WASHINGTON, D.C. – Brad Friedel wasted little time thrusting newcomer Michael Mancienne into the fray as the veteran center back started alongside Antonio Delamea on Sunday night at Audi Field, just four days after arriving stateside to join the New England Revolution.
It was a bittersweet debut for Mancienne, who went the full 90 minutes and largely looked calm and comfortable, only for the Revs to see their unbeaten run hit seven (0-5-2) in a 2-0 loss to D.C. United.
“I thought he coped well with most everything,” Friedel said, noting that he hadn’t planned on having the 30-year-old defender play the full 90. “As he gets more games, he’ll get more used to how we play, but I thought he did very well.”
Mancienne – who said he’s still adjusting to the five-hour time difference between London and the east coast – is not only short on games but also on training time with his new teammates, having arrived midweek and only training twice with the group before taking the field on Sunday night.
With more training sessions Mancienne will not only continue to build his fitness, but also his relationships with those he’ll play alongside in New England.
“It’s obviously important when you come into a new team to understand the players that are around you, how they play, what they do at all times,” Mancienne said. “It’s a massive thing. Some of the best teams in the world have played together for years and years and years. It doesn’t happen overnight.
“Hopefully we can kick on from here; we can forget this, move on, get onto the next game, get three points under our belt and start fighting for that playoff (spot).”
While Mancienne will need a bit of time to fully adjust to his new surroundings, he’ll have to do so on the fly with just 10 games left in the regular season and the Revs now four points back of the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.
Teal Bunbury, for one, is confident that Mancienne will be fully settled in sooner rather than later.
“Really pleased with Michael – not even just on the field, but off the field,” Bunbury said. “Already I think he’s integrated really well. He’s getting along with all the guys, his spirits are up, and he put a great shift in tonight for being jet-lagged, just coming in, going 90 minutes and down a man, as well.
“Really pleased with his work rate and his confidence on the ball, and I think he’s going to be a big, crucial piece for us moving forward these last 10 games.”
