As the calendar turns to August, the stretch run to the playoffs for the Revolution begins in earnest. I know, the season finale on Oct. 25 seems a long way off, but due to a front-loaded schedule, the Revs only have 11 games left this season.
They play just three games this month. They begin this rather slow period with a huge game tonight against Toronto FC (7:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet), who they are tied with for fourth in the Eastern Conference on 28 points.
The problem for the Revs - and I continue to harp on this - is TFC has four games in hand, as do the third-place Red Bulls (29 points). Also the team just behind the Revs, the Montreal Impact (24 points) have five games in hand and legend Didier Drogba about to start his MLS career.
So to sum up, tonight’s game is as big as you can have on Aug 1. This is a classic six-pointer in the table and if they lose, they may never be this close to TFC again in the standings.
Good news for the Revs, they’ve played considerably better the past two weeks in a 1-0 win over NYCFC and a 2-2 road draw against the Chicago Fire.
That Fire result should have been a win, but the Revs need to stop playing games where that is the takeaway and start capitalizing when they are the better team for 90 minutes.
Also, they could be buoyed by the return of Jermaine Jones to the lineup. He’s been out nearly two months with bi-lateral hernia surgery. But told me this week he feels good and hopes to play. Will he get the start and how long can he play remains to be seen.
Bad news for the Revs, TFC has started to look like the offensive juggernaut we all thought they’d be when they brought Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco into the side before the season started. TFC is unbeaten in their past three games, scoring nine goals in those games.
Giovinco, aka the Atomic Ant, has led the way, especially as of late. He's registered five goals and three assists in that three-game stretch. He’s been better than advertised in his inaugural MLS campaign as he is second in the league in goals (13) and assists (10). He simply can do things that only a handful in this league can do and at times defenses have had no answer for his creativity and quality.
Altidore continues to regain form from the hamstring injury he sustained in TFC’s first visit to Gillette on May 16 (1-1 draw). And now that the Gold Cup is over, the US National Team captain Michael Bradley will return to the middle of the park for TFC.
Of course, those are just three players, but very talented guys that drive their attack, which leads the league with 1.63 goals per match. But this defense has been suspect all season, allowing the exact same goals-against average of 1.63 that is second-to-last in MLS.
The past three games have been a bit of a microcosm of the season for this team. They are unbeaten, have scored nine goals...but conceded eight goals and have only one win to show for it. Last week, they were down 3-0 on the road at Columbus. They played with three in the back (3-5-2) and looked lost at times. Impressive to storm back and get the draw, but poor defending put them in that situation.
The hope for the Revs is the can control this game with their passing and possession. As Jay Heaps told me this week, sometimes their best defense is their offense. That will have to be the case Saturday night.
For that reason, I hope to see Jones inserted from the start to provide that dominant and calming presence in the middle of the park. Watching him at training this week he seemed as smooth and comfortable as always, the question is can that translate to a real game and for how long?
Next to Jones should be Scott Caldwell. Giving the attacking prowess of TFC Jones next to Daigo Kobayashi could leave the back four exposed at times. That back four could be in flux as well. Chris Tierney was unable to play in MLS All-Star game this week due to an injury. If he cannot play that will be a blow to the Revs defense but as always their attack as well. On the right side, Jeremy Hall got the start last for London Woodberry. Heaps said that was purely to give London rest, so I expect to see him back in at RB tonight.
Bobby Shuttleworth could also return from a concussion he sustained in training prior to the NYCFC match. Brad Knighton has deputized well in the past two matches and if Shuttleworth can’t go, will anchor the line again.
Jose Gonçalves returned last week off red card suspension but committed a penalty leading to Chicago’s equalizer in the first half. Simply said, he just has to be better. This season, he has two red cards and host of basic mistakes that have led to goals. His partnership with Andrew Farrell has to improve if this team wants to put together a strong run through the fall into the playoffs.
But as Heaps always says, it’s more than just the back line. He has praised the teams shape the past two weeks and that will be critical again tonight. It’s hard not to focus on how to stop TFC’s big three of Giovinco, Altidore and Bradley but the Revs are always best going forward and being the aggressor.
That should be no different tonight if they want to succeed. If they’re forced onto their heels for most of this match it could be a long night with so many dynamic attackers. If they can play their game and control tempo there will no doubt be scoring opportunities. It should be a game that will see multiple goals, but the Revs have to find a way to come out on top or their playoff hopes will start to be a real concern.