Jose Goncalves will have to be at the top of his game on Saturday. Photo/Kari Heistad
By Julian Cardillo
The San Jose Earthquakes are off to a hot start in the very competitive Western Conference and are on a two-game winning streak under their new head coach, Dominic Kinnear. That could spell trouble for the reeling Revolution, who are winless and goalless to start the young season. Getting points–preferably a win with multiple goals–will be key on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, as the Revolution won’t want to go into next week’s tilt at Colorado (elevation) or the week after versus Columbus (least chances allowed in the league) without confidence.
Here are three keys to Saturday’s game:
Possession game, manage the visitors— The San Jose Earthquakes are no pushover—they outmuscled the Seattle Sounders on the road with a masterful three goal performance. And considering the Revolution aren’t in form (five goals against, zero goals for), the Earthquakes aren’t beneath devastating the Revolution in Foxborough on Saturday. Obviously the big key for the Revolution is to both create and take chances. But they’ll need to take San Jose out of the game, too. That shouldn’t be too hard—the Earthquakes haven’t had more than 47% of possession in any of their games this season. But it’s what they do with the possession that counts: like a typical Dominic Kinnear-coached team, they drop back and are quite selective with when they attack. So far, that tactic has worked well: they have five goals (second-most in the league). The Revolution have to be disciplined, particularly in transitions, otherwise the visitors could ghost their way into a win.
Monitor Wondolowski—As per usual, Chris Wondolowski has emerged as the San Jose Earthquakes’ main offensive talisman in this young season. His team-leading two goals represent this. The Revolution organization—from their front office to their fans—ought to recognize a player of Wondolowski’s pedigree when they say him. He’s a poacher in front of the box, a pure goal scorer through and through, much like longtime Revolution great Taylor Twellman. That said, Wondolowski needs to be marked tightly and not allowed an inch of space. He’s shooting an average of three times per game—far too often for a player that punishes teams so often in front of goal. Jose Goncalves will likely return to the starting eleven and slot in alongside Andrew Farrell; the duo has come up short against class players like Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, and David Villa. Wondolowski may not have the stardom of that trio, but he’s still one of the leagues best finishers. Goncalves and Farrell cannot put in a performance on Saturday that resembles what they did in weeks one and two.
Will Lee Nguyen be the first Revolution player to score a goal in 2015? Photo/Kari Heistad
Shoot! Score!—Slowly but surely, Lee Nguyen is regaining his fitness and adding bite to the Revolution’s attack. He looked okay versus New York two weeks ago and more like his usual self last week against Montreal. This week he should be ready to go and somewhat close to 100% fitness. Nguyen’s creativity will be a key part of the Revolution’s offense, though collectively the team will need to build on his work. It’s now four games into the season and the Revolution still don’t have a goal. The sharpness will need to be there from every player—Nguyen, Juan Agudelo, Diego Fagundez, Charlie Davies, Kelyn Rowe—particularly inside the 18.
Follow Julian on Twitter @juliancardillo
