A few — okay, three — thoughts from the weekend in soccer…
Where would this Revolution side be without Matt Turner?
You may recall that way back in February, I had written a neat piece about Matt Turner working to keep hold of the No. 1 jersey, as well as him taking over the NEGU Crew duties from Kelyn Rowe. Turner had spoken about the things he worked on during the offseason — working on his footwork, watching goalkeepers in the Premier League and finding elements to add in his game — and I had wondered if his new role in Rowe’s stead cemented his role as the No. 1.
He had strenuously denied that: “No, that’s something outside of soccer; that doesn’t cement my role with anything,” he had said in my story, which ran Feb. 8. “That’s something completely different. My role with the first team is going to depend on entirely what I do on the field, and how I approach every day of training. I’m approaching it like I’m the No. 3 as I always do, and I’m going to work my hardest and earn that No. 1 spot again.”
Coming out of preseason, we had thought he would have won the job, thanks to some stellar performances in both Spain and Florida. But as it turned out, Brad Knighton — who isn’t a slouch goalkeeper — won the job; when Knighton flubbed against FC Cincinnati on Mar. 24, Brad Friedel replaced him the following week with … Cody Cropper?!
And that was the way it went — Knighton to Cropper, back to Knighton, and then finally Turner on May 8 — with Knighton pinch-keeping for Turner on May 25 after the latter plowed into Wayne Rooney, and then for the two-match suspension.
But from the end of June to now, it has been Turner winning the job week after week after week. He finished the 2019 season with 86 saves on the season, following the six he made against Atlanta United Sunday afternoon.
It leads me to ask how many would he have had if Friedel went with Turner as the No. 1 right from jump street in March?
And that leads me to this: While Carles Gil has been immense for the club, and so hasn’t Gustavo Bou in the 14 matches he played, where does Turner’s 2019 fit into everything? Is he the unsung hero?
Things to ponder.
How do the Revs respond when they go back to Atlanta?
It’s a good question. The Revolution used Sunday as a bit of a “dress rehearsal,” so to speak: a couple of the players — Gil, Bou — had never played in the House of Horrors before, and so in some respects they didn’t know what to expect.
But now they do.
The club will more than likely give the players a few days once they return to Foxborough, and then it will be back to work in earnest to prepare themselves for the playoffs.
A couple of questions I have:
How do they neutralize Josef Martinez, who scored goal No. 27 of the season early in the second half? How do they figure Pity Martinez into those plans? And Julian Gressel, who had room to maneuver against Jalil Anibaba at left back. And Darlington Nagbe. And Escobar Barco — really, a lot of moving pieces to account for.
How stiff does Bruce Arena want that back line to be for the rematch, which will more than likely take place on Saturday, Oct. 19 (the Falcons play host to the Rams the next day)? Who gets the start in the defensive midfield? I think Wilfried Zahibo had his moments Sunday, and letting Nagbe get away wasn’t a good look.
And how do the offensive-minded players re-calibrate and attack Atlanta? How much film do they watch to figure out just how to re-adjust their runs?
The answers to these questions and more in 12 days’ time.
Are Spurs, Manchester City, and Manchester United really in crisis?
In England, some interesting developments recently, and Boston soccer fans who love the Premier League will want to see what I think here…
First, Spurs. The Arsenal supporter in me is loving what’s happening with that particular mob. Last week, Tottenham were bounced from the League Cup by League Two side Colchester United. This past midweek, they were on the short side of a 7-2 loss to German powers Bayern Munich — including four goals by former Gunner youth Serge Gnabry.
Gnabry then had this to say:
North London is RED!!! pic.twitter.com/1Te5YjqpWo
— Serge Gnabry (@SergeGnabry) October 1, 2019