This match presents a whole different list of challenges from Crew. DCU has over recent years based their strategy on the idea that the other team can't score when they are lying on the turf, bleeding*. Consequently, rumor has it they will be missing (through suspension) the leg-breaker and their best center back for this match. They still have three very dangerous attacking players in Moreno, Esky and Gomez; and Adu, never mind the media fluff, is an outstanding late game sub. Lately, the Revs have been doing what winners do - finding a way to win. Meanwhile, DCU has been playing really attractive soccer between muggings. This should be an exciting match from the first minute, but may more resemble a Klingon rumble than the beautiful game. Whatever weaknesses the Revs have, they aren't going to be intimidated. I hope the match isn't decided by a ref blunder, like the missed hand ball yesterday. It's a shame Rev fans can't safely travel to RFK. *They are #1 again in fouls committed this year, as well as being #1 in cautions, and having the players with the most cautions (Eskandarian ?!) and ejections (who else.)
I do find it interesting that even with a 2 goal lead and playing at home that DC still lost two players to points accumulation. Justice, I guess. While Dema brings a lot of their 'commitment' to the field, I look at Nelson as being a more important loss. As we well know, organization in the back line is essential to success. While I respect the attacking capabilities of DC, this could be an opportunity for our offense to break through. Continued patience and defensive focus from our 3-5-2 alignment, combined with the creativity/offense of Cancela, Noonan, Dempsey, Twellman and Ralston give us a real chance against anyone. Revs 2, DC 1.
DCU generally plays a 4-4-2 don't they? Will Nicol go away from the 3-5-2 as a result? Or will he seize the opportunity to get a numbers advantage in the midfield? I hope he stays with 3 in the back. Not only have they been playing well with that arrangement, but it puts Marshall Leonard farther away from our goal, which reduces the damage from the mistakes he makes.
And yet, if you go to the United boards this week, you'll read endless complaints about how the Revs are nothing but a bunch of thugs who will be forced to resort to hacking the angellic Eskandarian and Moreno.
DCU GENERALLY plays 3-5-2 and we generally manage to win at home and as a wise man once said... 'its a man's game, not a chess game' and if you come down to DC next Sat (yes its safe) you might hear that put to music
Bravo Bravo!!! I found this both creative and funny. Thanks for starting this thread at last. So you're saying that our team won't get the Fairplay Award? Fair enough. I still think that the ref in the last match seemed to think that the more yellows he issued the closer he was to receiving a green card. It was crazy on both sides with the yellows. We'll take being rough on the field like ManU is accused of if it gives a result!! Hoping for a good match and no silly ref calls on either side to spoil the outcome!! Good luck!!
i see your point, let me clarify... its safe for the NE fans... but i can't speak for the NE team, they are likely to get some old fashined ass whoopin' (you will forgive my exuberance)
Just keep Avery John away from Moreno. They're going to clog the center of midfield, Ralston and Cancela need big games out wide. You're looking at Namoff-Hendrickson-Petke. With Brian Carrol as a stopper. That's very beatable. Especially if Twellman can keep it up.
Not this season. 3-5-2 all year. Likely lineup next week, with Nelsen and Kovalenko out due to caution points: --------Eskandarian-Moreno--------- ---------------Gomez------------- Stewart--------Olsen-----------Gros ---------------Carroll------------- -----Petke--Hendrickson--Namoff---- ---------------Rimando------------- I'm guessing Hendrickson in the middle for Nelsen since that's what Nowak did in our 1-0 win at Giants Stadium on October 2nd when Nellie was not available.
I really hope no bullsh!t happens to travelling fans like last game at RFK with the rental van. Contact both the Revs and DC United front offices to let them know you're coming, and tell them you want security to and from the stadium. Rest assured that MOST DC fans are happy to welcome travelling supporters to our house. It pisses me off to no end that there are some a$$holes among us who make any travelling supporters feel unsafe. That is NOT how things should be.
Not too many changes for this game I would assume. Staying with the 3-5-2 I hope to see something like this. Code: Reis Heaps Pierce John Joseph Dempsey Ralston Kamler Cancela Twellman Noonan leave leonard at home
'Cept hardly any teams have beaten it in the past month+ and the Revs have been clueless vs DCU almost all year. United routinely chokes off service to Twellman and so far no one in the Revs midfield has the skills to carry the ball forward through United's midifeld into a dangerous spot. If NE plays a 442 they lose the midfield battle, as they have done so all four regular season games. They can adjust to a 352 to keep the midfield a contest- Nicol has been better than most other MLS coaches at doing this vs United- but that gives more space to Moreno- the only guy on either team that can truly create his own shot and set up his teamates.
Skip-this not the same Revs team from the regular season. United may clog the midfield and stop the Revs from building anything there, but that doesn't mean that they will be able to build anything in turn. Dempsey and Joseph have been impressive on the defensive end. That's not the Twellman from the regular season. Last night, he beat both Marshall and Fraser off the dribble, and was creating his own shots. If he can put together that kind of effort again, woe to Petke and Hendrickson.
Nowak almost always plays a 3-5-2, he rarely goes to a 4-4-2 and if he does it is to protect a lead late, normally not playing it more than 15 or 20 minutes. I imagine the plan will be to deny Cancela and Dempsey the ball and to force Ralston to play deeper than he would like. When Beasley was still in Chicago, Nowak had Stewart attack more down that flank, forcing DMB to play deeper and cover more ground on a counter. I expect to see the same thing happen on Ralston's side, regardless of who is lined up against him (Stewart, Gros or possibly Adu). Also Carroll isn't the only midfield stopper, Olsen tends to play a little deeper as well.
Revs have been clueless vs United this year? Two United wins (each by one goal) and two ties, makes them clueless? Kinda like the Crew ... 2 wins versus the Revs (each by one goal) and two ties.
Absolutely correct. Nelson is a key to DC's defense and whomever takes his place has huge boots to fill.
It's true that Nelsen is very important to us. What I didn't realize until looking back through the box scores was that he didn't play in 3 of the 4 DC/NE matchups this year -- the only game he played in was the 1-0 DC win in October.
By clueless I mean that out of four games between the teams this year, the revs have scored in only one of them. Well, two if you count the own goal, thank you Brian Kamler. And honestly in the three shutouts, the Revs hardley threatened at all. I wouldn't in any of those games describe the Revs as dangerous in any part of those games. So yes, DCU didn't score much, but they DID score and those one goal leads stood up as huge considering the offensive futility the Revs exhibited. Well we'll see about that. I completely agree Twellman is very dangerous and if he gets the ball with the space to turn he will create big problems with the DCU backline. To a lesser extent Noonan, Dempsey, Cancela, and Ralston can be included here as well. But the DCU defensive scheme- which does include fouling- is 1) better than C-bus' and 2) has proven effective against NE in particular. It's entirely geared to prevent the NE dangerous players from getting decent service and it's working very well right now. I think the Revs did great in beating the Cows; they were the better team. It's not like they have showed that they are any sort of offensive juggernaut though against either DCU or against anyone else. The game should be close. I am not predicting a blowout. But lord help the Revs if United scores first.
Just to clarify, the one game where Nelson played was the only one in which DC actually outscored NE; their 1-0 victory in early October. That game seemed like even a bigger moral victory because Leg-breaker was ejected in the 74th, and the Revs couldn't get the equalizer. But 1-0 is 1-0. As has already been pointed out, DC won their first game against the Revs 1-0 by dint of a Brian Kamler own goal. The other two games ended as 0-0 and 2-2 ties. DC did outshoot the Revs 48 to 34 in their four matches this year and, predictably, outfouled the Revs 80 to 49 while earning 9 cautions to NE's 6. So to recap. Four tight games. DC wins one on an own goal and holds on for another win (the one game where NE actually outshot DC) while playing down a man for 16 minutes +. The other two games ended deadlocked. DC has definitely elevated its game lately, but playing without Nelson and Leg-breaker is certainly nothing Nowak could have wished for. NE is definitely playing better recently as well. But playing at RFK is definitely a big boost for United. So who gets the edge? You make the call. Is it a slam-dunk for either team? The facts would seem to argue otherwise. Well that's kind of a truism. In a one-game elimination playoff, the team who scores first is the overwhelming favorite. Since DC only managed to score 3 goals against the Revs in 4 games this year (the Revs scoring 2 - unless you count the own-goal ), I'd say if the Revs score first, the outlook wouldn't look too rosy for DC either.
Congrats to the Revs for making it to the Eastern Finals again. I had faith in your squad to make it this far, even going into the last 2 weeks of the regular season. However, I don't feel that great about your chances at RFK on the 6th. Check into DC's record at RFK this season. Look at DC's goals per game at home this season, and NE's road goals per game. I just don't see the Revs scoring more goals than United (even without Nellie and Dema) will on Saturday. United at Home in '04 (including playoff win over Metros) Team GP PTS W-L-T GF GA D.C. United 16 34 10-2-4 33 17 Revs on the Road in '04 (including playoff tie at Crew) Team GP PTS W-L-T GF GA New England 16 13 2-7-7 19 24 now i know stats can lie, and these trends may not hold up, but I just don't see the Revs having enough to get the win on the road.
Home field advantage is definitely a big boost for DC. But the only two games of true relavance are: 2 - 2 [8/14] 1 - 0 [10/9] Of secondary importance are (in New England): 1 - 0 [5/29] 0 - 0 [8/14]
Just a thought... Is Steve Nicol the best "big game" coach in MLS right now? Think about it... 2002: Revs beat Metros 3-0 on the last weekend of the Regular Season in a game where they might have been knocked out of the playoffs had they lost. Revs grind out results against Chicago and Columbus in the playoffs. Revs play a superior Galaxy team to within 8 minutes of penalty kicks in the MLS Cup Final. 2003: Revs ride a late-season surge to claim 2nd place in the East. Revs take a superior Fire team into overtime on the road in the East Finals. 2004: Revs win "do or die" season finale with Chicago. Revs upset Columbus in the first round of the playoffs. Say what you want about the him as a coach, but he has won a LOT of really important games over the last few years.