FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – There was always going to be something of a learning curve for the New England Revolution in 2018. That’s the byproduct of a new head coach implementing a new system with several new players seeing significant minutes.
But it’s what happens after those inevitable mistakes are made that can define a team. Do you forge ahead stubbornly, doomed to repeat the same errors? Or do you learn from your experiences, correct the issues on the training ground, and implement changes moving forward?
The Revs choose the latter.
“You want to say that you take all the positives from games, but you also really have to look at the negatives and make sure they don’t happen again,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner. “Sometimes you take a couple steps backward to go forward.”
“Sometimes it’s best to go through those little adverse situations, and then you can come out the backside and learn more from it,” said Brad Friedel, now nine games into his tenure as Revs’ head coach.
After allowing just eight goals through their first eight games New England came unstuck for a 23-minute spell against the Montreal Impact last weekend, conceding four times in a 4-2 loss. Careless giveaways in dangerous areas and a failure to deal with those situations proved costly, as they almost always will.
Recognizing the issues, however, allowed Friedel and his staff to put together a training regimen designed to correct those mistakes, and now the Revs will have a massive opportunity to put the lessons they’ve learned to the test against defending MLS Cup champion Toronto FC on Saturday night.
“Over the last couple days we’ve had lots of conversations with the players,” Friedel said on Tuesday. “It’s not so much an accountability – it’s just being honest with yourself, honest with your performance, being able to speak openly with your teammates and being able to communicate on and off the field.
“You’re going to go through bumps in the road in seasons … We’re a team in its infancy, but what’s really important is that we don’t have another one of those episodes straightaway, that we continue on the path with a lot of the good performances that we have had, think of things in a positive nature, and hopefully get three points this weekend.”
