Healing Revs embracing pressure
Revolution prepare for swarm around Beckham's arrival
A crowd expected to approach 40,000 will witness Beckham's first match at Gillette Stadium against New England.
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said that the big game atmosphere will help his team settle after a hectic week that included stops in Canada and Trinidad and Tobago.
"Obviously, we'll have a big crowd," Nicol said. "That motivates players, whatever team you are on. They'll think they have an advantage because we played midweek and then we traveled. But it's up to us to combat that by passing the ball well and being ready at the start when the whistle."
Good news arrived on Thursday when Costa Rican international defender Gabriel Badilla joined the team. Badilla trained with the team on Friday morning and could see playing time on Saturday.
"It's important to have as many players as you can in your team that can handle the ball with ease," Nicol said. "He does that. He can pass the ball. It's good for us."
Nicol thinks Badilla's arrival will give his team a boost after a hectic schedule over the last few weeks has taken a toll on the playing staff.
"Whenever a new face comes in, everyone perks up," Nicol said. "We welcome them in. It's good to get a new face in. It keeps everyone on their toes."
Still to be determined is Steve Ralston's status for the game. Ralston was withdrawn in the 25th minute of Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Joe Public FC on Tuesday night with back spasms.
"I've been getting a lot of massages and a lot of ice," Ralston said. "They aren't comfortable massages. They hurt. It's calming down a bit. It's more of a game time decision."
Nicol confirmed that Ralston would be evaluated before the game and said Chris Albright (concussion and hip) and Matt Reis (adductor) will also be game time decisions. Kheli Dube, Kenny Mansally and Adam Cristman remain unavailable.
New England will need every man on deck as the team fights to retain its spot at the head of the Eastern Conference over the next nine games. With nine games left to play, the Revs need points to maintain their place atop MLS, even as the team battles a hectic schedule.
"Three or four days off for this team is definitely a vacation," Joseph said. "There are no excuses tomorrow. We need to come out ready to go. It's important to get three points because the gap is closing with Columbus and Chicago. Everybody's right there. We're just trying to get a little bit of separation and a little bit of comfort heading into the playoffs."
There is no comfort in Los Angeles as the Galaxy sit two points outside the playoffs and try to adapt to changes under new coach Bruce Arena.
Ralston thinks Arena could help the Galaxy and might make a match against the revamped Galaxy more difficult.
"They're a different team with Bruce coming in," Ralston said. "He'll make some changes. It'll be Eddie Lewis' first game and he'll help the team out. It's going to be difficult."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
