There are times when I question why I keep a game on, and parts of the first half had me questioning my sanity last night. But, dare I say, the second half continued to give me a false sense of hope that maybe, somehow, despite the odds stacked against ’em, these Revs might still make a run at something.
Delusional, I know, but it is amazing to me that when we play in a formation suited to the roster, we look better. Switching to that 3-5-2/5-3-2 gave us something last night, and we took it to one of the better teams in the league (albeit when they might have come slightly off the gas). Or maybe I am just delusional.
Whether or not there is still hope in this team, there’s no doubt that all hope for a good game last night was removed pretty quickly. Chancalay nearly got us on the board when he rattled the crossbar, but Orlando quickly reminded us why no one should discount them in the MLS Cup race. Taking advantage of our defense not knowing where to be, Orlando hit us for two goals in pretty quick succession, that all but killed our hopes in the game. On the first, poor Dave just got bullied to the spot. Great cross in, great header, and Earl Edwards Jr. once again rooted to his spot. Assign the blame out a lot of places. Same on the second: Lazy tackle attempt from Nacho, DeJuan caught in no man’s land trying to defend, no one tracking runners through the box, and another peach of a finish while the GK stay rooted. SO MUCH FUN.
Credit then goes to Carles for getting us somewhat back in it when his shot from distance was spilled in, but good juju going to halftime? Not here, man. Instead, we got absolutely destroyed on a counter. Note here how a talented No. 9 drags two defenders with him out of bounds to open space. Wish we had that. Also Omar, bb, where you going? He was ready to run back to Gillette defending McGuire instead of staying in the play.
Down 3-1, I wanted to just turn the game off. I didn’t. Mixed results on if that was good or not. What I liked: That Peay switched formations, that the guys on the field showed some heart, and that we didn’t give up any more goals. We even got one back at the death through Carles again. The big takeaway, though, was that this inverted fullback system ain’t gonna cut it this year. Matt Polster, the inverter himself, said as much when interviewed postgame.
“It’s not that I don’t think we’re capable, but it is demanding,” he said. “When we do play that, we have to keep the ball for longer spells because in that formation, you can get caught on the counter at times. It’s difficult.
“But then we switch it to a back five, and it was like a 5-3-2. I just felt more comfortable on the field and in that position. I think some guys felt more comfortable, and were able to float around, and pick up good spots on the pitch to hurt Orlando at times.”
BULLETS
- The guys who came off at halftime should have a difficult time finding their way back into the starting XI. Nacho has hunger, but isn’t that good. Vrioni can’t do it as a lone striker, period, and Noel Buck looks disinterested, and has since England called him up. I do find it funny that we all (rightly) fawn over Noel, but he can’t even nail down a starting spot in MLS. I’m supposed to believe he’s going to waltz into a Premier League lineup? Expectations are hard to tamper down. But Noel might hope that we start doing it.
- Chancalay is a baller. Worth saying. So is Carles, who scored two goals against a good team, poking some holes in the narrative that he goes missing in big games. Felt like Bou left some to be desired, but I’m just happy he’s playing. Need consistent minutes from him.
- Kessler coming back is big for this team. I think he adds some real resolve to this unit and helps Dave out a ton. Romney has been pretty shaky lately, but I think that’s more of the constant shuffling and tinkering this club does than anything he is doing. Get the man help.
- EEJ is allergic to coming off his line, and it’s hard to watch. Really hard to watch. His teammates also don’t appreciate it. Lost track of the number of times a teammate motioned to Earl to come get the ball and he juts waltzed to it. Hope Vaclik making the bench is a sign that he’s ready to play.
- Orlando is legit. Cincy gets the favorites tag by crushing the Shield race, but I don’t want to see Orlando in the playoffs. They scare me.
So, another game with dropped points down, what formation do the Revs (14-8-10, 52 points) take for Nashville? With an international window coming too, who knows. This team is going to be without DeJuan and therefore without our only real fullback. Hopefully Clint doesn’t get too cute knowing we’re rocking Polster and Spaulding. We still have a game in hand on Cincy (68), Orlando (60), Philly (55) and Columbus (54), meaning we can only get up to third if all teams win out (and we’d beat Philly in that situation). Regroup and go again.
A Whately Devil 