Revolution Notebook: Availability Update, Polster As A Right Back, And Hitchcock's Contributions
Here are some news and notes ahead of Saturday's game against Austin FC.
The New England Revolution end their busy stretch of three games in eight days when they face Austin FC on Saturday. Here are some talking points ahead of the game.
Williams Provides An Availability Update
On Thursday, Revs assistant coach Richie Williams said, “DeJuan [Jones] and Andrew [Farrell] are doing well now, so we anticipate them being included with us this weekend.”
While Williams didn’t have an update regarding the arrival of Tomas Vaclik’s visa, he did say that Noel Buck will be available for this weekend’s game before leaving to link up with the English U-19s.
Additionally, Sam Minton reported that Gustavo Bou has returned from Argentina, though he’s still working his way back to full health.
Williams remarked, “[Bou] is moving along really nicely coming back from his injury, so we anticipate that he'll be back with us soon.”
Polster Praised For Performances At Right Back
Matt Polster is no stranger to playing right back as he’s lined up there while with the Chicago Fire and Rangers FC.
Thin on options, Polster operated as a right back for the last two Revs games. His most recent performance earned him a Team of the Matchday nod after he won 7/9 ground duels, created three chances, and hit the woodwork once against the Red Bulls.
While Polster doesn’t consider himself a right back, Williams has been impressed by what he’s seen.
“[Polster] is a good right back and he's played very well as a right back for us,” Williams remarked. “And yes, he'll continue to play right back as long as we need him to play right back. That's best for the team and for the team to be successful. So, we're very happy with his contribution in that position.”
Hitchcock Gets Recognition
Kevin Hitchcock became the Revolution’s goalkeeping coach in April 2019. Since then, the club has sold two goalkeepers to English Premier League teams, as Matt Turner went to Arsenal and Djordje Petrovic joined Chelsea.
While Hitchcock isn’t solely responsible for these transfers, they do help us understand how good of a coach he is.
“To send two guys off to arguably two of the top-five clubs in the world in back-to-back years, he’s obviously doing something right,” Edwards Jr. said. “Having played at Chelsea, I think he brings that experience here and knowing what it takes to play at the absolute highest level. I think it’s easy for him to give us those tools and set a standard for what it takes to play at this level. Again, I think you’re seeing the results of that across the board.”
Polster is a good player no matter where he plays, but I'd much rather have him as a defensive mid fielder than a winger. An important part of a wingers job is to cross the ball effectively. That is not Polster's strength and it hurts the teams offensive game when quality crosses don't occur.