FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Officially the New England Revolution have scored just one goal in their past two games, Lee Nguyen’s first-half penalty kick in last weekend’s draw with the Philadelphia Union.
Unofficially, that statistic comes with a big fat asterisk.
Only an otherworldly performance from Union goalkeeper Andre Blake prevented the Revs from scoring multiple goals last Saturday. They generated 20 shots and put 11 of them on target – their second-highest total this season – only for Blake to make a club-record 10 saves, many spectacular.
With that in mind, no one’s panicking about offensive production in Revolution camp. Instead, there’s an assured confidence that as long as they continue creating chances, the goals will eventually flow.
“I think part of this game requires a little bit of luck and inches can be the difference,” said Juan Agudelo, who hit the woodwork and was denied twice by Blake in a remarkable 45-second span. “We just have to keep creating chances and realizing that’s a good thing that we are creating chances.
“We’re all anxious. We just have to be a little bit more patient and it’ll come. Once the first one goes in, the floodgates will open.”
Patience, as they say, is a virtue. But it’s a difficult skill to master.
Not only were the Revolution stymied by Blake’s heroics last weekend, but they also missed out on a chance to clinch a playoff berth and climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. There was no doubt a sense of frustration in the Revs locker room as they contemplated a missed opportunity.
But another week offers another opportunity – it’s the beauty of sports – and should New England generate another glut of chances at Toyota Park, they’ll not only find the back of the net, they’ll also find themselves in the postseason as a win or draw in Chicago would secure their spot.
“We felt we left points on the table (against Philly),” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “But it’s kind of like missing chances in the game – you have to move on quickly.
“Now we’re focused on the small details and the things that are going to help us have a performance against Chicago. We feel if we go about it the right way, we’ll have a fair chance.”
