FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – There is much at stake for the New England Revolution heading into Friday night’s nationally-televised match at Kansas City (8 pm ET, NBCSN/NBCSports.com).
With just three points separating them from second-place Sporting KC, the Revs return to the venue where their 2013 season was cut short in the playoffs, with the mentality that this one could set the stage for a heated finish in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
“It’s a huge game for us,” Charlie Davies told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “I like to think of it as a playoff game. It will set the tone for the rest of the season. It could be a huge confidence boost for us heading into the postseason. It’s huge for the seeding if we continue to do well.”
A positive result will break a long running trend in Kansas City, where the Revs have gone 0-7-2 since 2008, with their last win coming when coach Jay Heaps was still a standout defender.
In more recent history, the Revs began September with a 2-1 home win against Sporting, their second win over KC this season – and one which happened to come when the visitors were missing some key pieces from their potent lineup.
“They’re a different team,” said Heaps. “They didn’t have [Dom] Dwyer and they didn’t have Benny Feilhaber. From a personnel standpoint they’re different, but they’re a system team and they play well with that system. When you have their full roster of players, they’re really dangerous.”
Despite an expected full-strength Sporting side, the Revs are approaching this game with the same mindset as they did earlier in the month.
- Find more Revs news and notes at RevolutionSoccer.net
“It doesn’t really change anything,” said Davies. “Still the same team, the same game plan. We’ve just got to execute.
“Kansas City is notorious for their high-pressure play at home. We’ve got to be smart with the ball and when we do get the ball we’ve got to keep it, not let them come down our throats.”
New England are 4-9-1 on the road this season and 0-2-2 all-time at Sporting Park, and they know that picking up three points against the defending MLS champions on their own turf will go a long way.
“To win playoff games, you’ve got to win games like this,” said Davies. “What better game to win on the road than in Kansas City?”
