Revolution 1-Crew 1: Three More Thoughts

Vrioni was good when facing Columbus' goal, plus two more thoughts from Revs v. Crew.

Photo courtesy of Ralph Schudel

The New England Revolution settled for a 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew in a very competitive Eastern Conference match played on Saturday. My colleague Sam Minton gave you his instant reaction and I’m here to give you three more thoughts.

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The VAR Check Took Too Long

I’m not going to complain about the game lasting until the 99th minute despite the referee initially indicating that there would be five minutes of stoppage time. After all, the announced number is a minimum and the center ref has the final say.

Andrew Wiebe of MLSSoccer.com did a breakdown of stoppage time and he concluded that referee Chris Penso was within his right to let play continue past the 98th minute.

What I will complain about is the use of Video Review. Play halted at 89:05 due to a possible handling offense in the box by Andrew Farrell. The officiating crew ultimately decided not to reward a penalty and the game resumed at 92:18.

That’s just too long for a VAR check. If it takes three minutes to check a play then there wasn’t a “clear and obvious error.”

Head coach Bruce Arena said it best after the game when he remarked, “If they’re going to use their phony baloney standard of clear and obvious why would it take that long to decide it’s not a foul?”

Here’s the thing: I think awarding a penalty against Farrell would’ve been harsh, but I would’ve been fine with the call if it was made on the field. I also would’ve been fine with it if Video Review was used quickly. To stop the game for three minutes to allow the Video Assistant Referee to look at every single angle is too much.

I believe a prolonged delay can affect the players. I like Video Review, but it has to be used efficiently and only on egregious mistakes.

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Giacomo Vrioni Looked Good While Facing Columbus’ Goal

Vrioni got his first start since the season opener with Gustavo Bou and Bobby Wood unavailable due to injury. The striker put in a solid 76-minute performance as he looked more comfortable with his movements.

Vrioni especially excelled on long balls. He almost recreated last week’s magic when he got to a Djordje Petrovic ball and headed toward the goal. Later, he expertly controlled a feed from Carles Gil, though his chip attempt hit the crossbar. Vrioni tried to play provider in the last example of him getting in behind the Crew’s back line.

Vrioni only played 248 minutes (7 appearances, 2 starts) last year and he has similar numbers this year as he’s played 244 minutes (7 appearances, 2 starts). This is to say that we don’t truly know what Vrioni can do for the Revolution.

He’s now building chemistry and figuring out what Arena wants from him. Vrioni explained after the game, “[Arena] gives me a lot of work to do. He's giving me the time to adjust and if I play like this it's because he gives me the opportunity to have time and patience. So, I'm happy that today I started and now I keep going.”

Saturday was a promising night for Vrioni. Can he build on it? I think he still needs to work on his hold-up play when he’s coming back to receive the ball, as well as his runs into the box. There’s also a question of how he functions with a second striker, whether that be Bou or Wood.

One thing to keep in mind is that we’ve seen Bou function as a target playmaker. Maybe Bou can do this on the right side of a 4-3-3 with Borrero on the left and Vrioni in the middle.

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The Revs Were Good on Saturday

Don’t let the stoppage time drama distract you from the fact that the Revs put in a good road performance against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference while missing Henry Kessler, Bou, and Wood.

That means something.

The Revs have a good starting lineup but they also have depth behind it. Djordje Petrovic (six saves on Saturday), Gil (season-high five chances created), and Dylan Borrero (created the goal) are game-changers and the players around them are as solid as they come. A special shoutout goes to Farrell, who made several big plays in his first start of the season.

We’re a quarter through the season so there’s still a lot of soccer to be played, but things are promising so far. The Revs have 17 points, which is tied for the second-most since 2005 when they had 20 (6-0-2). The season they’re tied with? The 2021 campaign, which is when they won the Supporters’ Shield.

But it’s too early to compare this team to 2021. They just need to stay healthy and continue to get better.