Tag Archives: #NewEnglandRevolution

The Revs Face Their Biggest Challenge of the Year

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Revs are the hottest team in MLS, currently on an 11 game unbeaten streak. This Saturday they face the biggest challenge they’ve had in years. They will go up against league leading LAFC at home. The Revs currently sit in a playoff position in seventh place, but a win with some help could boost them up to fourth, third, or even second place in the East. As mentioned, LAFC are the best team in MLS, but the Revs are the hottest team. Since the hiring of Bruce arena, the Revs haven’t lost a single game. Saturday’s game will be the first big challenge of Arenas tenure. It’s also the biggest game of the year, and here’s why.

Make a statement

People have been talking throughout this streak that the Revs have a chance to make a push for the playoffs. But the fact of the matter is, with the exception of Gustavo Bou, this is the same team that went 2-8-2 to start the season. A win against a powerhouse like LAFC will prove to people that this team has what it takes to be contenders in the MLS Cup playoffs. The strongest team the Revs have faced on this streak is DC United, who they didn’t even beat. Although Bruce Arena has won four games on the road, something no other head coach had done since 2014, he still has more to prove.

A Familiar face

Jul 22, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen (24) celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday, the Revs will also be visited by a friendly face in Lee Nguyen. Lee, on paper, will always be regarded as a Revs legend. However, the way he exited the team has left a taint on his reputation. Half of fans will tell you he’s one of the best, some fans will tell you they hate him. One thing’s for sure: When the whistle blows on Saturday it will be all business. If you’re wondering if he’ll get cheered or booed on Saturday, think back to Wes Welcker’s return. It will be a healthy mix of both.

What This Game Means

If the Revs lose, the longest unbeaten streak they’ve had since 2005 will come to an end. But if they win, they will cement themselves as a real Cup contender. A loss could see the Revs fall out of a playoff position if Toronto is able to beat the Redbulls. However, a win could mathematically put the Revs into second place in the East. What would it take for this to happen? Montreal would have to lose to Colorado. Atlanta would have to lose to the LA Galaxy, and NYCFC lose to Real Salt Lake. Then DC United would have to lose to Philadelphia.

On top of all of this, the Revs would have to erase a 14 goal differential to take second place. And to take third, a 10 goal differential. A win, combined with loses from both New York teams and Montreal, would put the Revs in fourth. This will be the most important game of the Revs season up until this point, so get yourself out to Gillette Stadium at 7:30 on Saturday to witness it in person.

The Revs Transfer Swoops

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Bolstering the Revs attack

As we close in on the summer transfer window opening, something has emerged in Revs land that doesn’t emerge too often. Transfer rumors. Not just one, not two, but three rumors in one day. Newly appointed Sporting Director and head coach Bruce Arena has said the team will only sign one or two players this window, but he is looking to be active come this off season. One of the targets that has reportedly already signed a four year DP contract, is 29 year old Gustavo Bou. Bou, currently plays for Mexican side Club Tijuana, where he has scored 12 goals and 10 assists in 27 appearances this season.

There’s been a debate about who should be the Revs primary striker up top for months now. The debate manly consists of Teal Bunbury, who has five goals in 21 games including open cup play, versus Juan Fernando Caicedo, who has four goals in 15 games for the season. The Revs have lacked a pure goal scorer up top for years now. Gustavo Bou, could be the answer to our problems. While Bou is no Lionel Messi, he would definitely make our attack a lot more dangerous if he does join the Revs when the window opens on July 9th .

Locking down the back line

Another target is former FC Barcelona center back Thomas Vermaelen. Vermaelen, has been out of contract since July 1st when Barcelona did not extend his contract. The 33 year old has been with such clubs as AS Roma, Arsenal, and Ajax, and has played along with players like Lionel Messi as well. Adding a guy like Vermaelen would only bolster the Revs back line more. There’s only one problem: His history with injuries. Since April of 2016 until now, Thomas has had 15 injuries that caused him to miss at least one game. At his age, coming to play for New England, on turf, my not be a good combination.

Help on the flanks

The final transfer rumor that has come out is US International, and former Bruce Arena call up, Fabian Johnson. The left back, currently plays in Germany for BMG, but has recently been linked to a move to MLS. The 31 year old, could make a move to the New England Revolution or FC Cincinnati this summer.

The Revs have been looking for a quality left back for years now, and the departure of Chris Tierney has made their search even harder. Some thought the search was over when the Revs acquired Edgar Castillo this off season. But Castillo quickly fell off the deep end with Revs supporters. Most prefer Michigan State rookie DeJuan Jones to play the position, even though he is a natural right Winger. Jones has stepped up and played any position New England have needed to play him at this year, but he is far from a natural left back. Fabian would be able to come in and really make a change on the left side defensive, and offensive wise. If the Revs are able to acquire two of these three players, they might be able to make a run at the playoffs.

What’s Next For The Revs?

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The MLS offseason is in full swing, and its time for the New England Revolution to get going. They will start what is arguably the most important offseason in their recent history. After missing the playoffs for three years in a row, the team has a lot do to compete in 2019. So what exactly do they need to do?

Playmaker

The Revs haven’t had any real and consistent playmakers ever since they traded Lee Nguyen. The lack of one has really played a big role in their downfall. Nguyen, who occupied the teams #10 role in 2017, was replaced by a few players with no real results. First, it was Diego Fagundez who started in the number 10 role, but throughout the year Kelyn Rowe occupied it, as well as Guillermo Hauché; none of whom were ever a consistent starter or consistent producers. The Revs need someone who can make plays, create, and score goals. Now with Rowe and Hauche gone, the team has the assets to get a new playmaker, but will they?

Center back

For the past 2 years, the biggest defensive need for New England has been leftback. Last year Gabriel Somi was supposed to be the answer, but that move flopped. This year they have gone out and gotten Edgar Castillo. While his age might be unappetizing, he’s a proven MLS leftback that can help this team if he stays healthy. Now that the Revs have wrapped up the left back position, center back becomes their defensive priority. Their backline may have been the most inconsistent back line in MLS last year. Every week brought a new pairing. The Revs need a new center back to play with Michael Mancienne to solidify the backline.

Goal Scorer

The Revs have struggled to find a pure goal scorer arguably since the days of Taylor Twellman. Kei Kamara was the last decent goal scorer they could rely on, and he was viewed as a bust. The Revs have lacked a pure goal scorer they can rely on to score 15 goals a year for a while. In fact, the last person to score more than 15 in one season was Lee Nguyen in 2014 when he scored 18.

The Revs have already gone out and signed Columbian Juan Caicedo. While the signing has been generally viewed as good, Caicedo has never had a season with more than 15 goals. The Revs are also rumored to be signing forward Justin Rennicks to a Homegrown deal. However, there still is no guarantee he will be producing as much as the Revs need from a striker.

Club president Brian Bilello has said the team plans on signing some high salary players, and possibly a few Designated players. Although the past has shown us the Revs’ spending doesn’t always lead to quality. It will be interesting to see how the Revs utilize the rest of the offseason and see who comes in.

What Went Wrong For The Revs?

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The simple answer is a lot. but to get the true answer, we have to dive in a little deeper. There are a few elements that caused the Revs to drop from 4th place to missing the playoffs, but were only going to discuss the top 5.

Missing a True Leader

New England Revolution defender Chris Tierney (8) salutes the fans after a match. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s start off simple. The Revs came into the season with Claude Dielna as their captain. That didn’t work out as he was quickly replaced. Overall the Revs used a total of 7 different players as captain throughout the season. And arguably their best candidate for the role got hurt, and it’s no coincidence the team went downhill after Chris Tierney got hurt. Perhaps Tierney’s lack of presence made things a little harder for the team. Tierney is the teams most veteran player so he definitely served a purpose in the locker room. It might not be the biggest reason for their failure, but their lack of leadership from a true leader really killed the Revs mentality this season.

Rookie Mistakes

This was Brad Freidel’s first ever head coaching job. As experienced a player he was, he was still learning on the job this year. With that said, he’s bound to make mistakes. Whether those mistakes be signing the wrong players, not enough players, making wrong substitutions or not making enough substitutions. Freidel will use this season as a learning experience and should only get better from here. This will be an important offseason for Freidel as he will have to try and win back some fans and convince others that next year will be different. The last thing the Revs want to deal with right now is a fourth consecutive season without playoffs. The front office SHOULD be more determined than ever to fix things.

Road Woes

It sounds like a broken record at this point. The Revs still can’t win road games. It doesn’t matter what league you’re in, 5 road wins in 3 years is unacceptable. Sure the Revs got more points on the road this year than last year but that’s not good enough. Add this together with the fact the team only won 7 home games, they were doomed to fail. In the past 2 years, the Revs have lost 7-0 to Atlanta, 6-1 to Orlando and 4-1 to Real Salt Lake on the road. Not only were these games embarrassing, but they all also came at pivotal times of the season where the revs would have to win to make the playoffs. Performances like these can not, and should not be tolerated. Plain and simple, the Revs need to figure out why they can’t win on the road and fix it.

New England Revolution forward Cristian Penilla (70). Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Loss to LA

Yes, it’s stupid to blame the failure of a whole season on one game, but a game like this is morally devastating. It seems like every year the Revs lose one game that sends them down a downward spiral. Last years game was the 3-3 draw with Seattle and LA this year. To be winning a game going into the 90th minute after you were down a man for the majority of the match has to be a thrill. But when you crap the bed and allow 2 goals in extra time, yes, its tough to get over. The Revs were on a roll going into the game, but afterward, they went on a crash course. After that loss, they didn’t win a home game until October.

Team Wasn’t Good Enough

Plain and simple this team was not good enough. They didn’t sign the players needed to finish out the season in the summer and didn’t do enough in the winter. Right now, this team only has 4 key players for their future, and 2 of them are on loan. With a squad that was constantly getting rotated around, everyone was fighting for minutes. On top of that, for the majority of the season, the team lacked depth. All around the team wasn’t good enough. Next season will fall on how the front office turns this team around come this offseason. Expectations should be high, now it’s time for the ownership to show they care. For a team that has missed the playoffs now 3 years in a row, ownership has done nothing to improve it so far.

This offseason should be the most important one for the Revs front office in the last 4 years. If they do nothing, they are really gonna start to lose fans if something doesn’t change.

What Happened To Claude Dielna?

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Everything seemed to be looking up for Claude Dielna coming into 2018. He was the highest paid defender in the league, and potential and expectations were high. He was quickly named the captain of the squad during pre-season, further pushing the high expectations he had. He started off playing decent with the exception of the red card on opening day. But now he seems to have no part in this team, so what happened?

Playing Ability

Up until now, we can only really speculate what happened. There really is no definitive answer.

You can’t really say he was benched due to poor form because he wasn’t in any particular bad form. In fact, according to whoscored.com, Claude Dielna was the Revs best defender this year with a 6.73 rating. In comparison, Michael Mancienne had a 6.71 rating, Anibaba a 6.61 and Delamea had a 6.66 rating. The only “defender” to have a higher rating than Dielna was Andrew Farrell who had a rating of 6.89. But Farrell plays a more attacking position than Claude.

There were also reports that Spanish La Liga side Real Betis are interested in signing him this offseason. So here are the top 3 reasons why Claude Dielna may have been benched.

3. Off-Field Incident

Anyone who has seen Claude play on the field knows he’s bound to get into trouble. This year alone he has 4 yellow cards and 28 total fouls in just 17 games. So there’s a definite possibility his lack of discipline got him in trouble with Brad Freidel. Perhaps he said something to the coach or maybe even another player that coach didn’t like that got him put on coach’s naughty list.

It’s no secret that Freidel seems to hold a grudge. In his first game ever, Toni Delamea got a red card in the 24th minute and it took Toni over 2 months just to get back on the field.

If there was a feud, it seems that Brad Freidel is the one who’s holding back as Dielna took to Twitter to explain his side of what might be going on in a tweet he quickly deleted, saying, “…I am ready to play for Coach whenever my name is called upon.”

If there was a feud, Freidel isn’t ready to get over it yet.

2. Not Good Enough

I know I said earlier that statistically, Doielna is the Revs best center back, but maybe the reason is as simple as Brad Freidel doesn’t think Claude is good enough for this team.

The only problem with this theory is that when a team has only won two home games since June and is struggling as bad as they are, it’s hard to not be good enough. In the offseason, Freidel made it clear he wanted to bring in his own guys and seeing how Claude isn’t one of “his guys,” perhaps he thinks playing Claude could do more damage than good.

It could also be that Freidel just values the other options he has more.

1. Money

Knowing Robert Kraft, this is probably the most likely reason. Before Michael Mancienne, Claude was the highest paid defender on the team, and at on point the whole league. In that ginormous $900,000 contract, there is most likely a few bonuses and clauses.

Perhaps the Revs are keen to play him because they don’t want to trigger a clause that will give Claude a big payday. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on the clause.

Any potential clause could range from triggering a 1-year contract extension to triggering a big cash bonus. It is entirely possible there is a clause to give Claude a contract extension and Freidel has decided he doesn’t want to bring Claude back so he decided to bench him.

Either way, it seems as if Claude’s time here is up, and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, I doubt we’ll see him in a Revolution jersey next year.

Scouting Report and Interview w/ Revs Academy Prospect Nick Woodruff

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Nick Woodruff grew up in Attleboro Massachusetts. He started off his soccer career just as any other kid would. He began playing club soccer around 5 or 6 years old for his local soccer team. After that, Nick played club soccer from age 10 to 13 before joining the Revs academy at 14. Nick made 17 appearances for the U14 team and was eventually named the captain before being called up to the U16s. There, he made 27 appearances and another 35 appearances as the captain. Later that year he would be voted player of the year by his fellow academy players. Between 2015 to 2017 Nick made 51 appearances with the U18 team before ultimately committing to Michigan State.

College (so far)

Nick Woodruff on Defense | Photo Credit: Quinn Bezenah

After redshirting his freshman year, Woodruff has played in all 4 of Michigans State’s games, going the distance in 3 while adding a 110 minute outing vs Tulsa. He takes his soccer career very seriously and expressed his desire to one day sign a professional contract with the MLS. He would be honored to don the Revs jersey and play in front of his friends, family, and New England supporters. Over the summer, Woodruff joined the first team for 4 weeks of training which he said was a great learning experience. There isn’t many things that Nick can’t do on the field. He strives in a variety of different categories, but he and I both agree that passing is his strongest attribute. When I asked him what he thought his weakest attribute was, he gave a very strong and encouraging answer.

“I have made some huge strides on 1v1 defending over the last year but that being said I think I just need to grow in every aspect of my game and strive to get better everyday. I want to keep pushing my limits and each training and game is a new challenge. You can always get better and im very hard on myself. I watch every little detail on film and try to learn.”

His natural position is at center back, but in his younger days he played CDM, which is what plays this year. At 6’2″ Nick is not a small guy. He is always in the box for corners and is a big target. The one goal he scored this year was off of a loose ball corner that found him at the back post. Nick likes to compare himself to Diego Godin, saying that he likes to play with “controlled aggression, patience, and calmness on the ball, & try to be the best leader I can be.”

MSU Pregame Huddle | Photo Credit: Quinn Bezenah

Nick Woodruff’s Scouting Report

One thing to note is that Nick is 19 years old. His passing is amazing. But just how good is it? In the 4 games he has played thus far this year his accuracy hasn’t dropped below 90% in a game. He already has an assist, as well. When he was younger he was called into training centers but says the national team hasn’t called him lately.

“At one point that was a big goal of mine but now im focused here at MSU and I’m hoping to sign a professional contract and then would love to eventually play for the national team. But all in all im committed to the process and just look to take it one day at a time.”

Overall, Nick is a great athlete and has a bright future ahead of him. He’s trained with the academy, he trained with the first team, now it’s his chance to impress at the collegic level. So without further delay, here is my scouting report on Michigan State and former Revs academy Defender, Nick Woodruff.

Passing: A+

Marking: B+

1v1 Defending: C+

Shooting: B

Heading: B

Nick Woodruff Giving Instructions | Photo Credit: Yours truly

Mid-air battles: A-

Communication: A

Pace: A-

Vision: A

Strength: A-

Clearing Ability: A

Defending Set Pieces: B

Overall Grade: B+

Breaking: #NERevs trade Krisztián Németh to Sporting Kansas City

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It was announced at 6:16 PM on Monday night that New England had sent forward Kristian Nemeth To Sporting Kansas City in exchange for $350,000 in allocation money and a 2020 first round super draft pick. So what does this mean for the Revs going forward?

The Good

This deal does a lot of good for the New England. For one thing, they just freed up more than $1 million in salary cap, for a guy who has only made four starts this year. In those starts, Nemeth got two assists and one goal. All together Nemeth started seven times and made 21 appearances for the Revolution and has only scored one goal and registered three assists. To put it simply, Nemeth wasn’t earning his $1,007,666.67 salary. While Nemeth looked decent so far this year, he wasn’t producing results, which, as a striker, he’s paid to do.

The Bad

The Revs traded Nemeth for $250,000 in TAM and $100,000 in GAM. Back in August last year, they gave the Crew $400,000 for Nemeth last year. That’s simple math; the Revs lost money in this deal. When you don’t look at this from a money standpoint, the Revs have also lost a lot of depth. They went from having 1-2 quality strikers on the bench (Agudelo and Nemeth) to having two less than average strikers (Wright and Femi). It seems like Agudelo is becoming a regular starter so they’ve lost his ability to come on as a super-sub.

Trade Score: B+

Despite the bad, this is a good trade for the Revs. With two days left before the trade window closes, the Revs have an opportunity to sign another player. Now, they have $1,000,000 in cap freed up, and another international spot open to do it. All in exchange for a player that wasn’t even playing that much to begin with. Now we’ll find out if the Revs are using their allocation money now, or use it in the winter. In terms of money rankings, Revs are at or very close to the top in terms of allocation money availability.

#NERevs Sign English Defender Michael Mancienne

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It’s the moment Revs fans have been anticipating for weeks. Who will the Revs sign to make a playoff push? Rumors were coming from left and right. There was speculation they were interested in Brazilian Felipe Pires and Nigerian Godfrey Oboabona. The big one that stuck out was Bojan. Rumors came out that the Revs talked to Bojan in the offseason and that talks could still be going on. While the Revs didn’t sign Bojan, yet, they fulfilled another much-needed position in a center back.

Michael Mancienne

While he might not be the man everybody was hoping for, Michael Mancienne is a great player coming from some great teams. Mancienne started his career in the Chelsea youth system back in 2006. The now 30-year0old defender spent 2006-2011 going out on loan to QPR and had a few spells with the Wolves. His time in Chelsea came to an end in 2011 when German team Hamburger SV paid $2.5 million for him, where he went on to make 49 league appearances. From there he went back to England in 2014, joining Nottingham Forrest, where eventually he made his way here with the Revs

With a Market value of $1.5 million, Michael Mancienne comes into the team as the highest valued player on the roster, so the pressure will be on him to live up to his value. The fact that the last few big money signings haven’t lived up to their value (Kouassi, Dielna, Angoua, and Nemeth), it’s easy for fans to be optimistic.

What’s Next for the Revs?

With this signing, Brad Friedel has hopefully fixed their problem at center back, and will hopefully get the back line to be more consistent as well. But, there are still holes to be filled with a need for a playmaker and a left back. While the Revs still have five days left to sign someone else, it likely won’t happen. Brad Freidel has said it’s possible another signing happens, but with the team out of international spots, there most likely won’t be a big name.

It’s important for the Revs to use their new signings and quickly get them into the system to try and put an end to this summer slump. It’s crunch time for New England as they enter the most crucial and most difficult part of the season. The Revs will try to stay in a playoff position and climb the standings.

The #NERevs Should Make Diego Fagundez The Captain

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Ok, here’s a take you probably haven’t heard before. The Revs are struggling and need to look toward their leaders. They need someone to step up as a leader in this crucial part of the season. Diego Fagundez may only be 23 years old, but he’s a club veteran. Whether you want to believe it or not, he is the longest tenured active player on the team. Claude Dielna came into the season as the captain, but it has been shuffled around since. It seems Brad Freidel has finally lost faith in him after he gave the armband to Andrew Farrell instead of Claude against the Redbulls. So why should Diego be the one to take on the role as captain?

Tenureship

(Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While having a long tenureship alone isn’t a reason to be captain, it provides a backbone for leadership. For one thing, Diego played with Shalrie, Reis, Davies, Jones, and others, all of whom have possessed great leadership qualities. Over the years, you have to assume some of their qualities rubbed off on him. Furthermore, Diego is a constant starter on this team who continues to prove himself on and off the field.

Leadership

While Diego has only ever been given the armband once, it was one of his best games of the season. It was on June 13th against the San Jose Earthquakes and he scored a goal of the year candidate. It clearly seems that Diego gets an added confidence when he wears the armband. As he is the Number 10 for the Revs, it’s essential that he is at his best so that he can be the playmaker he needs to be for the rest of the team. We only have a small sample of how he plays with the armband. But, I think it’s worth giving another chance. So far, the Revs have given the armband to seven different players throughout the season. Claude Dielna has underperformed with it, so it’s time to find someone who plays consistently when wearing it.

Familiarity

Coming into the season, Diego had spent at least one full season with 12 of the 26 players on the revs roster. Diego, for the most part, is familiar with the Revs team and is a veteran player. While other players have a similar resume, Diego has the tenureship others do not. While he isn’t the oldest, one might assume that a lot of players in the locker room look up to him and count on him as well.

The #NERevs Tough Road Ahead

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The Revolutions season is now past the halfway mark and they still remain in a playoff position. However, the toughest part of their schedule has yet to come. According to Benjamin Baer of MLSsoccer.com, New England have the hardest schedule in the league for the second have of the season. Eight of their next 13 games will be on the road. While the Revs have only lost four road games this season, they have also only won one. With only five more home games in the regular season, where on the road will they be getting their points?

Source: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Revs Three Point Opportunities

Orlando City: Orlando has been having a tough season. After jumping out to a great offseason, they were expected to go far this year. However, it has been quite the opposite so far. They have only managed to get 22 points through their first 19 games. Not to mention they are tied for 2nd for most home losses in the league this season with four.

D.C. United: D.C. may have a new stadium and may have signed Wayne Rooney, but they’re still D.C. United. Just like how the 49ers signed Garoppolo, they are still the 49ers. For the most part, this team is still weaker than New England. Along with the fact that Revs fans usually travel well to D.C., the team will most likely have the advantage going into D.C.

Toronto FC: Toronto FC is the joke of the league at the moment. They have gone from MLS Cup champions to the bottom of the table. The Revs were able to beat TFC at Gillette, even with Mark Geiger as the ref. So a win in Toronto is definitely possible.

Philadelphia Union: The Revs team is a completely different team that went down to Philly in March. This team now has an identity and a system. The Revs are ranked higher in the standings as well. A major boost the team is getting; as opposed to 72 traveling fans, they will be backed up by about 1,000 fans from around New England.

Revs One Point Opportunities

Real Salt Lake: This game will be a tough one for the Revs. As we speak, RSL has only lost one home game this season. Along with this, they have more points than the Revs, but only by two. Overall, these teams are very even and will definitely be a tough match.

LAFC: LAFC will be another difficult bout for New England, even more difficult than RSL. LAFC has yet to lose a game at home this season. So how can the Revs get a point? It’s the fact that LAFC has five home wins, yet four draws. LAFC is definitely a better team than the Revs, but those four draws are glaring.

Zero Point Outcomes

Photo by Keith Nordstrom

Atlanta United: Do I need to explain? The Revs lost 7-0 to Atlanta last year, and Atlanta is currently atop the East and Supporter shield. Not to mention the Revs couldn’t even beat Atlanta at home and could only muster a draw.

NYCFC: NYCFC are right behind Atlanta in the shield and are having a great season. At home, NYC is undefeated and have only had one draw which came at the hands of Atlanta. The Revs chances in New York don’t look good. But after all, this is MLS. And as we all know, anything can happen.

The Revs will look to end their three game losing streak when they play Orlando on August 4th. With the new signing of Cristhian Machado and possibly more to come, the Revs look will look to get back to their winning ways.