New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake: 3 Thoughts
What is a real salt lake?
The New England Revolution returned to MLS play on Saturday as they faced off against Real Salt Lake out west and ended up with zero points after a 2-0 loss.
Will Sands, Dave Romney, Xavier Arreaga, and Nick Lima were the back line in front of goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic. Mark-Anthony Kaye and Matt Polster served as defensive midfielders.
Captain Carles Gil was back in his familiar No. 10 role while Esmir Bajraktarevic and Ema Boateng played on the wings. Bobby Wood was the lone striker up top.
The captain’s brother, Nacho, appeared on New England’s bench for the first time since April. Real Salt Lake was missing star Chico Arango due to injury.
But what do you need to know about Saturday’s match? Here are three thoughts.
1 - Impressive Ivacic
New England’s goalkeeper was the man of the match as he made numerous impressive saves. The Revolution could have easily been down 3-0 in the first half if it wasn’t for his performance.
Even without Arango, RSL’s attacking trio of Diego Luna, Diogo Goncalves, and Anderson Julio were causing fits for New England’s back line. As the defense bent, Ivacic made sure it didn’t break like he was Peter Parker in 2002.
Even as the Revolution were down in the second half, he continued to make impressive save after impressive save.
Ivacic is easily the best signing that the club has made this season when factoring in price and impact. The Revolution would be dead in the water if it wasn’t for him.
When a team loses, it can be easy to blame the goalkeeper but that shouldn’t be the case. The scoreline would have been worse if it wasn’t for Ivacic’s stellar saves.
2 - Keep Moving Forward
The best way to keep the ball out of your net is to not give your opponents the ball in your defending third. Unfortunately, that is exactly the gift that was provided to RSL in first-half stoppage time.
Arreaga sent a pass back to Ivacic but put little to no power behind the ball and Anderson Julio was easily able to intercept the pass and give RSL a 1-0 lead.
It was a terrible mistake by Arreaga that turned the game on its head. New Engand looked like it had survived the first 45 minutes unscathed and now was sent into the locker room completely dejected.
Mistakes like that can not occur when you are on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff position. While New England was expected to leave Utah with a point at most considering how well RSL has performed this season, the match was there for the taking until Arreaga committed the grave error.
Considering how New England’s back line performed, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Tim Parker get his first start in a Revolution uniform and some additional changes when the Revs return home to play St. Louis next weekend.
3 - Midfield Madness
The Revolution midfield is interesting to say the least.
While Polster is the locked-in starter, the second spot seemed there for the taking throughout the year. Kaye has received a majority of the starts which has left fans and general observers scratching their heads.
Kaye can deliver some great line-breaking passes but has made far too many mistakes with and without the ball. When you have players such as Noel Buck and Ian Harkes wasting away on the bench, the continued trust in Kaye can leave observers wondering if their eyes are lying to them.
Porter’s decision to not utilize Buck (who did also struggle to stay healthy) likely played a role in the fact that the youngster accepted a loan move to play for a U-21 side in England. Against RSL, Porter made the decision to take Kaye off in favor of Harkes at half; the correct decision.
With the arrival of Alhassan Yusuf, Kaye’s role will likely diminish. The Nigerian and Polster look to be the starting duo as New England continues its quest for a playoff spot.
For Kaye, this means reverting to the bench, a move that will be disappointing but reflects where he currently stands as a player. As you get older, the speed of the game can sometimes blow past you. Whether it be the turnovers or his inability to track back and mark opponents, the signs are evident that in today’s MLS, Kaye is a bench player and not a starting-caliber midfielder.
Yusuf is away on international duty with Nigeria. This means he will miss New England’s match against St. Louis next weekend. The fixture could prove Kaye’s last chance to prove to Porter that he deserves a chance to start even with the arrival of the 24-year-old.
Well, enough mistakes tonight to sink a ship.
While I thought there were some good performances (Sands stands out, IMO), the Revs struggled way too much to play the ball out of their own end. Little things add up to big trouble - playing back when you have the chance to play forward, making passes that make the receiver wait or back-track, playing teammates into pressure, ... It all adds up to starving the offense and leaving the defense prone to costly mistakes.