Revs revamped attack lacking bite
New England needs bench players to step up for injured this weekend
Related
- Revs punished for one-time relapse
- Highlights: FCD 1, NE 0
Watch
With Steve Ralston (right ACL tear in Saturday's 2-1 win over Seattle) and Taylor Twellman (on the disabled list with concussion) shelved for the rest of the campaign and Edgaras Jankauskas (abductor) sidelined for a shorter period of time, the onus fell on others to create and convert opportunities.
It didn't happen.
New England mustered just two shots on goal, neither of the particularly frightening variety to FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala, and relied on its defense to carry it through to grab a draw. The plan faltered when Jeff Cunningham broke through after 71 minutes, sending the Revs to their first loss against FCD in seven tries.
"We didn't get up in numbers like we usually do and we didn't create many chances," Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph said. "We sat back a lot and tried to counterattack. We weren't getting numbers (forward) and we weren't passing the ball very well. It was just a lackluster performance from everybody."
Revolution coach Steve Nicol faced a quandary in trying to replace Ralston. The 35-year-old midfielder facilitates the Revs in possession and provides a creative spark that Nicol said the Revs simply couldn't replace.
Given Ralston's integral role in the offense, Revolution midfielder Sainey Nyassi, who was expected to miss the match due to a concussion but came on a second-half substitute when he felt OK to play on Wednesday morning, said it was natural that it would take some time for the Revs to figure out how to play without their captain.
"It happens in soccer a lot," Nyassi said. "When you lose one of the best players on your team, you have to adjust everything. We tried to do it (against FCD), but it didn't work out. Hopefully, we can regroup and focus on our next game."
Nicol opted to play Michael Videira alongside Kheli Dube, preferring to deploy Joseph in his usual role in midfield instead of as a makeshift striker. Videira operated as Ralston's like-for-like replacement with Dube expected to play more with his back to goal in Jankauskas' usual spot rather than in the support role he played when he partnered Joseph in the second half of Saturday's 2-1 win over Seattle.
Videira, making his first start since a 3-0 win against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 23, did what he was asked to do in Ralston's place, according to Nicol.
"Losing a player of (Ralston's) quality is always going to have an impact, but Videira did well," Nicol said. "He won his fair share of challenges, he held the ball up well and he connected pretty well."
Those connections didn't often lead to chances in the attacking third. Nicol said the Revs often looked unwilling to push forward on the break on those rare opportunities when they had enough possession to do so. Without much in the way of possession, the Revs had to soak up FCD's pressure for most of the night, a job done well until Cunningham headed home Jair Benitez's cross.
"Defensively, we spent way too much energy trying to get the ball back," Joseph said. "When we did get it back, we gave it up easily and didn't make them work hard. We didn't keep the ball long enough and we didn't create chances. That forced our back line and Matty (Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis) to come up huge for us again. He came up with a lot of saves."
Reis said the Revs did a decent job defensively against FCD, but noted that they would need to generate significantly more in the attack in Saturday's visit to Colorado.
"We have to do better, we have to create chances and we have to be a little bit more dangerous," Reis said. "We're going to need to score goals to win."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
