Once teams are on an unbeaten run that surpasses five games, a natural instinct is to calculate and predict how long the nirvana will last. Another is to over-complicate and over-estimate matches against even the worst of opponents. For the New England Revolution, who enter the Citrus Bowl this evening to play Orlando City SC for the first time ever and defend their seven-game unbeaten streak, the urge to over-analyze is actually quite strong.
After all, how many MLS teams are as streaky as the Revolution? This is a team that made the playoffs nine years in a row and reached the cup final three years in a row. This is a team that, last year, went on a seven-game unbeaten run that was immediately followed by an eight-game losing streak and later won nine of its last 11 games en route to the playoffs. Forgive me here but the Revolution are the epitome of hot and cold. When they’re this good—and yes, they are THIS good—it’s not a question of if they’ll get streaky but when they’ll get streaky.
The trouble is, what happens once the Revolution lose a game and have their phenomenal run snapped? Will they do what they did last year and collapse in between the start of summer vacation and the end of July or will they be like Juventus and casually drop points here and there but otherwise navigate the turbulence and come out on top? Part of the fun is, no one knows.
So with all of this in mind, here are some things I’m looking at ahead of this game:
Jermaine Jones could be the rock that keeps the Revolution from a downward spiral—Could the Revolution lose tonight? Of course. But does that mean, as in years past, it could signal the beginning of a very long summer filled with substantially more losses than wins? Not necessarily. Having someone like Jones truly makes a difference. It’s not just that the Revolution did so well last year when he arrived in late summer. It’s that he makes enormous contributions on the field, whether in midfield or in defense. He’s a leader and someone that his teammates look to. And, as far as tonight goes, you can bet he will be charged with shutting down Kaka.
The Revolution don’t care about the streak—They just care about winning. I don’t know what type of background Jay Heaps has in sports psychology, but he’s an expert at mental toughness. That’s huge for any sport. He doesn’t deviate. He doesn’t focus on the extraneous. All that matters to him and his staff is the task at hand. And, for the most part, he’s been able to teach that to his team. The Revolution have bought in. The Revolution aren’t going into tonight afraid of having their streak broken. They’re not even looking to extend their unbeaten run to eight games. They’re just trying to win. They’ll do it 1-0, 2-0, 10-0, 5-4 or 6-2. As long as at the end of the day they have 3 points. That’s the effectiveness of Heaps’ coaching—it’s pragmatic. Tonight is about doing whatever possible to defeat Orlando. The winning streak or playing Toronto FC next week does not matter.
Will Lee Nguyen factor into the Revolution’s plans against Orlando?—MVLee has given full disclosure that he’s not happy about his contract. Odds are he and management have spoken about it over the past few days. But does that mean things have been smoothed over? Will Nguyen start or be on the bench? Will he even make an appearance? Heaps had no qualms about benching and not playing Jose Goncalves—the team captain—last season when he had issues with his contract. Rest assured of one thing, though: Lee Nguyen hasn’t yet adjusted to being a player with a target on his back. Every time he touches the ball, at least three players swarm him and strip him of possession. He needs to adapt—starting tonight in Orlando, if he plays—so he can continue to be another attacking weapon for his team. Until he learns to deal with opponents that have figured him out, who’s to say he deserves that pay raise? Remember, he’s getting paid for what he contributes now, not necessarily what he contributed in 2014.
Kaka, for good reason, is the Revolution’s main concern—He’s still one of the best players in the world and—on a team like Orlando that has so many injuries—he’s pretty much it for their offense at the moment. Everyone knows this. Let’s keep this one brief and just say this: Kaka has been shutout four times this season, including in his last two games. He’s hungry for goals, especially in front of his home crowd. He is due to score. The Revolution can’t allow the type of goal they conceded last week against New York to occur against Orlando. Players like Kaka will definitely punish them.
If you want to reach Julian email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo
