FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A loss should always be used as a learning opportunity, and what’s most important is finding a way to respond in the next match.
After falling to the Montreal Impact last weekend at Stade Saputo the New England Revolution look again to bounce back on Saturday night as they host the defending MLS Cup champions, Toronto FC. Twice already this season the Revs have demonstrated an ability to immediately rebound from losses.
“I think in whatever you do you’re always going to make mistakes,” said Andrew Farrell. “You’ve just got to move on with it and not stay too low on yourself, or get too high on yourself when you know (you’re) on a good winning streak. You’ve just got to stay balanced.”
Against Montreal, the Impact took a commanding 4-0 lead over a 23-minute stretch, and while New England were not able to pull it all the way back, they did find two late consolation goals from Wilfried Zahibo. That quick reply to cut Montreal’s lead in half showed the Revs’ resiliency.
“Very uncharacteristic of our team to do that (against Montreal), because we haven’t really seen that, even in preseason, but sometimes it’s best to go through those little adverse situations and then you can come out the backside of and learn more from it,” said head coach Brad Friedel. “I did like the fact that we didn’t give up. We were fighting back.”
New England’s ability to respond after disappointing results is well documented. After falling to the Philadelphia Union in the season opener, the Revs came back the following week to defeat the Colorado Rapids at home.
But that’s not all.
The Revs have historically performed extremely well at home in “Fortress Foxborough,” going 19-3-4 in their last 26 home games. When the Revs suffered a rare home loss to FC Dallas in mid-April, they bounced back the following week on the road as they picked up a valuable point in a 2-2 draw at Columbus Crew SC. Columbus twice took the lead in that match, and each time New England responded.
“Brad always says that good teams don’t lose two games in a row, so we’re happy to be playing at home, and we’re looking forward to setting the record straight,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner.
As the Revs prepare to host Toronto FC, they know the Reds are a versatile and fast-paced team they’ll need to overcome with a combination of both their skill and resilient attitude.
“Coach harps on it, not losing two games in a row, especially not losing games at home, so it’s going to be a big test,” said Teal Bunbury. “Toronto is a great team, an Eastern Conference team, and these games mean a lot. Getting three points at home is our mindset every game and I think that we’re going to be up for the challenge.”
