Revolution Notebook: Harkes, Ivacic, And An Injury Update
Here are some storylines after Wednesday's win.
The New England Revolution defeated Atlanta United 2-1 on Wednesday. The club has five wins in their last six games, putting them two points outside a playoff spot.
Here are some storylines from the midweek outing.
Harkes Earns Praise
Ian Harkes started his fifth straight game on Wednesday, going 82 minutes in the win.
Harkes began this stretch by playing out wide against the New York Red Bulls but has since moved centrally.
Against Atlanta, the midfielder had three clearances and five recoveries. Offensively, he had four passes in the final third, created one chance, and collected one shot on target.
“Yeah, he has been very solid for us,” Porter said of Harkes. “He has been in there a lot of the games when we've won. We've won five out of the last six, so that's excellent form for us, and he has been in there the majority of them, I think, with the exception of one maybe.
“We floated him wide one game, so we have played him in different roles. He is a good guy. He's a leader. He's technical and he's smart tactically. There are times in certain games where the range – I'd like to see more range out of him, but I think him and Matt [Polster] really, they do, they play well together.”
Aljaz Ivacic Collects Sixth Win With Revs
Aljaz Ivavic made six saves against Atlanta, improving to 6-4-0 on the year. He would’ve had his third clean sheet, if not for a late goal from Daniel Rios.
Ivacic’s best stops occurred during first half stoppage time. He first denied Bartosz Slisz before making a fingertip save on Ajani Fortune.
While Porter doesn’t like that his team almost conceded before halftime, he does like that Ivacic was ready to step up.
“Massive,” Porter said of Ivacic. “In the first half, two of those saves late in the half. That’s another example of mentality dip; we can't dip our mentality. I love that we're starting games really well, that we're putting them in the right psychological zone to be ready to play. They're ready to execute and you see there's a plan, but I think there are times, then, the game kind of fizzles out from there and I don't want to see that. I want to see the knife between the teeth longer.
“But when that does happen, you need guys like Aljaz to bail you out, and I thought he bailed us out. Otherwise, we're going into the break 2-1, and then now it's a lot scarier.”
Porter Provides An Injury Update
The Revolution’s pregame Player Status Report featured nine players, including Dylan Borrero, who started against Atlanta, and Tommy McNamara and Bobby Wood, who both made the bench but didn’t play.
Porter provided an update on some key players after Wednesday’s game.
“Yeah, Ema [Boateng], I'll start with him – he had a little hamstring strain, Grade 2, so he's probably out two-to-three weeks.
“Carles [Gil], he is getting better. He has a little calf strain, a tight soleus. We're hoping next week that he'll be back, so that would be huge, but he's doubtful for Seattle.
“Mark-Anthony [Kaye] keeps kind of having little things that pop up. It started with a knee, then it was a hamstring, and then it was a calf. So, we need to get him feeling good. I don't think he's too far away, so we're hoping maybe next week on him as well.”
The Revs will play their third game in eight days when they travel to face the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. Porter mentioned the possibility of rotating some players for that game.
“Seattle, we've got to figure out where guys are at,” Porter said “[Xavier] Arreaga, obviously at the end, he didn't take an injury but his legs are dead. So, can he go again? I know he's going to want to go against Seattle. He told me he was going to go all three, but we'll see. We'll see where he's at.
“We've got to make a smart decision here. With this Western Conference game now, these are bonus points for us. So, we can go and try to get a result and go for it a little bit, but we have to be very smart. We can't keep taking injuries, because we're as injured as we've ever been right now.”
Here's a thought, try subbing before the 80th minute.
At least Aljaz Ivacic left his cement shoes home and was moving to make saves..