Revolution Need Discipline Against Portland
"When I was there, we won 80 percent of games in transition and we liked when opponents opened up and tried to play, and then we countered them."
As the New England Revolution prepare for a Western Conference matchup against the Portland Timbers, organization and discipline will be a key part of the Revs’ potential success.
Even after losing midfielder Evander, the Timbers are fourth in the Western Conference. Fellow Brazilian Antony and Portuguese forward David Da Costa have led the way for Portland, combining for eight goals and 15 assists.
The Timbers are excellent on the counterattack. Both Antony and Da Costa boast superb speed, and Kevin Kelsey is a quality striker up top. Additionally, out of Portland’s 45 goal-creating actions, 32 came from completed live-ball passes.
“They like an open game,” goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic said. “They like to go back and forth. They don’t like to face organized opponents when they defend. I’m not going to say they’re not as dangerous when they build up. They’re a good team, especially at home, and their fans are great. But they are the most dangerous in transition. When I was there, we won 80 percent of games in transition and we liked when opponents opened up and tried to play, and then we countered them. Portland is the type of team that you need to very disciplined and make sure when you have the ball that you have a good shape behind the ball.”
After a homestand that saw New England take just one point out of a possible nine, the Revs will likely be happy to head on the road. The Revolution have secured 16 of their 24 total points on the road.
Head coach Caleb Porter believes that his side have displayed a great mentality on the road. Additionally, he wants his squad to secure tactical and emotional control of the match.
“We’ve been very good on the road,” he said. “I think our mentality has been excellent. We’ve had the right pragmatism to how we play. The group is prepared. They know what they need to do. There will be times where Portland, with the way they play and the emotion that kind of comes into that stadium, where we’ll be absorbing and up against it, we [will] need to dig in and grind. Through those tough moments, we need to bend but not break. There will be moments for transition. I also think there are times when we need to control the game with the ball as well. That’s a big message that I gave the group: in a game that can get open with a talented team that’s athletic, that kind of plays in a very emotional way, it’s important to find control as best you can in the match – tactical control, emotional control. But also, can we find moments to speed the tempo up in the right way to exploit them? They’re a talented team. They have a huge home field advantage with the crowd. It won’t be easy, but we have a lot of confidence because of the results we’ve taken.”