Andrew Farrell spent last weekend attending a birthday barbecue and laying out in a pool while many of his teammates were out of town for their first free weekend the New England Revolution have had in nearly half a year.
But for Farrell, relaxation got old fast.
“Three days without soccer, it’s too long,” Farrell said in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon.
The wait got worse when Farrell decided to keep tabs on the MLS games being played Saturday and Sunday. The Los Angeles Galaxy gave the Seattle Sounders a beating while the New York Red Bulls closed out the regular season, Big Apple derby series with NYCFC with a third consecutive win.
“It stinks because I want to play when everyone else does,” Farrell added.
From Farrell and the Revolution’s perspective, last weekend went better than expected—even if they didn’t get to play in a game. That’s because nearly every result broke in the Revolution’s favor, as Orlando City, Montreal, NYCFC, and Philadelphia all stayed below the Revolution in the Eastern Conference standings.
As of Monday morning, training recommenced. And on Saturday, the Revolution will have the opportunity to once again have their say when they square off against the Houston Dynamo at Gillette Stadium.
A win this weekend will extend the Revolution’s unbeaten run to four games and could potentially push them up to fourth or third place from fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Houston, though, will present the Revolution with a tricky task. The Dynamo is speed and strength-based team that wins games by grinding out results in midfield.
Though they’ve scored just eight road goals all season—the second-worst in the league—they’ve also conceded just 13 times away from home—the third-best.
The Dynamo is also one of just five teams in the league that is unbeaten when scoring first. The confidence and momentum gained from that record, plus the individual skills of team veterans like Will Bruin, Brad Davis, Boniek Garcia, and Damarcus Beasley will be more than enough to threaten the Revolution at Gillette Stadium.
“Houston’s been good,” Farrell said. “They control the ball and put a handle on what you’re trying to do. They’re a physical team, so it’ll be a battle.
“We’ve got to get behind the ball. They’ve got some of the best players in the league. Bruin, Davis, Garcia…We need to defend as a team. The offense will take care of itself. They’ve been great all year.”
Farrell credited all the team’s attackers for taking up the goal scorer’s mantle. Charlie Davies is one of the Revolution’s best offensive weapons, leading the team with nine goals, though it could be argued that those backing him up—Teal Bunbury, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, and Diego Fagundez—are just as vital, as one of them can bury their chances into the back of the net on any given night.
The Revolution could be further buttressed by the full return of Jermaine Jones who could possibly see one hour of playing time on Saturday night.
After a rough two-month stretch that featured just one win in 12 games and lots of blown leads in between, the Revolution appear to finally be clicking again.
The Dynamo, though, are in a playoff chase of their own in very competitive Western Conference. Neither team can afford to drop points, especially with the summer months winding down.
“We need to get as many points as we can,” Farrell said. “It’s one game at a time.”
