FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – According to the old cliché, a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer. If that’s the case, then the New England Revolution would like to live dangerously.
Ten games into the 2016 season the Revs have yet to hold a two-goal lead at any point, and it’s left them vulnerable. A single mistake can turn a one-goal lead into a tie game, a scenario the Revolution experienced twice in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Orlando City SC.
That’s why the Revolution aren’t just focused on scoring the game’s first goal, but also bagging the second goal to put games out of reach before their opponents can recover.
“I want to see us put the game away in the first half,” head coach Jay Heaps said in reference to that 2-2 draw with Orlando. “I thought we had two or three chances to go up 2-0.
“We don’t want to give up two goals at home. We felt like if we scored two, that’d be enough. We have enough firepower where we feel like we can get chances and put games away before they get close.”
Four times this year the Revs have scored the game’s opening goal, but as they’ve been unable to kill teams off with a second goal, they’ve only turned those games into a 1-0-3 record. On three occasions they’ve been pegged back, allowing teams to restore level terms with a single goal.
“It’s one of those things that if we can put in another goal and take the lead 2-0, it’s a lot easier for us,” said Diego Fagundez, who has scored the game’s first goal three times this year. “When it’s 1-0 and they keep fighting, they get a counterattack and get a goal like that, they’re back in the game.
“Then we’re back to square one where we’re fighting against each other and battling.”
While the old adage may disagree, statistics support the Revolution’s desire to build a multi-goal lead, as MLS teams that have held a two-goal lead at any point in a game are 33-0-3 this season.
Of course, it’s unreasonable to expect to build multi-goal leads in every game – there will be occasions in which the Revs will need to grind out results – but for a side that’s been punished by simple defensive mistakes many times this season, a multi-goal lead here or there could be the cushion that they need.
“The two-goal lead mentally puts the other team a little bit further back and can kind of put the game away,” said Scott Caldwell. “It’s not necessarily won at that point, but it definitely makes it easier.
“We haven’t done that, and we need to if we’re going to get three points, at home or on the road.”
