There’s not too much one can take away from a scoreless draw, so here are two quickies, plus a few other soccer thoughts as I enjoy a beer and get ready to fire up the grill on a Saturday night:
Maybe it’s time to really play the kids
It’s been a constant refrain through the first two and a half months of the season, especially when the Revolution’s elder statesmen couldn’t — and in some ways, still can’t — get the job done.
This week’s case in point: left back Edgar Castillo, who really hasn’t found a foothold in any match for New England since Brad Friedel brought him here in December, found himself removed after 34 minutes Saturday afternoon in Montreal. On comes DeJuan Jones, and we’ve already explained what happened.
The same with Tajon Buchanan, who played well during his 34 minutes against Chelsea at midweek. He replaced a frustrated Diego Fagundez at the hour mark and played well Saturday.
So that brings us to the realization that these young players — and who said that SuperDraft selections can’t play well at the top level of American soccer? — really need to get more minutes. And that includes Justin Rennicks, after he’s done with the U20 World Cup, Nicholas Firmino, Isaac Angking when he’s healthy, and Brandon Bye — who has seemingly put the preseason waaaaay behind him.
It’s official: they quit on Friedel
No matter what some will say regarding the locker room being lost in the last few weeks of the Brad Friedel “Era,” it looks to me that the players quit on the former gaffer. Through the first two matches post-Friedel, New England has felt freer, have played with more heart than any time in the last two months, and seem to want to play for each other. One can make the argument that over the last 11 months, the Revs have played much in the same way 11 guys would meet in the parking lot to play a game of soccer.
And one can’t argue with four points taken out of a possible six.
Will that continue? We think it will, at least through the DC United match at Gillette Stadium next Saturday night.
Whether or not that continues when Bruce Arena takes over for Mike Lapper, of course, is yet to be seen.
Oh, and before I forget: Lapper deserves a head coaching job somewhere at the top level. I told him as much Thursday morning. After 15 years in the shadows, someone needs to scoop him up.
And my other soccer thoughts:
- Bayern Munich, seven consecutive Bundesliga titles. It’s amazing how all the teams in Germany can play in the exact same style, but only one can claim the title — and do it consistently.
- Manchester City, holy moly. A 6-0 win over Watford in Saturday’s FA Cup Final not only clinches a domestic treble (FA Cup, League Cup, Premier League), but Saturday’s result also matches Bury’s 6-0 win over Derby County in the FA Cup Final — in 1903. Wembley Stadium — the original Wembley — hadn’t been built yet. King Edward VII was on the throne. That’s five monarchs ago, by the way.
- Saw that East Lyme, Conn.’s Logan Gdula, taken by FC Cincinnati in SuperDraft, has been recalled from Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship and has subsequently been sent to Hartford Athletic. That’s a little closer to home, obviously… he did not make an appearance in Arizona, so here’s to hoping that the Wake Forest product will get the opportunity to play alongside fellow Nutmeg Stater Nicky Downs (Lakeville, Conn., former Yale Bulldog) as well as Bay Staters Mac Steeves and Harry Swartz, both of whom are from Needham.
- If Hartford Athletic can get by Memphis 901 FC in the Third Round of the US Open Cup on May 29, how many would love to see the Purple and Green play the Revs in the Fourth Round? Seriously, if that’s the way the draw plays out, that would be huge for Hartford, and I would so drive there for the game if HAFC hosts.
- Let me clarify something: I’ve mentioned that the CONCACAF Gold Cup break is coming up, and yes, it’s a break — from league action. The Revs are still going to train, and will have a minimum of one, possibly two, US Open Cup matches in that time. Thankfully, those are midweek games, so you're not really getting rid of me for three weeks.
- Congrats, Chris Wondolowski. 148 goals is a tremendous achievement. He scored four times against Chicago Saturday afternoon, his first-ever four-goal game. He also has five hat tricks in MLS.
- Next closest active player to Wondo? Former Revolution striker Kei Kamara at 119.