Arena back after 3-game ban
Suspended for abusive language during MLS is Back tourney
New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena will be calling the shots from the sidelines when the Revolution (2-1-5) host New York City FC (3-5-0) on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
Arena drew a three-game red card suspension for abusive language in the Revs’ 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union in the knockout round of the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Fla., on July 25.
Revolution assistant Richie Anderson served as interim head coach and finished the run 1-0-2 that included Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Gillette.
“Our coaching staff and players did a good job,” said Arena during a Zoom conference on Monday. “They all did and I’m really pleased with their effort.
“If I was on the sidelines, we might have lost all three games so I’m not complaining.”
The Revolution have experienced a total turnaround since Arena took over the club on May 14, 2019. The team played hard for Anderson, but the rank and file are anxious to have Arena back managing the game. The five points the Revolution secured during Arena’s MLS imposed sabbatical are, according to midfielder Kelyn Rowe, a testament to the organizational system he’s set in place.
“This coaching staff has been together for awhile and they know each other very well and they know the systems,” said Rowe. “When Bruce wasn’t there on the sideline, we still had a good composed group and it all kind of coming together and then making sure there wasn’t that presence loss.
“Having Bruce back on the sidelines is going to be huge for us. He is the leader of this team and this club and it’s going to be great to have him back.”
The Revolution extended their unbeaten streak to seven straight regular season games with the draw against the Red Bulls. The lone loss outside the tournament was a 2-1 setback in the season opener at Montreal on Feb. 29.
“I don’t think this sevengame unbeaten streak is anything to brag about,” said Arena. “We don’t have enough three-point wins during that stretch and Saturday was frustrating and a lot of that was our fault.
“We didn’t play as well as we are capable of and making too many mistakes. Hopefully we can pick it up and play better on Wednesday.”
The Revolution have done a good job securing the back end and keeper Matt Turner is enjoying a fine season. The team’s inability to finish scoring chances is what has prevented them from turning some of those draws into victories.
The deadlock against the Red Bulls was a microcosm of the season. New York’s Omir Fernandez opened the scoring in the 35th minute which again forced the Revolution to chase the game. The Revolution had possession 60.9% of the time, completed 78.0% of their passes and outshot the Red Bulls 14-8. Gustavo Bou tied the game with a tap-in goal in the 42nd minute, his third of the campaign.
“I’ve been on many teams over many seasons where we’ve had trouble finishing,” said Rowe. “We’ve created a lot of chances but we have guys on this team that can finish. They need to see it go to the back of the net. The goals will come and the need is there. We need to make quality runs into the box and taking our chances when they come.”