FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution enter Wednesday night's friendly with Portuguese giants Benfica in a difficult predicament.
The match against the recently crowned Portuguese champions marks the sixth game in 19 days for a beleaguered Revolution squad already stripped of several regulars. On a night where most players would prefer simply to go out and entertain against one of the world's largest clubs, the Revs will have to balance their excitement to play Benfica with a pragmatic outlook ahead of Saturday's trip to Toronto.
“Our bodies are getting a little tired after playing so many games Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday, but, at the same time, everybody's really excited,” defender Seth Sinovic told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday. “Benfica's one of the bigger clubs in the world. Everyone's excited to play some of their top players.”
New England prepared for the test posed by the likes of Argentine internationals Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola and veteran Portuguese international striker Nuno Gomes by taking Sunday and Monday off after Saturday night's 0-0 draw with San Jose. The Revs returned to the Gilette Stadium turf for a light training session on Tuesday in order to stretch their legs before the Wednesday night friendly.
“I think, right now, we've rested two days, so we've loosened up a bit now,” Revolution midfielder Sainey Nyassi said. “We'll have three more players who will join us and who will be eligible to play tomorrow. It should be fun.”
Revolution coach Steve Nicol bolstered his squad midweek by adding three trialists ahead of the match. Serbian fullback Ivan Gvozdenovic, Haitian international striker Jean-Baptiste Fritzson and third-round SuperDraft pick Jason Griffiths could see action against the Portuguese champions.
“The guys we've brought in are absolutely on trial,” Nicol said. “They're not here to make up the numbers, so to speak. They want to show us what they can do. If they do well, we'll certainly be interested in signing them.”
The three trialists join a smattering of Revolution fringe players hoping to make an impression on Nicol in the friendly. Nicol said the match will provide an opportunity for those players—and the first-teamers who will feature—to display their abilities against a quality opponent.
“At the end of the day, it's a friendly,” Nicol said. “It's a good opportunity for some of the guys to play against one of the most well-known teams in Europe. They're champions, so it's good experience.”
