The New England Revolution welcome the New York Red Bulls to town on Saturday night for a game that is sure to have serious implications on the playoff ambitions of both sides. Going into the Gillette Stadium showdown, just two points separate the third-place Revs and the Red Bulls, who are in fifth, one point behind the Kansas City Wizards.
"Saturday is the only thing that counts at the minute," said Revolution coach, Steve Nicol. "It's a big game for both teams. To get a start on the other at this point would be great at this stage for us and them."
In the two previous meetings this season between the two sides, the Revs and Red Bulls fought out a goalless draw at Giants Stadium on April 8, then Clint Dempsey's two goals inspired New England to a 3-2 home win on July 1. Since then, New York has put Bruce Arena in charge and Nicol has seen an improvement in the Red Bulls' form following the hiring of the former U.S. national team coach.
"When you get a change of manager a team always lifts itself. There is always that wee extra thing there that for some reason wasn't there before," Nicol said. "There is no huge definitive reason behind what has happened before and after. We will look at how they are playing now and try and combat it."
In the weeks and months leading up to the World Cup, a total of five Revolution players - Dempsey, Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan, Steve Ralston and Matt Reis - all had auditions for the final squad when they featured in warmup games. Ultimately, of the quintet, only Dempsey had his passport stamped in Germany, so the thought might be that several Revs have a point to prove to Arena on Saturday. If they do however, they are not dwelling on it.
"That's long gone," said Twellman, who is more focused on dealing with the threat that Arena's new side poses. "No matter who is coaching New York, we have to come out and protect our home field and get three points. Obviously (Arena) has brought some stability to the franchise and they are a much better team with him as their head coach."
Lining up alongside Twellman on Saturday should be Pat Noonan, who looks to have shaken off a hamstring injury that has pestered him all year. Without his regular strike partner, Twellman has struggled at times and he himself is well aware of how significant Noonan's absences have been.
"It has definitely had an effect. The injuries we have had, especially with Pat being out on and off throughout the whole year, have been tough," Twellman said. "I have always had a great enjoyment playing with him and we have played well together. Getting him back is going to be a huge boost to this team."
Also retuning to the Revolution lineup will be Shalrie Joseph, who missed the 3-0 loss to Columbus due to suspension. Though the result was due to much more than simply being without the Grenadian, Nicol concedes that the central midfielder is a hugely important factor whenever he is on the field and thus is greatly missed by New England when he is not.
"Shalrie is an important part of our team. It gives us a lift and, I'm sure, goes the other way for the other team," said the Revolution boss. "I am sure Columbus were quite happy last week when he wasn't playing. It's good to get him back."
With Joseph and Noonan returning, it is most likely that Jose Cancela and Jeff Larentowicz will be relegated to the bench against New York. Furthermore, it is possible that Nicol could tinker with his side further by including Avery John in defense at the expense of James Riley, whose form has dipped in recent weeks.
Whoever takes the field, the coach will be exhorting the need to maintain possession for the ball and to react quicker when mistakes are made.
"If we do our stuff then it nullifies what they can do but there are going to be times in the game when they are on top," Nicol said. "We just have to make sure we are in good positions defensively and stay on our feet. We can't lose any concentration because they have players that can hurt us if we do."
With the exception of last year's wire-to-wire run at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Revolution have become known as a side that is capable finding its best form at the end of the regular season. Twellman feels that a similar upturn is needed again and, given the close proximity to each other of the teams below D.C. United in the East this year, the striker goes on to point out that, in a way, the playoffs have already begun.
"Everybody is in the mix. We know that and everybody else knows that and it is a matter of doing what you do best. You just want to take it one game at a time. In this league, it doesn't matter how you start, it matters how you finish," said Twellman, who referenced the experience that many members of the Revolution squad have of similar late-season situations as being important throughout the remainder of this one.
"We have guys that have been here and I think that is why we really haven't pushed the panic button. If you go into the playoffs on a roll, then you are going to be in great shape. The playoffs are a whole new season -- that's our goal right now. We have seven games left and we want to start playing our best soccer and see what happens."
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
