he's not ready for that, but we may ease him back in," Nicol said. "If the opportunity arises and we can get him some time then we will."
Who will get the start on the right remains a closely-guarded secret. Jose Cancela, who along with Daniel Hernandez and Taylor Twellman has been the subject of intense media attention since the Revolution arrived in Alajuela, Costa Rica, on Monday, could be used in an attempt to provide the flair and creativity that was missing at times in the first leg. Other options to Nicol are Marshall Leonard, who is ready for action following his recovery from a sports hernia, as well as the inexperienced Ryan Latham and a rookie, Kyle Brown.
One man that could easily slot in on the right side, a role he has filled with such aplomb recently for the USA, is Dempsey. However, he is likely to continue to operate alongside Twellman at forward. It is a role that the Texan admits he is still getting used to, but one in which he feels he has a lot to offer.
"It is challenging but the more positions you start to play and develop in as a player, the better you get and the more adaptable a player you can be to more teams," Dempsey said. "It always different when you play with your back to goal, as opposed to running at defenders. It is a challenge because for a long time you might not get the ball, but when you do, if you can put it in the back of the net, then you did your job."
The feeling of Nicol and his assistant, Paul Mariner, is that by using Dempsey in a more advanced role, he is likelier to have a sustained influence on the game. Given the point at which the Revolution are in their preseason, Nicol is focused first and foremost on staying solid defensively and will continue to use a 4-4-2 formation. That he hopes will enable his attacking players to create and, hopefully this time, take their opportunities in front of the Alajuelense goal.
"You evolve as a player the older you get and the wiser you get," Nicol said on the continuing development of Dempsey. "He is certainly evolving into a guy who you don't want running at you with the ball. That's the simplest way of putting it. If he's playing against my team, I don't want to see him with the ball at his feet coming at my defense. He's always looking for the ball, always looking for the mistake."
Alajuelense, known as 'La Liga' to its fans, slipped to a 3-1 defeat in the Costa Rican Primera Division at the weekend and will look to bounce back against New England. Rolando Villalobos' team is certain to carry more attacking threat than it did in the first leg, when its offensive triumvirate of Rolando Fonseca, Wilmer Lopez and Bryan Ruiz were content to play cautiously to ensure their side left Bermuda with the tie in control.
La Liga will be roared on by its fervent home support, which will pack into the side's 17,000-capacity stadium. The challenge to the Revolution is to try and silence that crowd with what they do on the large playing surface.
"It's going to be tough; they'll have their crowd behind them," said Nicol. "The players have to enjoy the atmosphere, take it and use it to their own benefit. We'd love to be playing in front of rip-roaring crowds every week and we get the chance now, so let's see how we deal with it."
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
