New England Revolution 0 - Club América 4: 3 Thoughts

The Revolution's early-season struggles continued as their CCC campaign all but came to an end on a cold, rainy night at Gillette Stadium.

Photo Courtesy of Nathan Robillard

On Tuesday, the New England Revolution took on what Head Coach Caleb Porter called “the best team [they’d] ever play” in Mexican Giants Club América, in a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal clash at Gillette Stadium.

With their only wins on the year coming from the CCC through six MLS matchweeks, the Revs were in desperate need of momentum heading out of a 10-day break. Unfortunately for Porter’s men, they could not find it in a 4-0 leg one route of a loss, and will have their work cut out for them in the return fixture in Mexico next week.

In a new-look formation, Porter deployed three true centerbacks in Dave Romney, Henry Kessler and Jonathan Mensah. Ryan Spaulding and Dejuan Jones got the start out wide in what appeared to be a wingback role, while Earl Edwards Jr. got the nod between the sticks for the second consecutive game.

Elsewhere, Matt Polster, Carles and Nacho Gil made up the midfield, while Thomás Chancalay and Giacomi Vrioni led the line up front. Notably, Andrew Farrell, Bobby Wood, Esmir Bajrakterevic and Noel Buck were among those who started on the bench for the Revs.

So what do you need to know about Tuesday’s defeat? Here are three thoughts.

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1. Possession wins games

So often this season, we’ve seen the Revs dominate possession but struggle to create direct goalscoring opportunities. While the second part continued to be true against Club América, you can’t score when you don’t have the ball. And the Revs barely had the ball in the first half.

América dominated possession from the jump, and looked to be in complete control for the majority of the opening 45 minutes. They comfortably navigated to Revolution press and played out of pressure with no trouble, showcasing their quality as the Revs struggled to string together consecutive passes throughout the game. Forward passes from the Revolution were more often desperate attempts to get out of trouble than calculated moves to advance the ball, and the occasional half-chance of a forward pass or cross was swept away by the América defense fairly comfortably.

All in all, a lack of creativity made the hosts look flat and out of ideas. It’s no secret that the New England Revolution have struggled to score this season, and when you play one of the top teams in the continent, it doesn’t get any easier. That much was clear, and it gave the visitors a 2-0 halftime lead.

1. The 3-5-2 didn’t work, and the midfield was overwhelmed

Not for the first time this season, Porter rolled out a new-look formation to start the first leg of the CCC quarterfinals. Initially putting out a three-back formation with Spaulding and Jones occupying more attacking slots down the flanks (presumably to add variety and speed to the attack), Club América kept the Revs on the back foot and limited their attacking options.

The midfield trio of the Gil brothers and Matt Polster were too occupied working out of their own half, and as a result struggled to feed their wingbacks going into the attack. When the revs were able to send a ball down the wing, it oftentimes resulted in a stranded Jones or Spaulding deep in the corner with little to no options, forcing them to send crosses into the box that didn't cause much fuss for the América back line.

It’s worth noting that the Revs did have a spur of half-chances towards the end of the first half, once adjustments were made. But the initial formation was not enough to unlock a very solid Club América side.

1. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers

Another trend that won’t come as a surprise to Revs fans: turnovers killed New England. It’s simply not an option to turn the ball over defensively against a club of América’s quality, and they made the Revolution pay for a handful of bad mistakes in the back.

The first América goal was a perfect example: a midfield giveaway led to an opportunity for the visitors, who’s dynamic passing attack cut through the Revs defense. While questions could be asked about Edwards in goal, the Revs dug themselves their own grave by failing to get back and clean up their own mess. Conceding first, and so early, was a death sentence for New England, and it continued as they the game fell further out of reach.

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The Revolution’s CCC campaign may not officially be over, but overcoming a 4-0 deficit on the road at the Estadio Azteca next Tuesday is an enormous obstacle to overcome, especially given the Revolution’s recent run of form. Kickoff for the second leg in Mexico is slated for 10:30 ET.

Before that, New England will return to league play in search of their first win on Saturday, as they gear up to host Charlotte FC for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Gillette Stadium.