voldemort

The age-old philosophy is that defense wins you championships. It’s one heard in soccer, football, basketball, and probably even water polo. Baseball is all about pitching, which might as well be defense, so they get tossed in, too.
Apparently, though, for the New England Revolution, defense is good enough to win conference titles, not MLS Cups. For if the cliché held true, RFK Memorial Stadium would have witnessed the Revs hoisting their fourth MLS Cup in the past six years on Sunday afternoon.
This was the first time in those games that the game did not go to overtime, but it was still only decided by a single goal. The Revolution’s defense has been more than doing its fair share of work as the 2007 Cup final was the first time they allowed a goal in regulation time.
On the flip side, Sunday’s game was the first time New England’s offense scored in regulation. That equates to over six hours of nearly scoreless soccer on the league’s highest stage.
So while head coach Steve Nicol’s philosophy has consistently kept the Revs as perennial title contenders, until New England opens their game up in the final they will be nothing more than contender. Granted, Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront would have been jealous. But contending is not enough for the Kraft family -- also owners of the New England Patriots who will likely win their fourth Super Bowl this season in nearly the same amount of time as the recent run by the Revs.
The easy answer to New England’s problems is to improve their offense. Another is a change in philosophy to a more offensive-minded attack. In this case, both happen to be the correct answers.
Tactically, the Revolution dominated the first half. Khano Smith abused the left wing and could have scored a spectacular goal had he been more selfish. Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman connected for the half’s lone goal. Pat Noonan was dangerous as Twellman’s foil. However, when New England decided to sit back in the second half as they thought that one goal would be enough for them to win, as it had been in their past two playoff victories, they allowed Houston to change the course of the game.
The Dynamo attacked in droves in the second half. As head coach Dominic Kinnear related after the game, after Houston scored their first goal, his players were not content with the draw and implored him to push a defender forward as the team changed into a 3-5-2 formation. That aggressive philosophy proved to be the difference as the game-winning goal followed shortly thereafter.
The second half comeback was no fluke as Houston are arguably the most balanced team in MLS history. Their defense allowed a league-low 23 goals, while their offense sported seven legitimate goal-scoring threats.
New England’s defense was strong itself and had not allowed a goal in the playoffs prior to Sunday’s final. Yet their offense runs solely through Taylor Twellman, who has scored the team’s last five playoff goals. Other than Twellman, Pat Noonan and Steve Ralston are strong offensive players, but that is the end of the line.
Revolution fans have to wonder if the game would have played out differently had Nicol not pulled his players back into a defensive posture. Had the fiery Scotsman used one cliché -- that the best defense is a good offense -- to maintain the one that led this column, the Revs likely would have ended their frustration.
Another disappointment for New England was ended in late September when the Revs won the U.S. Open Cup. However, Nicol’s side did not win the Dewar Cup with a 1-0 victory, but a 3-2 barnburner. Yet when it came time to return to MLS Cup, the conservative side of Nicol won out and his team lost.
But perhaps the real reason the Revolution were not given a chance in this game by many pundits goes back to the offseason. Following their MLS Cup loss to Houston in which their offense was stagnant until Clint Dempsey came on as a second-half substitute, the Revs sold their talismanic midfielder to Fulham.
The club never replaced the creativeness Dempsey brought to the table. While other teams throughout the league added to their offensive firepower, and not just with Designated Player signings, the Revs stood pat. The only player on the field for New England on Sunday who did not play in last year’s Cup final was rookie Wells Thompson.
When one compares the ability of Thompson to the likes of FC Dallas’ Juan Toja, Columbus’ Guillermo Barros Schelotto, or D.C. United’s Fred to name a few, the Wake Forest University product is a distant fourth.
Down the stretch of the season, New England’s offense was performing so poorly that Ralston was moved to attacking midfield from his natural wide role. That move created the opening for Thompson to become a starter as Andy Dorman, who was completely ineffective after the All-Star Break, moved to the bench. Following the match, Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear claimed that if an all-time MLS Best XI was named, Ralston would be a permanent fixture on the left or right.
Had New England spent money on an offensively minded midfielder, then Ralston would have been on the flank for the entire game where he is more effective. Case in point, New England’s lone goal and their next best chance -- a blistering full volley from Pat Noonan -- both came on Ralston crosses from the right side. Perhaps then Ralston, and not Dwayne De Rosario, would have been the MLS Cup MVP.
No matter what, this third consecutive loss in the final should have shown New England a change is needed. Whether it is philosophy or personnel, New England has to be able to put the ball in the net more often than once every six hours of regulation time if they want to finally win an MLS Cup.



source:goal.com