Most players earn an immediate recall when they come on as a late substitute and score two goals to win a match. Not New England midfielder/forward Kenny Mansally.
The Gambian international attacker didn't find himself in the starting XI for the next match after his two goals off the pine handed the Revolution a 2-0 at D.C. United on April 3. In fact, he hasn't found himself in the starting lineup for any subsequent match since his decisive contribution at RFK Stadium.
The unusual way things played out had Mansally wondering whether he had done something or said something wrong to find himself out of favor. He was admittedly worried.
But the answer didn't lie with his actions -- it was his consistency and his ability to change a game off the bench, according to Revolution coach Steve Nicol.
“He scored two fantastic goals, but the truth is that he's not consistent enough to start,” Nicol said prior to the subsequent match, a 4-1 victory over Toronto FC on April 10. “That's why he came off the bench last week because he wasn't consistent enough over the 90 minutes to start. It's also good to have that [option] sitting beside you so if you need something, you know he's capable of doing that. That's good as well.”
Circumstances may have also played a role in Mansally's continued spot on the subs bench. Creative outlet Marko Perovic arrived prior to the TFC match and immediately gobbled up one of the few attacking spots available.
With Perovic playing on the left side of midfield or up front when the Revs play 4-4-2 and Khano Smith seemingly the preferred left wing option in the recently favored 4-5-1, Mansally would have to displace Kheli Dube as the lone striker or jump leading scorer Zack Schilawski in the queue when the Revs opt for a second forward.
Mansally's strengths – running at defenders, stretching out the defense and creating room for a thunderous shot – don't necessarily fit well within the Revs' current one-forward deployment, so he has had to settle for second-half appearances off the bench.
The current situation may work for the Revs, but Mansally, like most players who have made 30 starts over the past two years, wants the chance to do more than make cameo appearances at the end of matches. In order to return to the starting XI, Mansally said he knows he needs to improve the finer points of his game in order to state a stronger case for a recall.
“I was kind of worried because I was wondering why I was sitting on the bench all of the time, but I know there are little things that I need to work on,” Mansally said. “I keep doing what the coaches want me to do and I hope to see myself back on the pitch.”
It won't be long until Mansally turns that hope into reality. He will likely start and play the entire match in Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup play-in game at New York.
“Sitting on the bench, I'm kind of hungry to play,” Mansally said. “I'm excited to get this opportunity in the Open Cup and show myself that I can do it in the league, the Open Cup, SuperLiga, whatever. I just want to go all out and do my best.”
