spends a boatload to travel to support them — were gone from Route 1 by the hour mark.

They want change. They wanted change after the 2018 summer swoon. All they got was more of the same in 2019.

If I'm being honest, I hope they send the front office a message and stay home next Saturday, and the Wednesday after that.

Right now, the New England Revolution are not going to compete with the Atlantas, the New York Red Bulls, the LAFCs, and the DC Uniteds of the world. Not with a majority of the players they have in that changing room. It takes money, a large sum of money, to buy real talent -- something this front office and the Krafts have seemingly been unwilling to do.

"Oh, we brought in Carles Gil ... oh, we're building a $35 million training facility," they'll say.

Who cares? That's the bare minimum any team should do. Do better. Go far above and beyond what you do for the Patriots. Make this team good -- and do what you promised on Dec. 7, 2014: hold yourselves accountable to the fans. You're not doing that.

If the Revs are going to salvage anything of 2019, moves need to be made. Time to eat some salary, release players who aren’t worth the paper their contracts are written on … and most importantly, it’s time for certain people in charge to step up to the microphone, admit they’ve screwed up, and fall on their sword.

The architects of this team deserve whatever comes to them. Monday morning wouldn’t be soon enough.