Revolution II 0 - Chattanooga 1: Three Thoughts
Revolution II 0 - Chattanooga 1: Three Thoughts
Things were going smoothly for Revs II until a sending off and a bike kick led to their downfall.
Revolution II was holding their own on Saturday when they traveled to Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee when they squared off against MLS NEXT Pro newcomers Chattanooga FC. That was until a costly second yellow for Tiago Suarez and a Mehdi Ouamri bicycle kick goal led Chattanooga to a 1-0 shutout win.
Here’s three thoughts.
1 - Dreadful Discipline
An unfortunate recurring theme for this 2024 Revs II squad revolves around discipline.
Following Saturday’s loss, Revs II finds themselves in a two-way tie for fourth in yellow cards (30) and tied for first in red cards (4).
Those four red cards partially led Revs II to drop nine points by going 1-3-0 in those games. Nine points Revs II desperately could have used as they see themselves in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points.
It’s no secret. The likelihood of getting a result vastly drops when you find yourself down a man. Unfortunately for Revs II, they’ve been down a man in four of 11 matches (36%).
Hopefully, for Revolution II’s sake, they can stay out of the referee’s book going forward.
2 - Next Man Up
Despite the result, you have to tip your cap to Revs II for the performance they had before the red card and lone goal. Even more so considering the number of absences they had entering the match.
An eye-catching absence from the matchday squad was Revs II’s all-time leading scorer, Marcos Dias. According to the MLS NEXT Pro broadcast, an undisclosed injury prevented Dias from playing.
Hopefully, for Dias’ and Revs II’s sake, it’s nothing major, and he’ll return to action sooner rather than later, but his presence was dearly missed in the loss.
Additionally, Colby Quiñones (Puerto Rico), Alex Monis (Philippines), Olger Escobar (Guatemala), and Jamie Kabuusu (Grenada) all missed Saturday’s loss as they were on international duty.
With Dias and the quartet of international call-ups, Richie Williams was extremely limited in what he could do with the lineup. So much so, that Revolution Academy U-19 prospects Braedon Smith and Mason Sullivan were brought in to help fill the void on the bench.
Despite the number of absences, Revs II opened up the game with a strong performance.
3 - Gevork’s Greatness
Building off the second point, one player who stepped up with all the absences was forward Gevork Diarbian.
The 22-year-old clocked 75 minutes against Chattanooga and ended the night with seven shots, four of which were blocked, completed 15 of 26 passes, and got 40 touches. While Revs II offense wasn’t able to get many chances, it wasn’t because of a lack of effort from Diarbian and the rest of the team.
Diarbian has been a crucial piece for this Revolution II side in 2024, as he’s tallied two goals and three assists over 11 appearances. Hopefully, for Revs II’s sake, Monis and Dias return quickly to help reform the offensive trio which has brought Revs II success this season.