CARSON, Calif. – New England traveled to Chivas USA with the hopes of sustaining the momentum generated by a come-from-behind victory over Seattle last weekend.
Instead of building from the positive result, the Revolution faltered from the opening whistle and stumbled to a 2-0 defeat that didn't adequately represent how thoroughly the Red-and-White outplayed them on the evening.
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“It was a tough game [Friday night],” Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis told MLSsoccer.com after the match. “We didn't really do anything great. Going two down, it was just an uphill battle.
“We just didn't have it,” continued Reis. “We couldn't pass the ball to save our life. They did a great job of keeping possession. Once you're chasing the game, it's very difficult on a big field like this.”
New England's inability to retain any semblance of possession condemned them to a night filled with chasing and closing down Chivas USA, who dictated the tempo of the contest and applied consistent pressure.
Justin Braun's eighth minute goal only served to bolster the Red-and-White's ability to retain the ball, while Paulo Nagamura's tally nine minutes before halftime handed the Revs a deficit they weren't capable of overcoming.
“I think it took the air out of us a little bit, especially when they got the second one,” New England forward Zack Schilawski said. “If we had been able to get to the half 1-0, we would have had a little bit more energy to go after [the result].
“Two consecutive goals like that is tough, especially when we feel like we could have prevented him with some pretty easy changes,” added Schilawski.
Revolution coach Steve Nicol cited his side's inability to keep the ball as the fundamental flaw in a disappointing performance. Nicol said the problems in possession led his side to expend all of its energy in the defensive end and left the Revs with little opportunity to operate with any incisiveness and sharpness once they finally acquired the ball and pushed forward.
“If you add all of these things together, that's what you end up getting,” Nicol said.
With all of the positives from the Seattle victory last week now a distant memory, New England must rebound from a dismal start to their three-match road trip and return to Massachusetts to figure out a way to cure the ills exposed by Chivas USA.
According to Revolution defender Darrius Barnes, the key to ending the current three-match losing streak away from Gillette Stadium lies with a renewed commitment in training this week and a sense of urgency heading into a must-win date against the Colorado Rapids.
“We have to … put this game behind us,” Barnes said. “We probably played our worst game of the season.
“We just have to go out to Colorado and get a result,” he continued. “If we lose in Colorado, then that's our season. Everybody has to realize that.”
