FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - After returning from Mexico battered and bruised, New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said that his side had made significant progress during an undefeated trip to Mexico.
"Other than injuries we're pleased with what we've been seeing," Nicol said. "I think we're strong and fit at this point. We're going about our business."
Entering Mexico with two wins after defeating Los Angeles and the Bermuda national team, the Revolution extended their winning streak to four with a 7-0 victory against Playa Del Carmen and a 1-0 triumph against Pioneros de Cancun. The Revolution look to extend that run this weekend with two games in New Orleans.
Each contest allowed the Revs to work on fitness concerns while building up on the ball skills in advance of the season opener in two weeks time.
"Both games in Mexico were different," Nicol said. "The first game was on a different track. We had good passing and we made good moves.
"The second game was at 4 p.m. in Cancun," Nicol said. "Because of the conditions, we used two different teams in each of the halves. It was a hard, dry, bumpy field. What we tried to do is more important than what we did."
While in Mexico, the Revolution had three players (Jeff Larentowicz, Khano Smith and Joe Franchino) sent off in the two contests. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the dismissals left Nicol untroubled by the disciplinary measures.
"It doesn't look great on paper," Nicol said. "Jeff Larentowicz doesn't know why he got sent off. Khano was talking to the referee. Joe caught a guy in a tackle and got sent off."
New England arrived home with a pair of injuries that could affect the opener in Chicago. Pat Noonan suffered a groin injury and underwent surgery on Wednesday in Munich, Germany. He is expected to be lost for three weeks. Michael Parkhurst separated his left shoulder while swimming in the ocean. The center back is out indefinitely.
Nicol says he has "no plans" to pursue a change in formation to compensate for the loss of Parkhurst at the back. A change to the formation had been mooted because Parkhurst's natural replacement Daniel Hernandez is still sidelined with a groin injury, but Nicol suggested any change was wide of the mark at this point.
The Revolution head coach will see his side continue its preseason preparation as the Revs travel to New Orleans for training this weekend. The centerpiece of the trip is a friendly match with Honduran side CD Olimpia at Tad Gormley Stadium on Sunday night.
Nicol expects the Honduras CONCACAF Champions' Cup participant to provide a stern test for his Revolution team. Olimpia were eliminated by D.C. United in the quarterfinals, 7-3 on aggregate.
"The game against Olimpia will tell us a lot," Nicol said. "They are a quality side."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
