FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – If there’s one thing the New England Revolution have proven time and again this season, it’s their ability and willingness to fight.
The Revs have undergone plenty of change since reporting to preseason camp in January, but even in that short span, it’s evident that one of the biggest alterations has been the Revs’ resiliency under head coach Brad Friedel.
“I think we’ve all just bought into the system and what we’re trying to do here,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner. “You saw it from the first game of the preseason when we played against (the) Red Bull(s) in Florida. We came back from two-nil down and ended up winning the game 4-3, so we’ve got this never-say-die attitude that really helps us on Saturdays.”
With all the changes this season, a constant desire to step up to tough challenges has served as motivation. From finding their groove in preseason, to picking up their first road win in the first month of the season, to battling back twice for a draw in Columbus last weekend, this Revolution team has transformed under new leadership.
“The way we work hard, the way we know that everyone is going to battle for each other gives us that belief that we can come back from anything,” said Scott Caldwell.
While the Revs know that there are still plenty of improvements to be made, they’ve taken pride in their overall results to start the season.
“We make mistakes here and there and we know that we have the players and the quality to get back in the game,” said Andrew Farrell. “Knowing that, we never put our heads down, we just keep fighting, keep going and trust the process.”
Key to that process is fighting as a unit – the Revs function as a squad with each individual battling as part of a collective whole. That approach is backed up by the statistics, as the Revs’ have racked up seven different goal scorers and seven different assist-men through seven games.
With that spirit of resiliency and a desire to work for each other, the Revs are confident that they can take their game to new levels in 2018 and beyond.
“We are a well-balanced team and we can build up, and we can also cause a lot of problems on the counterattack,” said Friedel. “We obviously have a lot of work to do. We’re still a team in its infancy, but we like a lot of the early signs.”
