It didn't take long for Montreal to realize that the Revolution showed up just to send them back out of New England without any points in hand. From about the 15th minute and on, the Revolution brought an energy and a cohesiveness that Montreal just couldn't match. The result was a game that was over shortly after halftime.
Let's look at the starting 11...
Headshots from revolutionsoccer.net.
Bruce Arena
Tommy McNamara
Kelyn Rowe
Lee Nguyen
Scott Caldwell
Tajon Buchanan
Teal Bunbury
Gustavo Bou
Alexander Buttner
Henry Kessler
Andrew Farrell
Brandon Bye
Matt Turner
TAKEAWAYS
Maturity on the ball
The set piece difference
Kelyn Rowe
Lee Nguyen
Passing map from mlssoccer.com.
- Execution - There are some players who can put the ball where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. Nguyen has been one of those players and Kelyn Rowe has not.
- Off-ball movement - Instead of being stagnant before the ball is kicked, it's clear that the Revolution have clear movements and purpose in their movement off of the ball. Players are creating separation between defenders, making runs across the six to the front post, and the Nguyen even found Bou on the far corner of the 18-yard box on one play that was clearly drawn up on the training ground.
- The opponent - I don't think it had anything to do with their size and athleticism (they have plenty of guys that should be able to handle themselves aerially), but rather the overall enthusiasm in the game itself. This reflected in almost every other factor in their game, and I think it was particularly evident in set piece defending.
Ball pressure
Lee Nguyen
THREE UP
Lee Nguyen
Scott Caldwell
Henry Kessler
THREE DOWN
Teal Bunbury
Andrew Farrell
Brandon Bye
DeJuan Jones
PLAYER RATINGS
PARTING THOUGHT
Cristian Penilla
