Henry Kessler Didn't Practice On Thursday
Arena: “Henry didn’t practice today. Certainly, Andrew and Omar are candidates to play in the back as well, so we think we have improved depth in that position this year."
Henry Kessler didn’t practice on Thursday, according to New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena.
Kessler, who has started seven consecutive games, exited at halftime of Saturday's match against CF Montreal. The center back was listed as “questionable” on Wednesday’s availability report and it looks likely that he’ll miss the trip to Columbus.
Andrew Farrell, who replaced Kessler last weekend, is likely to get the start, though Arena noted that the Revs have options.
“Henry didn’t practice today,” Arena told the media on Thursday. “Certainly, Andrew and Omar [Gonzalez] are candidates to play in the back as well, so we think we have improved depth in that position this year.”
Matt Polster expressed sorrow for Kessler, but also has full confidence in Farrell’s ability to step in.
“I think the first thing is it's unfortunate for Henry,” Polster said. “I think he's a really good player with a bright future and he's very good at defending and commanding the backline.
“Then you have another guy like Farrell, who can step in and do the exact same thing. It's important to have that kind of depth in a team to go where we want to go this year, which is win titles. So, I'm not worried and I know the group's not worried about having Farrell in that spot.”
Polster concluded by saying, “Obviously, it's unfortunate for Henry. We always have his back, and we hope he comes back from whatever he's got.”
The Revs have a daunting opponent this weekend as the Crew are 4-2-1 with 17 goals scored and eight allowed. They’re currently undefeated at home (3-0-0), having scored 12 goals and allowed one.
Of course, the Revs have had a good start to the season as they are second in the East with a 5-1-1 record. They’ve scored 12 goals and allowed six. They’ve also recorded four clean sheets.
The Revs will hope to continue their streak of strong defensive efforts on Saturday. To do so, they will need a team-wide effort.
“It starts from the top,” Polster said. “I think this year we've done a pretty good job from the top two or three players where we put their team under pressure, and it's made it difficult to get the ball forward.
“And even then, when it does get into they're attacking third or our defensive third, I thought our backline and us midfielders have done a pretty good job of getting in the box, being in good spots, following runners, and preventing big chances. It's always nice even if we do give up a big chance, Djordje [Petrović] will find a way to make a big save. So, I think we have a really good collective group. I think guys are able to make plays and that's what's helped us get four clean sheets so far.”