by John Prance
The San Jose Earthquakes swept aside a very mediocre New England Revolution team late Saturday night. This was Jay Heaps first regular season game in charge of the Revolution, and a very different team took the field than in years past. Unfortunately, different players did not cause different results, and many performances on the field were completely inadequate and lackluster. The stats show the story fairly well.
Passing
New England-267 successful passes out of 397 attempted (67%)
San Jose-294 successful passes out of 426 (69%)
Shooting
New England- 6 Shots, 1 on target, 0 goals
San Jose- 6 shots, 1 on target, 1 goal
Clearances
New England- 26
San Jose- 16
Tackles Won
New England- 14 tackles won, 4 in the attacking half
San Jose- 14 tackles won, 6 in the attacking half
Analysis
Passing was about even, which is honestly a worry as this midfield was supposed to be the strength of the team. Tackles won were about even, the only difference in the statistics when looking at the map is that of the six tackles San Jose won in the attacking half, four of them were in the middle of the field, allowing them to get quicker opportunities on goal. The four that the Revs won were all out by the sidelines. Shots and shots on target were dead even. You simply have to give credit to San Jose for having a striker like Wondolowski who can convert the once chance he will get 99/100 times. That is exactly the type of player the Revolution need in order to have any serious shot at a playoff run. The most telling statistic is clearances, where New England, over the course of 90 minutes, had to relieve pressure ten more times. This tells us that San Jose was simply much better at creating pressure in the opponents third of the field, something that was clearly evident when watching the game.
Player Ratings
Matt Reis-6.5
Didn’t have much to do, but had no shot on the goal scoring strike. Average game.
AJ Soares-5.5
Started out of position at LB and it showed. Need to get him into CB.
Kevin Alston-6.5
Showed speed and danger going forward. Showed in inability to get back after runs. Expect better.
Stephen McCarthy-7
The best player in defense, surprisingly because he is listed as a midfielder.
John Lozano-6
Rough first game for the Columbian, but should do better when he adjusts to MLS style of play.
Kelyn Rowe-6
Did not adapt to the physical challenges sent his way and slowed down over the course of the game.
Benny Feilhaber-7.5
Showed heart and determination, only player on Revs to get a shot on goal. Man of the Match for Revs.
Clyde Simms-6.5
Invisible on offense, but showed good speed at the back to cover on defense.
Shalrie Joseph-5.5
Probably the worst game I have ever seen from Shalrie. His passing was off, he looked a step behind.
Fernando Cardenas-5.5
Invisible the whole entire game. Felt like he spent 90% of his time offside.
Blake Brettschneider-5
Worst player on the field for the Revs. If he makes the starting XI Majority of games, this team will hit an all-time low
Ryan Guy- 6
Didn’t really see much that warrant praise or criticism
Tyler Polak-6.5
Better than I expected, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him start. However, needs to read the game better.
Lee Nguyen-7
The newest signing for the Revs came on and did very well, providing speed and quickness.
PLAYOFF ODDS
After the first game sportsclubstats.com currently has the Revolution listed at a 40% chance to make the playoffs.
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