Revs Playing for Second

Club Tries to Hold On Against Playoff-Hungry Opponents

October 4, 2008

By Sean Donahue

Who: Real Salt Lake at New England Revolution
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (TV38, Cox 3 [R.I.])

The Revs blew a big chance last weekend to gain ground on the first place Columbus Crew and will now likely have to work hard just to hang onto second with four games remaining before the playoffs.

Sainey Nyassi

Sainey Nyassi and the Revs take on Real Salt Late Saturday. (CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

While on paper the Revs should be the favorites in their last four games, none of them will be easy. For the Revs, clinching a playoff spot at this point is all but a formality, while their opponents in their next four games are all fighting for their postseason lives.

While New England can feel safe about making the playoffs, its current position in second place is far from secure. The Chicago Fire sit just a point back in the standings and hold the tiebreaker against New England. With that in mind, the Revolution will be looking for the full three points on Saturday when they take on Real Salt Lake.

Finally playing just the standard game a week and therefore relatively healthy for the first time all year, the Revolution need to round into form and build some momentum heading into the playoffs. Coach Steve Nicol has been switching between a 4-4-2 and 3-5-2 formation and seems yet to have found the right combination.

While the Revs have not won playing a 4-4-2 since April, midseason acquisition Gabriel Badilla has proven a solid addition to the team and Nicol has used a 4-man backline in recent weeks to get him into the lineup. The defense with him has, at times, looked out of sync. While that almost certainly will get better as the team adjusts to the new system, the question remains whether this is the right time for such a drastic change.

The offense has also struggled with the 4-4-2, namely because it removes captain Steve Ralston from the central role he performs so well in the 3-5-2 set. Ralston has been the top playmaker for the team this season with seven assists in addition to a team-leading seven goals, most of his impact coming with team in the 3-5-2.

With a weaker opponent this weekend (Salt Lake) than last weekend (Columbus), whether or not Nicol plays a 3-5-2 formation could be quite telling as the Revs head toward the postseason.

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