FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The last time that the New England Revolution played the New York Red Bulls, on August 2 at Red Bull Arena, the slinked home with their tails tucked between their legs after squandering a first-half lead and a man advantage in a 2-1 loss.
In retrospect, that result was a spark of some kind.Since then, The Revs have gone 11-1-2, and they now look back to that August 2 loss as a learning experience that will help them this Sunday at Red Bull Arena, where they will take on the Red Bulls in Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference Championship (1:30 pm ET, NBC).
“We’re more experienced,” midfielder Lee Nguyen said. “We’re more cohesive. Our shape is a lot better now and we’re a lot more confident going forward. We think that we can withstand any team right now. If we had a one-goal lead, if we needed to play a tight game, I think we can do that now.”
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Indeed the Revolution are more capable of just that now, having parlayed one-goal advantages into wins seven times down the stretch. At the same time, they have found ways to overcome conceding first, having overturned the score on four occasions toward the end of the season.
They also improved their road form. After going from 3-1-9 through that Red Bulls loss in August, they have since gone 4-1-1 away from Gillette Stadium, including the Eastern Conference Semifinal first leg in Columbus.
“I think for us we’re a much different team than we were then,” center back A.J. Soares said. “At the end of the day, it's two games, and you've got to win. So it doesn’t really matter who we are, who we were. Whoever comes out and plays better is going to win the series.”
Then, of course, there is the Jermaine Jones factor.
Acquired at the end of August, the 32-year-old midfielder was not involved in the last match with the Red Bulls. He has been a major catalyst for the Revs' late-season success, leading the side to a 10-1-1 record since his arrival. He has injected a next-level confidence and attitude that makes the squad vastly different from the one that collapsed back in August.
“When you add a guy like Jermaine Jones, who’s a World Cup veteran, countless Champions League games and Bundesliga games, that experience alone can turn a team around,” forward Charlie Davies said. “He’s added that missing piece that we needed to complete the puzzle.”
“Both teams are different,” Revs head coach Jay Heaps said. “You have a lot of the same players. How we play and the way they play are different. I think that’s what’s exciting about the playoffs. We haven’t seen them as much as we saw Columbus at the end. I think both teams will have a feeling-out period.”
