NE Revolution: 3 Key Takeaways from the Minnesota United match
After a two week delay, the NE Revolution had their home opener, welcoming a Minnesota United side which had just picked up their first point.
The fans had to wait an extra two weeks to get their home opener, but it proved worth the wait. After a weather delay postponed the New England Revolution hosting Orlando City, Saturday marked the team’s first time playing in Gillette Stadium this season.
After an opening weekend loss to Colorado, and then a 2-1 defeat to the 2016 Shield winners, FC Dallas, Saturday proved to be a different story. So what should the Revs take from the victory, besides three points?
1) Don’t over hype – it was Minnesota
Even with the international break forcing United to miss a few key players, they were still very poor at the back. For Rev fans it must have been difficult in a way to see their former keeper, Bobby Shuttleworth, getting scored on so much.
So while New England looked sharp, held possession and bagged five goals – they have to keep in mind it was against the league’s weakest team this season. Minnesota has let in 18 goals in four games. That’s over half what Colorado let in all of 2016.
2) Confidence
Three points are great, as they are now away from the bottom of the East. But the manner in which they bossed the game is even more important with Portland up next. Traveling to the Timbers was never going to be easy, but this may be a good time to strike.
Nguyen, Agudelo, Kamara and company were rolling on Saturday and the Timber’s style will allow them to continue the possession domination. As the Columbus Crew showed Saturday night, keep possession, fill up the center spine of the pitch and Portland can be defeated.
3) Closing in our Revolution Records
The core of this New England side has been together for years, had strong seasons, and are tallying the stats to prove it. As mentioned on the broadcast Saturday, both Lee Nguyen and Chris Tierney made notable moves during the Minnesota victory.
Nguyen tied Steve Ralston for second place on the all-time goal scoring list. However, with 42, it is unlikely he can catch Taylor Twellman’s 101 strikes.
Tierney grabbed his 36th assist on the night he was making his 200th career start with the Revs. Now in second place, he too has a long way to go for the top spot (Ralson at 73).
Next: Minnesota United: 3 Key Takeaways from NE Revolution match
A great result for New England, but the next two weeks will be more indicative of where they rank at the moment. You can catch the Revs back in action next Sunday night on ESPN2 at 9:00 pm ET as they travel to the Portland Timbers.