Dave Romney Slated For Start Against Former Club
“Dave Romney gets a chance to go back to Nashville and show his quality. So, we have great confidence in him."
After more than a month on the bench, it appears that Dave Romney might finally get his chance to prove that he belongs in the New England Revolution starting XI.
New England will be without Henry Kessler who is suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation. When asked about replacing the center back, head coach Caleb Porter appeared to indicate that Romney would be the replacement at center back.
“Yeah, we have good depth,” Porter said. “We have guys [who are] more than capable. Dave Romney gets a chance to go back to Nashville and show his quality. So, we have great confidence in him. He started the first six games of the year and obviously every game last year, so he is more than capable and very experienced. We just need to get the chemistry now with him and Xavi [Xaiver Arreaga].”
Romney’s last start came in April’s 2-0 loss to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. Since then he has only played one minute. The center back spent three years with Nashville making 94 appearances.
Since Romney’s last start, New England has allowed 13 goals and only won a single match. They are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and in desperate need of a win.
Romney will look to add some margin to the Revs’ game. With a calm presence and strong defending, maybe the inclusion of the veteran will give New England the breathing room it needs to finally secure three points.
But the challenge will be difficult as the Revolution head to Nashville. While currently having an interim head coach, any opponent that has Hany Mukhtar should strike fear in opponents. New England’s back line will need to be at the top of its game if they want to see a point nevertheless all three.
Romney needs to show that he can make a difference. If not, he will likely be exiled to the bench once again.
So previously, Romney was "not good enough", but now, we have great confidence. Amazing. This is a no-win situation for Romney. He hasn't had time on the field with his new teammates, but will be expected to do what Kessler could not. If he does well, he will be on the trading block, I am guessing. Sigh.
This is probably one of the last times we see him in a Revs uniform, so enjoy it!
Also, I’m totally fine with us not being in the past two Wednesday game days because hopefully we make up all of our games when we have a better run of form.