FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution’s recent turnaround has been the result of many different factors, but chief among them has been a new-found defensive resolve.
Heading into the second half of the season the Revs were saddled with one of the league’s worst defensive records, leaving players and coaches to lament momentary lapses in concentration that led to New England frequently conceding soft goals.
The Revs knew those types of mistakes simply wouldn’t be sustainable through the end of the year.
“We just kind of came together and decided that this is the point in the season where we’ve got to turn it around,” said London Woodberry. “If we don’t, it’s not going to end well.”
Woodberry and the Revs have, indeed, turned it around. They’ve conceded just three goals in their last five games in all competitions, and they’ve kept back-to-back clean sheets in their last two league games against Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire.
It’s been the result of a team-first defensive mentality, a constant focus on shape, and the occasional game-changing save from goalkeepers Bobby Shuttleworth and Brad Knighton.
“It’s picking the times to pressure, picking the times to really dig in and be urgent in our defending,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “Goalkeepers have made very good saves for us, as well. So it’s a combination, front to back, everyone working extremely hard and making plays.”
“When one person pressures, the next person has to be there to help out,” said Teal Bunbury. “If it’s just one person running by themselves, then teams will be able to exploit that. So I think we’re coming together as a unit defensively and that’s working to our favor.”
New England’s defensive resolve will surely be tested on Sunday night against Orlando City SC, which features an attack led by powerful forward Cyle Larin (10 goals, three assists) and midfield magician Kaka (three goals, five assists), not to mention winger Kevin Molino (seven goals, seven assists).
“They’re good players. We’ve seen them multiple times and we know what they have to offer,” said Woodberry, who’s already featured in a pair of 2-2 draws with Orlando this season. “At the end of the day, it comes down to our preparation and how we prepare this week.”
While the Revs have been strong defensively in recent weeks – they held Chicago without a shot on target last Saturday – they know there’s still work to be done ahead of the season’s stretch run.
“Defensively, things have gotten tighter,” said Woodberry. “They’re still not perfect yet, but we’re working each week to try to get it as tight as we can in the back.”
