OK, the international break is over — seriously, US men? You lost to Canada?! That’s … kinda pathetic — and it’s time for the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs to begin. For the first time since 2015, the Revolution are participants, not onlookers.
But since that last playoff appearance, things have changed, if only slightly.
Let’s examine what you need to know heading into this weekend’s games:
No. 7 Revs at No. 2 Atlanta United (1 p.m. Univision/NBC Sports Boston)
Not necessarily the best matchup for the Revolution, who have never beaten the Five Stripes at the House of Horrors, nor have they beaten them, period. Yet it would be a tremendous first win should The Boys In Blue come out victorious Saturday afternoon in the Deep South.
Yet most of the pundits are picking the defending MLS Cup champs to come out on top.
“We haven't even talked about anything like that,” Bruce Arena said Wednesday about those particular predos. “I don't think our players are well aware of what the so-called talking heads are predicting. Who cares? We have to go out and play the game.”
New England goes back to Atlanta with absolutely nothing to lose. Two weeks ago, the Revolution traveled here, got on the front foot by a smidge, fell behind, pulled even, and then fell behind again.
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Once Julian Gressel scored on the half volley just before the hour mark, the air went out of the match, and try as they might to get back into it, the Revolution had fallen for only the third time since May 9.
With time, though, we’re figuring that Arena and his staff have worked the kinks out from the 3-1 defeat, termed a “dress rehearsal” by the Revolution. New England had three days of training last week, a few days off over last weekend, and then got right back to work earlier this week. And with no players called into national team duty — unlike Atlanta, which saw Brad Guzan and Arlington native Miles Robinson in the US national team squad, with Robinson subsequently injured in post-match training (Robinson was ruled out on Thursday) — that’s time well spent in getting prepared for the playoff game.
“For our team, I think (the break has) been a plus,” Arena said. “I think we needed a little bit of a break. I'm trying to think if I can recall us having a break since I've been here, because when I came in we had some league games and then we played (in the U.S. Open Cup). I think we've been going all the way through. I think it's nice to have had a little bit of a break. They had the weekend off, which is probably a first for these guys in a long time. I think, overall, it's been good, because I do think we've been challenged throughout the second half of the season. To be able to step away from it a little bit, get a little bit refreshed, and then be ready to come and give it your best effort both mentally and physically, I think the break has been good.”
And we mentioned it following Decision Day: just how do the Revs attackers adjust against an Atlanta defense that had bunkered itself in with five in the back? We’ll see at about 1 p.m., won’t we?
One-and-done playoff format
One of the problems that Major League Soccer had in the past few years was that ending the season at the tail end of October meant the playoffs got started mid-week of the following week, and teams that won the first-round series of home-and-away ties would have two matches nearly two weeks apart thanks to the November international break. It killed momentum, and to a point, interest in the postseason. The MLS season was long enough, and to extend it two further weeks wasn’t beneficial to keeping fans’ interest.
This year, things have changed. The season was compressed and ended three weeks early, before teams had 12 days off before the playoffs got started.
Yet to get everything packed into this three-week span before the November break, MLS had to alter the playoff structure. Gone are the home-and-away ties with an aggregate scoreline. It’s one-and-done, should your team lose, and it’ll be like that all the way to the MLS Cup Final on Nov. 10.
In addition, there is no re-seeding. You are where you are, and that’s that.
If the Revs win Saturday, what’s next?
Should the Revolution win over Atlanta, we’ll have a scouting mission at 3 p.m. on Sunday, as they'll face either No. 3 Philadelphia, or No. 6 New York Red Bulls (FS1). That conference semifinal match would be on the road next Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2).
Here's how the Revs did in those road matches:
We all know what happened back on May 4: the Revs fell to the Union, 6-1, in Chester. That was the beginning of the end for the Brad Friedel “regime,” and introduced the Colony to the most success the club has had in some time.
On that night, here was the Revolution back line:
Luis Caicedo (right back), Andrew Farrell (right center back), Michael Mancienne (left center back), Edgar Castillo (left back). Also that night, Cody Cropper was in goal.
To be fair, two of those players were out of position: Caicedo is a holding mid, while Castillo is, in all truthfulness, a wing back. Cropper has not played another game for the Revolution and has since been loaned to Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship. And Mancienne had been playing through severe plantar fasciitis pain since the preseason.
Since then, the defending has gone through a metamorphosis: Farrell has established himself as a solid center back, while Mancienne has had run-outs off the bench. Brandon Bye has moved into the right back slot, while left back has seen Castillo, who hasn’t play in nearly two months with a rib injury (Arena said last week that it's a possibility he would play Saturday; on Wednesday, he said Castillo is "very limited in what he can do), replaced by the pairing of Jalil Anibaba and DeJuan Jones.
Not only that, it’s Matt Turner in goal. Nuff said there.
In short, the fortunes of the club have turned around, and that devastating loss has been forgotten.
When the Revs played at the Red Bulls on Aug. 17, the game was not pleasing to the eye. New England’s passing in the first half was dreadful, and so was the defending on Marc Rzatkowski’s goal. But thanks to a mistake in the back by the Energy Drinks, Gustavo Bou slotted home on a pass by MLS Newcomer of the Year Carles Gil.
New York’s form down the stretch, too, has not necessarily been spectacular. Since Aug. 17 and that 1-1 draw, the Red Bulls have won only three of their final eight, and hadn’t scored since second-half stoppage time against — duh, duh, duh — the Union on Sept. 22.
Anything can happen in the postseason, but I’m not expecting a surprise there. Should the Revs win Saturday, I’m expecting a trip to Chester.
Around the league
Outside of the Revs-Atlanta and DOOP-Scarlet Steers, there are four other playoff matches slated for the weekend.
No. 4 Toronto FC hosts No. 5 DC United in the other Eastern Conference showdown (TUDN, Saturday, 6 p.m.), with the winner heading to Flushing Meadows to play top-seeded New York City FC in the conference semis on Wednesday (7 p.m., FS1).
In the Western Conference, No. 7 FC Dallas, which limped to the finish but put a 6-0 hurting on Sporting Kansas City on Decision Day, travels to No. 2 Seattle (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., FOX Sports). The winner of that one will play the winner of No. 3 Real Salt Lake-No. 6 Portland (10 p.m., ESPNews).
In addition, No. 4 Minnesota United hosts No. 5 LA Galaxy (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., ESPN), with the winner advancing to the semis to play at top-seeded LAFC.
By the time you wake up Monday, MLS will be down to the final eight clubs in the running for the Anshutz Trophy.
In the USL
We’re into the final weekend of USL Championship play, and Hartford Athletic closes out its inaugural season at Dillon Stadium Saturday night when The Boys In Green host Tampa Bay (7 p.m.).
But not only that, Charlotte (Isaac Angking) closes out its season when it hosts postseason-bound Ottawa (7 p.m.), and North Carolina FC (Justin Rennicks) — which has also qualified — hosts Saint Louis (7 p.m.).
Birmingham Legion, which played to a 2-1 win over Red Bulls II on Wednesday night, hosts Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale; the Riverhounds are the top seed in the East.
And Revs’ loanee Brian Wright scored in that one; he has six goals on the season. Here’s his latest:
.@brianwright777 said ??#BHMvNY | 1-0 pic.twitter.com/z7tzEqsfGU
— Birmingham Legion FC (@bhmlegion) October 17, 2019