Revolution v. Chivas USA, 8.6.11

The Revolution returned home from a tough but successful three-game road trip to play the Chivas USA Goats, who at 7-8-8 epitomize the very concept of a middling sports team. Instead of adding to the five points they recently accumulated on the road, New England lost 3-2 in deeply frustrating fashion. The defense, playing without A. J. Soares due to a red card in the Revs’ previous outing, looked particularly hopeless. We might as well take Chivas’s first goal as an example of their ineptitude, but any of them would do. On that play, Darrius Barnes sprinted back towards his net as Chivas midfielder Nick LaBrocca trapped a wide pass off his chest and sent in a dangerous cross. Barnes was in an excellent position to clear the ball over the byline, but he elected to abruptly stop his run and spread his arms wide away from his body as though playing a game of dodgeball.  The pass narrowly missed Barnes, but it did not miss the foot of Chivas striker and Revolution tormentor Alejandro Moreno, who sent it into the goal.

Enough. Aside from pushing the hapless Revolution even further down in the standings, this game was notable for a couple of reasons. First, New England’s new designated player Milton Caraglio saw his first action in a Revolution uniform. He had a forgettable game, but did manage to nearly get an assist by heading a Zack Schilawski cross back across the goal to Chris Tierney, who whiffed on the near-sure-thing shot. On the down side, Caraglio took a comically weak shot from distance that slowly rolled into the arms of the Chivas keeper Dan Kennedy. Caraglio came out after about sixty minutes of play, not surprising given that this was his first game since playing in Argentina’s second division last season. His Revolution bio indicates that he scored 11 goals in 49 outings while in Argentina’s first division. Those are hardly impressive numbers for a DP striker, but Revolution management must have liked something about him. Obviously, it’s too early to judge the move.

It’s also too early to judge Diego Fagundez—another Revolution player with South American roots who saw his first regular-season action against Chivas—but Fagundez has sure given Revolution fans reason to hope. The sixteen-year-old Fagundez, whose father played in Uruguay, has decided to forgo college and is part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, and more specifically is part of the Revolution’s youth development program. He came on in the 66^th minute for Schilawski. Fagundez first got my attention for his fauxhawk haircut, which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a would-be anarchist in the “pit” area of Harvard Square. But I soon forgot about that and delighted in the quality and effectiveness of his play. Within two minutes of checking in, he’d received a pass at the corner of the penalty box, juked and split two Chivas defenders, and drawn a penalty kick. (Shalrie Joseph buried the PK on a nice, high shot.) And less than twenty minutes later, Fagundez scored in the run of play. (May those and similar words be repeated many, many times after future games). Partly sprung by a pick from Joseph, he collected a long ball into the penalty box from Kevin Alston. Fagundez ran onto the bouncing pass and judged it perfectly, skirting the defender as one might circle a Maypole, then slid a shot under the outstretched Kennedy. The strike brought the Revolution to within a goal of Chivas, where unfortunately they would remain.

Fagundez was one of the only Revolution players who deserved to be on the field with Revs’ captain Joseph, who had yet another strong game. Joseph corralled any ball within his reach and distributed and attacked effectively. Maybe his most impressive play came in the opening minutes of the game. He received a pass from Alston on the wing, looked up to spot an attacking Cochrane, and sailed an absolutely flawless, on-target ball into the box. Cochrane received the pass at the six and had nothing but net in front of him. Given how this season has gone for the Revolution, I almost feel I don’t have to add that Cochrane’s header somehow managed to miss the goal’s gaping maw. Newcomer Caraglio witnessed the miscue from a few feet away and buried his face in his hands in disbelief. Get used to it, Milton.

Joseph’s next-best play came in stoppage time, with the Revs down 3-2 and furiously pressing. Nyassi sent a ball into a crowded Chivas penalty box and Joseph, standing at the 18, headed the cross in the direction of the goal. The ball likely hit a Chivas defender in the hand but the referee didn’t blow the whistle. While Joseph’s teammates were gesturing and screaming for the call, Joseph savagely volleyed the rebound on target. It looked to be a sure equalizer, but Kennedy got just enough of a hand on the ball to redirect it off the post. Mansally collected that rebound on the left wing and crossed again to Joseph, but the latter couldn’t direct it on target.

The Revolution simply must find more players like Fagundez to put around Joseph. Joseph recently tweeted that he may not be back in New England next year, and I don’t like to speculate about just how bad, how drab, how unlikeable the team would be without him given how consistently poorly the team has played with him this season.