PORTLAND, Ore. – A favorable set of circumstances have finally allowed New England midfielder Ryan Guy to settle into his natural role on the right flank.
Guy debuted as a substitute at right back in New England's 1-1 draw at Sporting Kansas City on July 30 and has provided cover at both fullback spots over the past few months, but he has entered the past three matches as a second-half substitute on the right side of midfield as Revolution coach Steve Nicol has shuffled his deck.
WATCH: POR 3, NE 0
Although Guy said he is willing to do whatever is required to help the team, he admitted that he has relished the opportunity to feature a little further up the field.
“It's nice to feel a little bit comfortable, playing in a position where I know what I'm doing at all times and I know what is expected of me,” Guy told MLSsoccer.com after the Revolution's 3-0 defeat at Portland on Friday night.
Guy may have featured in his regular spot after coming on for A.J. Soares in the 58th minute in Portland, but he found himself frustrated by his side's inability to turn the tide in the second half and emerge from JELD-WEN Field with a result.
“It's always difficult to come in when you're losing,” Guy said. “You're going to be disappointed when you don't get a result after you're trying to make a difference, which is the biggest downer for me.”
Walking wounded
The defeat in Portland could impact the Revs for the next few weeks after three players picked up injuries during the match.
Rajko Lekic left the field during the first half after twisting his left ankle inside the penalty area. Revolution medical staffers diagnosed him with a sprained left ankle after X-rays on the injury came back negative, per team officials.
Franco Coria also required postmatch X-rays after injuring his nose in a clash of heads with Kenny Cooper during the second half. Those scans came back inconclusive, per team officials, while Coria managed to remain on the field for the entire match.
To complete the trio of knocks suffered on the evening, Soares limped off early in the second half with a left groin injury.
Western blues
New England have now lost eight of their past 10 matches in the Pacific time zone (0-8-2) after falling to the Timbers on Friday night. Extend it to include the Mountain time zone as well, and the winless streak runs to 16 (0-11-5).
The last Revolution win in either time zone came in a 1-0 victory at Seattle on Aug. 20, 2009.
