FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For the New England Revolution, all roads through the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs will literally be on the road, as the Revs are guaranteed to spend the entirety of their playoff run away from home, no matter how deep that run may go.
As the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference the Revs will visit second-seeded Atlanta United FC next Saturday, October 19, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the first round, and as the 14th seed overall, they know that even a trip to MLS Cup would be outside the familiar confines of New England.
That might sound a daunting task, but for a Revolution side that picked up points in nine of its last 11 road games in the regular season (3-2-6), it’s a challenge they’re confident they can tackle.
“We don’t really see it as too much of an issue, to be honest, because we’ve done relatively well on the road this year,” said Jalil Anibaba. “I think that’s something that we’ve really improved on, so as far as games being on the road in the playoffs, it is what it is for us.
“We’re ready and we’re excited at the challenges that lie ahead of us.”
Prior to Bruce Arena’s arrival in May the Revs had long struggled on the road, going 5-32-14 away from home between the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons. They started 2019 poorly on the road, as well, going 0-4-2 in the six games prior to Brad Friedel’s departure.
But Arena sparked an immediate turnaround in that department, beginning his tenure on the sidelines with a 2-1 win at the LA Galaxy and never looking back, guiding the Revs to an impressive 15 points from 11 road matches.
Three times during that stretch the Revs conceded first and managed to battle back for draws, in Seattle, New York and most recently in Portland, where they dramatically erased a late 2-0 deficit.
“We have a great belief in ourselves and being able to push each other and stick together, especially on the road,” said Scott Caldwell. “If something doesn’t go our way, we’ve been able to recently battle back and stick together.”
New England’s road success comes down to more than just pure grit, however, and Juan Agudelo said the Revs’ ability to hit teams quickly on the break has proven effective in road environments where the hosts might be more inclined to throw numbers forward.
“We have a very good counterattacking team, and I think in away games where we don’t have as much possession and it’s a bit more open, in our attacking ways, we’ve been able to punish teams,” he said. “We have speed up top and players that can play those guys that have speed, so I think that’s a dangerous part of our game.”
