New Era for New England Revolution

For the last few years the Revolution have struggled in league play, everyone knows that.  This long run of poor form for one of the most storied franchises in Major League Soccer has caused their fan base to dwindle and left fans around the league saying, “Oh we play the Revs next week, easy win.”  What happened to the four-time MLS Cup runners-up?  Or the team that brought in over 15k a game in the early days of the league, even when the team was performing poorly?   After years of mediocrity, the glory days of the Revolution are slowly but surely coming back into focus.

As someone who did not follow MLS prior to 2008-2009, I do not have a memory of a time when the Revolution was a team to be feared.  That was just after their final go-around at the top of the league.  Since then the team has struggled to find an identity.  Until this season.

Somehow, the Revolution have finally found a working roster.  They score goals, they can defend, they win games, they sign well-known players, and they (rumored) are close to finding a stadium location.  Most importantly, however, the core of players they have found is very young, and very talented.

This year’s MLS Draft saw the Revolution take defender Andrew Farrell, an intimidating outside back.  At the time he was expected to be a good right back, but over the course of this season he has become so much more.  He has blown away the expectations of many.  He is composed on the ball, shows his dribbling skills from time to time, and has come within inches of scoring his first MLS goal.   He gives the Revolution a very athletic and threatening outside back who is not afraid to come forward.  Not to mention he is only 21.

Moving into the midfield, the Revolution have a lineup that has hit its stride as a fast and fluid collection of quick players.  Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe are the anchors of the midfield, as the lineup around them is constantly shifting.  Ryan Guy, Chris Tierney, Scott Caldwell, Clyde Simms, and Kalifa Cisse all make their fair share of contributions.  This core of midfielders has great chemistry and has found ways to get the ball forward quickly to take advantage of the speed on the roster.

Now onto the forwards.  This is the position that New England has excelled at improving this season.  The Revs had an awful start this year as they struggled to score.  No one could find the back of the net.  Bengston, Barrett, and Sene all tried, but it was not going the Revs’ way when it mattered most. Then came a series of moves that surprised some.  Diego Fagundez, the young Uruguayan striker , started getting regular minutes on the field, and the Revolution made a big trade to sign Juan Agudelo.  These two moves sparked an immediate change in New England.  Fagundez started scoring goals and could not be stopped.  Currently he has 5 goals and 4 assists, and Agudelo already has 3 goals in 5 games for the Revolution.  After this changes the Revolution found goals from everyone, highlighted best in a 5-0 win over the LA Galaxy (highlights below).  The team clicked and goals began to flow.

The Revolution have finally found their players, now it is a matter of keeping them.  Andrew Farrell has proven to be a monster at the back, Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen have kept the team running smoothly and quickly, and the partnership of Juan Agudelo with Diego Fagundez has sparked an offensive juggernaut.  Dimitry Imbongo has had a good run of form as well, pushing the preseason favorite to be the Revolution’s top goal-scorer, Bengston, off the lineup for the time being.

As far as the hunt for a new home goes, there has been little official word beyond “we are looking”.  Fans of the Revs and MLS alike eagerly await an announcement, and with the renaming of a street at one of the proposed locations to “Revolution Drive” it seems there may be something happening still.  The street that has been renamed is in Somerville, and would be a great location for the stadium. 

Right now the Revolution are one of the most exciting teams to watch, and it is hard to imagine that they will not be top contenders in a year or two.  They play fast, they play with flash, they have young talent, and they are possibly about to find a new stadium. A new-look roster, great team chemistry, and possibly a brand new stadium, there is potential in New England, and it is starting to show.

And who doesn’t love a thrashing of the LA Galaxy?