Despite the bad taste left by last Saturday's defeat to Kansas City, the New England Revolution are a pretty content bunch as they approach this Saturday's match with Real Salt Lake, a game that will see them complete the first third of their regular season schedule.
With a 5-2-2 record and a goals-per-game average that currently stands at just under two per game, the Revs currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. Concerns that the offseason losses of Clint Dempsey, and to a lesser extent Jose Cancela, would negatively affect Steve Nicol's side have thus far not been realized. The Revolution have served notice that they will, once again, be a formidable opponent this season.
Saturday's game against the Wizards was just the third the Revolution have played on their home field this season and Nicol considers his side's start to be all the more impressive, given the air miles they clocked up in the opening weeks of the year on road trips to Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Houston.
"Six games in eight away from home is always a tough start," said Nicol on Wednesday. "You want to start the season with points on the board just because it settles everybody down. When you're playing away from home all the time, it makes it pretty difficult and I think we really stood up to that well and came through it really about as well as we hoped."
Nicol admitted that this season his side "got some points that we shouldn't have got and we didn't get some that we should have." But a big factor has been key contributions from a number of rookies, who have quickly adjusted to life at the professional level.
"I think the fact that we have started so well tells that people have settled in well," said Nicol. "Guys have seen the field - Wells (Thompson), (Adam) Cristman, Gary Flood saw the field straight away - which is a real positive."
The knock-on effect of the impact of the new boys was what it did for New England's veterans, who were reminded to take nothing for granted, according to their coach .
"I think (the form of the experienced players is) to do with the fact that some of the young guys pushed them along and made them aware of the fact that they had to be on their game," said Nicol.
Three key men in the recent success of the Revolution - Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston and Michael Parkhurst - will leave the squad following this weekend's match to join up with the U.S. squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The trio will miss up to two games for New England and Nicol is challenging the remaining members of his squad to step up and ensure their absence does not have a negative impact on the Revs as the club approaches the middle portion of the campaign.
"We try and look at it positively," he said. "We're not daft, it's not going to help us, but we try and look at it in a positive manner and try and get some things out of people who are going to be given a chance."
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
