Curse of the Crayon Flag: Inter Miami's Long Con to the Shield Points Record
Three years ago the Revs had a chance to extend their record Shield winning points total and lost to Miami. Today, they try to undo a season's worth of terrible soccer to keep that record.
Three years ago the New England Revolution hoisted what is arguably their most important trophy ever in their over 25 year playing history.
Yes, the 2008 SuperLiga is still the GOAT but I digress.
The Revs 2021 Shield run was a magical season that would eventually end in playoff disappointment in penalties in the first round after a long layoff with an international break. But that wasn’t the only disappointment New England had to end 2021.
The Revs 0-1 loss to end the season came against an Inter Miami team already eliminated from playoff contention. A Blaise Matuidi second half goal was enough to snatch a win from an otherwise dominant Revs side that went 3-for-16 shooting on the night. A win would have put New England on a fitting 76 points and out of the reach of the current Miami squad, hence the long con that began before Messi even was involved.
That fateful season ending match was also the unveiling of the new Revs logo, as the organization sought to capitalize on the momentum of the greatest season in league history with a rebrand that seemingly has the same notoriety and certainly not anywhere near the success as its predecessor currently.
The rebranded Revs struggled through a 2022 season of tumultuous roster turnover with major transfer sales of Matt Turner, Adam Buksa, Tajon Buchanan turned into the additions of Djordje Petrovic and Giacomo Vrioni but a playoff missing season finishing 10th.
2023 started out well, with the Revs in second place halfway through the year before head coach Bruce Arena’s suspension and eventual dismissal saw the Revs limp to a 5th place finish and first round exit. We all know how 2024 is going so no need to bring that up.
Now I am not going to rant again about the rebrand, lack of distinct merchandise with the new red sash, or the overall team success the last three years. What is not disputable is the Revs rebrand has seen two and a half years of largely dismal soccer in its three years of existence and I do not think that is a coincidence.
What I will say is that specifically in 2024, the Revs have spent a significant amount of time trying to be something they are not. A mediocre possession team that doesn’t generate attacking chances through build up play and has given up 68 goals so far this year defensively. Instead of the counter attacking juggernaut they should be.
Head Coach Caleb Porter says that his team is going to be motivated to defend the club record that he was in Columbus for…as opposed to the other 33 games in which the Revs may or may not have been motivated to play well.
“We are going to be a part of history one way or another,” Porter said of the faceoff with Miami this weekend. “We are going to be a part of their history winning the highest point total in a season, or we are going to stop that from happening, which is what our goal is. Obviously, it won't be easy, but we owe it to the 2021 team that set that record to do everything we can to not let that record be taken.”
I do not know how a team without Carles Gil and Tomas Chancalay will match up against Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and the rest of the Barcelona Over 35s but if it resembles anything like how the Revs played in Columbus it should be a similar scoreline. I enjoyed Massive Report’s Caleb Denorme’s tactical breakdown of the dumpster fire that was the Revs defense against the Crew last week which, international absences and injuries be damned, was a terrible game plan.
Carles Gil, Brandon Bye, Andrew Farrell, Matt Polster and Tommy McNamara are the senior players left from that Shield run with the trades of DeJuan Jones and Henry Kessler earlier in the year. I would have run out all six of those available veteran players for a backline of Jones-Kessler-Farrell-Bye and a holding mid pairing of Tommy Mac-Polster to truly let that group hold onto their record by pitching a shutout against the seemingly greatest team money can buy in MLS history.
But that 2021 team is gone, a victim of their success and transfer (or trade) value. Farrell and McNamara are now fringe players on a team that seemingly next year will have turned over almost everyone save their talismanic MVP.
What is left is a squad that hasn’t been coached well enough, nor has it played well enough, or done anything that would give the Revs fanbase confidence they can get a result against a full strength Miami side today.
Maybe Messi, Suarez, and Campana will all sit and rest up for their opening round three game playoff series against someone in a week or so. Maybe Esmir can nutmeg someone twice his age before setting up Vrioni with an inch perfect cross for an opening goal. Maybe Caleb Porter for once will actually have a good gameplan.
I still believe in a time when a flag drawn with crayons was the greatest thing in this league, and still should be. When a magician, a panther, and a large Polish forehead could lead a roster of first round draft picks and MLS vets led this club to arguably it’s highest point ever. A time when the greatest misfit logo in MLS cobbled together a team that played 33 games well above their middle of the pack pay grade to greatness.
That greatness is now threatened by a roster with triple the spending as that 2021 side, and double the spending of the current Revs. Those Miami legends are going up against a team that started losing its identity three years ago. An identity that is now as bland on the field as it is off of it.
MLS has spent a lot of time recently on a nonsensical approach of trying to appeal globally and make money like the rest of the world by expanding it’s games played. Instead of trying to be like the rest of the world, we were better being the weird, 35-yard running shootout inventing, 90s logo loving weirdos of yesteryear.
As far as I am concerned the only way to right the wrongs that befell the Crayon Flag three years ago is to play tonight’s final wearing that old badge. Three years ago we disrespected the history of this club on its most important day, by announcing a new, generic Euro badge to replace the last of the MLS originals. Today we can maybe start to end the curse that has befallen New England under it’s current iteration.
The Crayon Flag currently holds the record of greatest team in MLS history. Only the Crayon Flag will keep that record. Only the Crayon Flag will return the Revs to the playoffs.
Brilliant post. Revs history at its finest -when the team is now at its lowest.
Excellent article. While I don't believe in curses, I always thought it was totally stupid to mess with the team's identity at such a critical time of the season. It could have easily waited until the offseason and I think it impacted the teams play against Miami and NY.