Revolution 1, Nashville 0: Three More Thoughts
Good strikers ride the offside line, plus two more thoughts.
The New England Revolution got their third win of the season on Saturday when they defeated Nashville SC 1-0. My colleague Sam Minton gave you his instant reaction and I’m here to give you three more thoughts.
Good Strikers Ride The Offside Line
Last year Revs fans were upset because Gustavo Bou was frequently caught offside. I totally get it, but good strikers ride the line.
Bou isn’t the fastest player, but he is crafty and he uses his movement to deceive defenders. Early in the match, Bou almost had a goal when he received a long ball from Noel Buck.
In the 52nd minute, Bou timed his run perfectly to grab the game-winning goal.
Bou is getting older and he’s limited in terms of what positions he can play. That said, he’s still a very talented player. If he can be paired with the right forward, La Pantera can be quite effective.
I thought Bobby Wood worked well with Bou. Wood was active throughout the night and served as a target man. I’m not sure if he’s the full-time partner for Bou, but it was a good showing.
Dylan Borrero is Better in the Midfield
Borrero started some games as a striker this year, though he has a tendency to shift left. On Saturday, the Colombian started in the midfield, which allows him to take people on.
In his 83 minutes, Borrero had 54 touches, was 26/29 on accurate passes, 2/3 on shots on target, 3/3 on successful dribbles, and 5/6 on ground duels.
After the game, head coach Bruce Arena said, “It was his best performance of the season.”
Borrero was good and some of that had to do with him playing in a position that he’s comfortable in.
The Depth is Better This Year
Last season was disappointing, no doubt, but we have to remember that the Revs dealt with numerous departures and injuries. Of course, the team could’ve helped themselves by having more depth.
Things are different this year. The club is 3-1-0 despite missing some big players at times. Bou missed the first two games, Carles Gil missed Saturday’s game, and Andrew Farrell, Tommy McNamara, Nacho Gil, and Jack Panayotou haven’t played a single minute.
Seasons are long and unpredictable and good teams are equipped to handle the ups and downs. Depth is a big part of that, as is a commitment to defending.
What I like is that the Revs are proving to be stingy. All four of the goals that the Revs have allowed came in the away game against LAFC. Djordje Petrovic is simply outstanding and the backline of DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Henry Kessler, and Brandon Bye is solid.
But it’s more than that. Matt Polster, Latif Blessing, and Buck have done a nice of controlling the midfield. In short, there appears to be a team-wide emphasis on defending.
Take a look at the clip below, which show Justin Rennicks putting in the work to win the ball back.
Fans will hope that the Revs continue to get better as the season goes on. That’s certainly a possibility as Gil barely saw that field the last two weeks.
When do you think Jack gets a chance to play? I’ve always thought of him as a Gil backup this season.