For the first 60 minutes of the game on Friday night, the Revolution looked as though they may have turned a corner as a middling team in MLS. Their work as a unit was clean, they had a clear purpose in the way they moved the ball. That was until the engine of their play (the midfield) decreased their pressure and movement, which ultimately led to New England losing control of the game.
Let's look at the starting 11...
- Carles Gil - This one is the most apparent. Gil is clearly given the go-ahead from the coaching staff to simply find space to get on the ball so he can create.
- Gustavo Bou - Bou also often travels all over the field to get on the ball, but he largely hangs much higher than the other midfielders to assist Buksa in giving height and finding space.
- Cristian Penilla - This one isn't as clear, and I don't think it would otherwise happen if Carles Gil wasn't on the other side of the field. More recently, Gil and Penilla will switch sides of the field if they - or the coaching staff - see any chance of a mismatch; and that's why Penilla moves around the pitch recently.
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Tom Benedetto, BSJ's Revolution analyst, is a former assistant men's soccer coach at SUNY Potsdam, where he served as team captain in 2015 and helped guide Potsdam to a school-record 10 wins and the program's third straight playoff appearance. In his four years with the Bears, Benedetto played in 71 games with 64 starts. He set the program record with 24 assists. He's fifth on Potsdam's career scoring list with 42 points. Benedetto's Class of 2016 won 32 games in four seasons, more than any other in the program's 59 years.