The new-look New England Revolution showed little sign of positive offseason change, falling 2-0 at Philadelphia while losing two defenders to red cards.
The New England Revolution entered their opening match with a clean slate. A new coach, new tactics, and fresh new additions gave the feeling of a new beginning for the Revs.
However, the performance New England gave was anything but, falling 2-0 at the hands of the Philadelphia Union. To make matters worse, the Revolution saw both starting center backs — Antonio Delamea and Claude Dielna — sent off in the match.
Not only did the Revs road woes continue, but the same sloppy, undisciplined style of defensive play continues to linger. While it’s still early, there were several observations from the opening match that deliver mixed signals for New England.
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The Revs remain undisciplined incapable of defending.
The New England Revolution was victimized by Philadelphia’s speed up front, with Delamea and Dielna caught out of position and forced to foul in order to defend. Unfortunately for the former, his challenge was a denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity, forcing New England to play down a man from the 23rd minute. It was the sixth red card in New England’s last five road games dating back to last September.
Whether it’s New England’s incapability to defend against speedy attackers or simply early-season sloppiness, this needs to stop in order for the Revolution to become legitimate playoff contenders.
The Revolution looked threatening on offense throughout, especially in the opening 20 minutes.
Disciplinary issues aside, the Revs came out with a different feeling than usual on the road. New England clearly looked confident, nearly opening the scoring inside 10 minutes after dissecting the Union backline. Juan Agudelo failed to deposit a pair of early chances, but the play-making ability is clearly there. Rookie and eighth-overall SuperDraft pick Brandon Bye even had a chance to open his account. But Bye was denied by the fingertips of Revolution foil Andre Blake.
Brad Freidel included some “significant surprises” in the lineup
As tweeted pregame by Revolution Staff Writer Jeff Lemieux, New England’s opening-night starting XI was quite the shock. Both Kelyn Rowe and Krisztian Nemeth were left on the bench while Matt Turner got the nod in goal.
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Turner looked solid in his MLS-debut, given the circumstances of the match. The 23-year-old made some good positional saves and had a bright performance overall. Other than a couple marking issues due to lack of chemistry, it was a real positive to see Turner progressing in his development.
Meanwhile, leaving Rowe out of the starting lineup was extremely questionable from Friedel. Rowe is undoubtedly the Revs most talented playmaker. His versatility allows him to anticipate the play well on both sides of the ball. Although Rowe did make a late substitute appearance, his presence was shrouded by New England playing shorthanded.
Nemeth, who has been recovering from an injury, was expected to make an appearance off the bench and likely would have had it not been for the pair of red cards.
Mixed reaction to new additions
The New England Revolution saw three new signings crack the starting lineup in Gabriel Somi, Cristian Penilla, and Wilfried Zahibo.
Penilla only played 27 minutes, making way for Jalil Anibaba as a sacrificial sub. His first impression was brief, making it tough to judge how he will fit into the squad.
Gabriel Somi struggled defensively in his MLS debut. On Philadelphia’s second goal, Somi was unable to mark Cory Burke on the wing. Advertised for his speed, Somi was beaten for pace by Burke, who then maneuvered around Somi before sliding a pass into the middle for C.J. Sapong to tap home.
Wilfried Zahibo was one of few positives from the night. Coach Friedel openly praised his play postgame, calling him tenacious. Zahibo was also able to jumpstart several attacking rushes and looked extremely solid in tandem with Scott Caldwell.
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The New England Revolution will look to rebound with their home opener against Colorado next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Without Dielna and Delamea, it will be interesting to see how Friedel constructs his backline and who he names captain.