After losing in the MLS Cup final in extra time to the Los Angeles Galaxy, the New England Revolution are again expected to be a force this season. Through three games, though, they have been anything but. The Revs have earned just one point in three matches, which somehow doesn’t explain just how much they’ve struggled in the early portion of their 2015 Eastern Conference title defense. And while three matches can’t paint a full picture as to what the season has in store for the team, the following rundown of their problems so far will.
1. They’ve scored zero goals
Now, three games isn’t a terribly large sample size in the frame of a full season, but the Revolution have scored zero goals in three games to start the season which, in hardcore soccer circles, is referred to as “not good.” While the team is confident that the goals will come, they are correct in acknowledging that the first goal is the hardest, and that anxiety only multiplies as the minutes they’ve gone without a goal continue to add up.
A candidate for last season’s MLS MVP award, Lee Nguyen scored twenty goals by himself in the 2014-2015 campaign, with the team scoring a total of 52 goals which tied them for the second most in the Eastern Conference. While there is plenty of time for both Nguyen and the Revs to reach those same totals this season, they certainly shouldn’t put off scoring for much longer.
2. They’ve been missing defenders
When a team isn’t scoring goals, the amount of pressure applied to that team’s defense multiplies exponentially. When you combine that pressure with the adversity caused by losing players to injury and suspension, well, it’s not going to get any better from there. New England has had to deal with that exact situation so far this year thanks to an injury to right back Kevin Alston, as well as a suspension assessed to Jose Goncalves for the team’s last match against Montreal. Despite playing multiple replacements in their match with the Impact, the Revs kept their first clean sheet of the season, a much needed one at that.
3. They’ve played a brutal schedule
One would think that there would be a little bit of sweetheart scheduling in store for a team fresh off of a championship game appearance, but the opposite has been the case for the Revs so far this season. New England’s three MLS matches this season have come against the always strong Seattle Sounders, new (and very talented) New York City, and the Montreal Impact who are participating in this season’s CONCACAF Champions League long past the exits of the competition’s other MLS sides.
Obviously playing a brutal schedule will make it tougher to win games, so there’s a bright side to this. While the Revs have played some of the league’s best teams early in the season, they won’t be playing those teams in every match, meaning that there are easier games (and, one would assume, some wins) ahead for the defending Eastern Conference champions. Those easier fixtures, though, don’t start with New England’s next match, as they take on a San Jose side that has won two out of its first three, including one over the Sounders.
It is also worth noting that the Revolution had the exact same start to last season, scoring zero goals and allowing five while earning one point against the trio of Philadelphia, Vancouver, and Houston. So while a start like this is far from what any team desires, it’s far from the end of the world, and New England knows that better than anyone.