FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – With Kei Kamara joining an attacking corps that features the likes of Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Charlie Davies, Diego Fagundez, Femi, Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe, how will New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps determine who plays each weekend?
“They’re going to earn it. That’s the best way to put it,” Heaps said. “The guys on the field will step on the field that have earned it.”
There’s no question Kamara’s arrival will enhance the competition for minutes in New England’s camp, but Heaps also said he’s open to tweaking the Revolution’s system to accommodate the wealth of attacking options he has at his disposal.
Under Heaps the Revs have predominantly used a three-pronged attack with a target forward flanked by a pair of wingers, complemented by Nguyen underneath. Many of New England’s attacking pieces can interchange in those roles, and Heaps said the formation will be evaluated with Kamara in the mix.
“If we need to get more attacking players on at certain times, we will,” Heaps said. “If we feel like it’s better to have one less attacking guy, we’ll do that.
“I think we look at all of it. I think we’ll entertain a lot of those different things.”
The primary question is whether Heaps would employ a two-forward system that could accommodate multiple pieces like Kamara, Agudelo, Bunbury and Davies, but Heaps pointed to the versatility of those players and their ability to play up top or on the wing in a variety of different systems.
“I don’t feel like we’ve ever just played with one striker,” Heaps said. “I feel like we’re playing with three most of the time. It’s a lot about starting points and if we have two up there together and then bring a third one later into the attack, or start with three up top and bring a midfielder in later, we’re going to attack.
“The players on the field are going to determine who’s playing and we’re going to get the best formation for our strengths.”
As noted by Bunbury, his former teammate at Sporting Kansas City, Kamara has the ability to play on the wing, but he’s more suited for a target role closer to goal. His physicality and aerial ability are two of his biggest strengths, and the Revs will look to utilize those characteristics as best as possible.
“He gives us a true number nine,” Heaps said of Kamara. “We have pieces that work off of that really well, but it also gives us a lot of depth. It gives us a lot of attacking options to vary different things in the final third.
“I think you’ll see a couple different starting points and different players in different positions just to kind of strengthen what we have.”
