FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Consider these next two weeks the calm before the storm.
The New England Revolution are currently in the midst of their lightest stretch of the 2016 season, off until June 15 when they’ll begin their U.S. Open Cup campaign against the Carolina RailHawks. All told they’ll have an 18-day break between games as part of the MLS-wide hiatus for Copa America.
But when mid-June arrives the games will come thick and fast. The Revs will visit Carolina (June 15), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (June 18) and D.C. United (June 22) within the first week of returning, and will play at least six games – possibly seven depending on the Open Cup – in a hectic 25-day stretch.
Preparations for that gauntlet of games have already begun, but with something of a “less is more” approach to the schedule. While the Revs will train intermittently throughout the next two weeks, they’ll also be given ample time off to rest their bodies in anticipation of the grueling summer to come.
“First and foremost, we’re going to work on a lot of things, but we’re also going to work some time away in there, as well,” head coach Jay Heaps said of the current down period. “We’re looking at it as a way to get guys recovered and give them a little bit of time away.
“Then at the same time we’re going to bring them back for three or four days, then give them three or four days off, then bring them back in for three days.”
New England’s first real break will be this weekend when the players are given Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, marking their first weekend without a game (regular season or preseason) since mid-February. They’ll also be off next weekend before the summer schedule kicks into full gear.
“We’re going to have two segments of a break around the weekend to let them kind of decompress and be with their families and get away from the game for a little bit,” said Heaps. “Also during that time we’re going to push them physically to make sure that we’re getting them up and they’re not losing any fitness.”
