FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The challenge facing the New England Revolution is stark.
With 10 games remaining in the regular season the Revs occupy eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, one point back of the sixth and final playoff spot. The three teams directly ahead of New England in the table – Orlando, D.C. and Montreal – all hold a game in hand on the Revolution.
There are no illusions about the task ahead, nor about the urgency that accompanies the mission as Major League Soccer enters the stretch run of the 2016 campaign.
“[Urgency] isn’t creeping in – it’s there,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “I think we have to understand what we’re up against and understand that we can’t have nights where we go out there and we don’t perform to our level.
“When we don’t do that, we’re not very good. But when we do it, we have a real fighting chance at continuing to grow.”
In recent weeks the Revolution haven’t approached peak form, dropping their last three league games while conceding 11 goals in the process. But that was immediately preceded by a 3-0-1 stretch in which the Revs allowed just two goals, including shutouts against both Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire.
The inconsistency has been maddening for both Heaps and the players, who are keenly aware that a swift turnaround is needed for the Revolution to secure a fourth straight playoff berth.
“[Jay’s] pissed off. The guys are pissed off. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to bounce back,” said Je-Vaughn Watson. “Everybody has a sense of pride to make the playoffs. It wouldn’t be worth it if you don’t go to the playoffs. We’ve got 10 games left, so we have to make sure that we work hard.”
New England’s 10 remaining league games – sandwiched around the U.S. Open Cup Final against FC Dallas – are evenly split between home and away, and Saturday night’s home game against Columbus Crew SC looms as an opportunity for the Revs to clamp down and take a step in the right direction.
“You might think [10 games] is a lot of games, but it’s not,” said Watson. “They come one after another. We’ve got five home games and five away, so we have to make sure we win all the home games and go on the road and try to get points.”
“When we get here to the end of the summer and into the fall, come on – we all know what we want. We want to get into the playoffs,” said Kei Kamara, who reached MLS Cup last year with Columbus. “These 10 games, you kind of weigh how many games do you have at home, how many games do you have on the road, and really try to put yourselves in a good position.
“It’s in our hands depending on how well we show up for every game.”
