Hot Revs look to strike 12
Unbeaten runput to test vs. LAFC
The Revolution are treading in unchartered but very welcomed waters these days. Tonight at Gillette Stadium, they will entertain MLS power Los Angeles FC as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to a club-record 12 games.
The Revs (9-8-6) are on a 7-0-4 roll overall — matching the 2005 team with last week’s 4-1 win over Orlando City SC — and are 6-0-2 against the Western Conference.
There is little doubt that more victories like the Orlando rout will generate a “team of destiny” feeling among Revs fans. While new Sporting Director and coach Bruce Arena is not adverse to that mindset, he has been around long enough to tamp down any excess euphoria given the long climb from the Eastern Conference cellar that began back in mid-May.
“Eleven games unbeaten, I guess. Those things are nice. I don’t pay a whole lot of attention,” Arena said after the Orlando game. “From what I can tell, we’re not in great shape, in terms of the table and all, so that doesn’t matter a whole lot. We’ve got to just get points. whether it’s 11 games without losing, that’s fine and all, but the biggest thing is to get three points, especially at home. We’ve been able to do that, so that’s a positive.”
The seventh-place Revs are 4-0-2 in their most recent six outings at Gillette and have posted a goals-differential of plus-10 over that span. Los Angeles FC enters as arguably the best side in MLS with an overall mark of 15-3-4. The visitors from the West Coast have scored a leaguebest 59 goals while allowing a paltry 23, far and away the best differential in MLS play.
There is also a certain familiarity between the two squads as veteran LA coach Bob Bradley, like Arena, a former coach of the U.S. national team, served under Arena at the University of Virginia in 1983-84, with the U.S. Under-23 squad in 1996, and with D.C. United in 1996-97. Kenny Arena, Bruce’s son, also serves on Bradley’s staff, making for a true homegrown affair.
“Well, it’s always fun to go against the top team in the league and see where you are as a team,” Arena said at Wednesday”s training session. “We’ve come a long way in two months but I think they would be the consensus opinion as the best team in the league in 2019. They are a good defensive team and without a doubt this is the best test we’ve faced so far.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever coached against my son, actually, so this will be interesting. If a fight breaks out, I’m going to take him.”
Arena is equally quick to praise the effort of his players during their recent stretch.
“I think this streak has a lot to do with these players. They’ve really been terrific to work with and they’ve played well and they’ve dealt with the good and the bad along the way. It’s real positive,” Arena said.
Revs forward Juan Agudelo will be going up against a former teammate in LA midfielder Lee Nguyen, who ranks among the all-time great Revolution players in a number of categories.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Agudelo said. “Team morale, happiness off the field, it definitely boosts it, but we’ve expereinced a lot of losses and we know how bad that feeling is. In a way, I would rather do bad at the beginning of the season than at the end. I’ve always said that every year, the team that’s hottest going into the playoffs is the team that usually goes furthest so I’m glad that we had this run and we’ve just got to keep going.”
Several of the Revs are riding individual hot streaks. Recently signed forward Gustavo Bou will be making his fourth appearance and has already cashed in with two goals and an assist. Midfielder Carles Gil, who has meshed seamlessly with Bou on the attack, leads the team with eight goals and nine assists. Gil has 4-7-11 totals in his last eight games, including three straight games with a goal and an assist, which is one shy of the MLS record.
Also, forward Cristian Penilla is raising his form with one goal, three assists in the last three games.
The Revs made two transactions, both involving Homegrown Players, this week, loaning midfielder Isaac Angking to Charlotte Independence and Justin Rennicks of Hamilton to North Carolina FC.