Steve Nicol believes his New England Revolution side has played well on many occasions this season and failed to get what it deserves from games. Last Sunday however, following a scrappy 1-0 win against the Columbus Crew, the Revs boss admitted his team had performed poorly and yet had three points to show for its night's work.
Go figure, as they say. Ahead of another encounter with the Crew on Saturday night, Nicol conceded that, with regular season games running out, now is the time when results are more important than performances. New England has eight matches remaining and are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Chicago and one point ahead of Kansas City.
At midweek, while the Revs rested, their rivals had the opportunity to improve their position in the standings. New York's tie with the Wizards, coupled with the Fire's draw with Houston, meant that the minimum impact was made on the Revolution. However, though he admits to keeping a keen eye on what other teams are doing, Nicol knows where the focus must remain.
"We find out the scores but that's about it. We are in a position where it's in our hands and that is all we can ask for," said Nicol on Thursday.
Shalrie Joseph picked up his fifth booking of the season last Sunday and will miss his first game of the season on Saturday, leaving Nicol with a selection decision to make in the center of midfield. Daniel Hernandez would be a natural replacement for the Grenadian. But after five months out with an ankle injury, he is unlikely to start, though he will be on the bench, Nicol said.
The most obvious choice would be to slot Andy Dorman back into the middle from the right and bring the suspension-free Joe Franchino in on the left of midfield. However, there is a feeling that Dorman is more effective on the right flank and that could mean the starting formation reflects that which was utilized in Thursday's training scrimmage, when Franchino was positioned in the center.
"We were just trying some stuff and today we tried with Joe in there," said Nicol. "Yesterday we had someone else. We'll decide between now and Saturday whether we will make a change or just slot someone in there."
Certain to get the start in the engine room is Jeff Larentowicz, whose winning goal against Columbus last weekend was the first of his career. The second-year professional has been a real success story for New England in what has been a topsy-turvy campaign for the club, starting 12 of the 18 games in which he has featured. His form has meant that loss of Hernandez has not hit the Revs as hard as they first might have feared.
"Particularly with Danny having the injury he has had, it really left us in a hole and Jeff's gone in and pretty much filled it. He's done a great job," said Nicol.
Also back in action on Saturday will be Clint Dempsey. The Texan has endured mixed fortunes in club colors since returning from the World Cup, having scored three goals and assisting on three others in eight games, but also missing a trio of matches due to two separate suspensions.
Transfer rumors have also swirled over the 23-year-old's head, but for now, Dempsey is looking forward to helping New England. Like his coach, the forward is well aware that the side's form has been up and down.
"We had a loss when we played quite well against the Fire but against Columbus we didn't look too sharp," Dempsey said. "Part of that might have been down to the conditions but hats off to the guys for fighting and getting the win."
Following Saturday's game in Ohio, the Revs have six games before they round out their regular season schedule with another game against Columbus on October 14. Seven of their remaining eight matches are against teams in their conference, in which just three points separate second and fifth place.
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
