Revolution Notebook: Center Backs, Center Mids, and Carles Gil
Here are some notes from Tuesday's practice.
The Blazing Musket attended the New England Revolution’s training session on Tuesday, Jun. 4, 2024. Here are some notes from the trip.
Assessing The Center Backs
Dave Romney made his first start since Apr. 13 on Saturday when he contributed 90 minutes alongside Xavier Arreaga in the Revs’ 2-1 win over Nashville SC.
Arreaga, who arrived in Foxboro via a trade with the Sounders on Apr. 23, paired with Henry Kessler in the five previous games. Kessler was unavailable last weekend due to yellow card accumulation.
Head coach Caleb Porter gave his assessment of the center back position ahead of the upcoming match against the New York Red Bulls.
“I always want to win, that’s it,” Porter said. “I never try to put out a lineup to lose. Sometimes things change in terms of performance. Sometimes you see something different in terms of chemistry.
“You do learn some things that are different than what you thought was the case. In some ways it’s, ‘Okay, that’s interesting, those guys play well together.’ It’s still a new group for me.”
“I’ve said it, I didn’t love the chemistry early in the year. I didn’t think we were playing well on either side of the ball, actually, based on what I wanted. That’s why we signed Arreaga, and I went with Arreaga and Kessler. I think there have been some good performances with those guys. They got a clean sheet at Chicago.
“So now, Romney has a good performance with Arreaga as well, so we’ve got some snapshots that are positive with both players – Kessler and Romney – with Arreaga. The good news is that chemistry is better – Arreaga and one of those two. So, from this point forward it’s going to be me trying to do what I think is best to win the game.”
The Midfield Pairing
Matt Polster has been a consistent presence in the Revs’ lineup, having started 13 of 14 league games. He has, however, had different partners throughout the season.
There’s been some consistency recently as Mark-Anthony Kaye has started in the middle with Polster for the last six games.
On Tuesday, Porter explained what he likes about the pairing.
“I think they’re confident,” Porter said. “Their understanding of our positioning and our rotations and the build-out is comfortable for them now. Finding the balance of when to possess and when to penetrate, I think they’re understanding that as well.
“There have been some games where they kind of keep the ball to go backwards. I thought in this game, they kept the ball but played forward. Look at Mark, he played a lot of final balls. He played a couple balls behind. He actually played that ball into [Dylan] Borrero which unlocked our team for a chance.
“Same with Matt, he found the half-spaces behind the front two, but then played forward instead of just playing backwards out. So, I think it was everything.
“Then defensively, they were winning duels. So, I think it was all those things wrapped together. It helps, again, with chemistry, consistency in lineup, minutes, and us kind of keeping similar game plans as well.
“If you see, Mark’s positions and Matt’s positions are starting to become second nature, whereas earlier in the year it was, ‘Should I be here? Should I be there?’. Now they know where they should be, and now they can just go play.”
Polster agrees that his relationship with Kaye has grown over time.
“The more and more we play together, I think we’re feeling more comfortable. I for sure am, and I think he feels the same,” Polster said. “He’s somebody that’s really good on the ball. He can possess and he can find balls in behind. Usually, he doesn’t really ever lose the ball, which helps us quite a bit, and he’s a rhythm player. When he gets on the ball, I think we link up well with each other and we’re able to play forward quickly.”
Playing With Carles
Carles Gil is a player who is often moving to find space.
On Saturday, Gil was spotted drifting to the right early in the game, a movement that led to his fifth goal of the season.
When asked about the decision to move into that space, Gil said during the post-game presser, “I have a free role with Caleb. Esmir [Bajraktarević] is a guy that can go inside, he likes to do it. Sometimes it's difficult for midfielders if I go on the right, but also with the left back it’s difficult because I’m not on the [left] side. I like to be there, but also try to move and be difficult for the other team.”
Gil was certainly active against Nashville, as made evident by a graphic shown late in the game.
Polster was asked about the map, and what it’s like to play behind someone who doesn’t stand still.
“The map just shows how big of a competitor [Gil] is,” Polster said. “He’s willing to do anything to help this team win. He has said that. He has shown that. He just wants the best for this group.
“But in terms of where he is, I just try to find out where that is and then occupy a different space so he can do his thing. When he’s playing at his best, we’re at our best.”
Do you ever listen to Porter when he's interviewed by Zo and Bertrand on 98.5 on Thursdays?
This comment from Porter about Polster and Kaye was pretty on-point, IMO:
“There have been some games where they kind of keep the ball to go backwards. I thought in this game, they kept the ball but played forward. Look at Mark, he played a lot of final balls. He played a couple balls behind. He actually played that ball into [Dylan] Borrero which unlocked our team for a chance.”