Revolution v. New York Red Bulls, 8.20.11: They’re Done—But Don’t Stick a Fork in Them

After the Revolution suffered another late-game collapse, this time against the New York Red Bulls, it’s probably safe to say they’re out of the MLS playoff race. New England are now tied with Toronto for last place in the relatively weak Eastern Conference. They’ve managed to win only four times in twenty-six games this season, which is quite a feat, and a particularly depressing feat for those of us who have witnessed every minute of those games. When the final whistle blew in this one and the Revolution walked off the field with their heads down, I could almost hear New England’s fans collectively grumble: “Stick a fork in ‘em. They’re done.”

By the way, perhaps that metaphor—stick a fork in it—should be retired, or maybe updated to reflect the times. It was apparently coined in a prelapsarian age, when the American empire was still robust, when we weren’t a bunch of limp-wristed pansies who know that one shouldn’t pair Cabernet with Brie, have gears on a bicycle, or puncture meat while it’s still on one’s $1,200 egg-shaped ceramic grill. An updated metaphor might go something like this: “Well, the Revolution drew with the Red Bulls after going up 2-0. Better pick them up with long-handled tongs, put them on a platter, and let them rest for at least ten minutes to allow the juices to redistribute evenly. They’re done.”

If it’s any consolation to New England fans—and it shouldn’t be—New York is also in danger of not making the playoffs despite a talented and highly compensated roster. True, Theirry Henry and Luke Rodgers did not play against the Revolution, but Juan Agudelo and Rafa Marquez hardly lit up Gillette field, in fact both were virtually invisible for long stretches of this game. I don’t know if it can be attributed to the Revolution finally coming together as a team—with Rajko Lekic and Milton Caraglio making their first start together and Benny Feilhaber and Shalrie Joseph in the midfield—but New England actually looked stronger against New York than they have against most teams recently, including a suddenly surging Houston squad. This does not bode well for New York. On the plus side for New York, Dane Richards continues to impress with his speed, work ethic, desire to win, and improving skills. He scored both New York goals. Joel Lindpere also battled hard all night against Kevin Allston, often losing but always coming back for more. He had an excellent assist on Richards’s second score.

As for New England, Caraglio and Feilhaber had truly excellent games. Caraglio appears to be fully match fit. He, like Richards, scored twice, but Caraglio actually had excellent opportunities to score on two other occasions. He also probably should have drawn a penalty kick in the 87^th minute. (There was justice in that no-call, as New York’s Dax McCarty was given a yellow in the 44^th minute for diving in the box; he almost certainly should have drawn a penalty kick and a red card on Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.) Apparently, Caraglio’s nickname was El Tanque in his native Argentina, and it’s an apt designation. In the parlance of NFL scouts, the guy’s a load. In the 4^th minute, for example, he used his body and strength to bull his way through defenders in the midfield, then played a nice ball to Kenny Mansally on the wing. It was a remarkable play and things would only get better for him, at least during the first half.

Feilhaber deserves much credit for delivering another solid performance as his team’s season continues to go down the toilet. He was most impressive on defense, as he was against Houston, often running all the way back to the Revolution end-line, as he did in the 34^th minute when he stole the ball from Agudelo and started a counterattack. He looked good running with the ball, too, to say nothing of his two dangerous shots on goal from distance in the second half.

The Revolution must now look to continuously improve during the final part of this lost season and look to carry over any successes into next year. The performances of Feilhaber and Caraglio are good starts. However, they must reverse their recent trend of going up early and then collapsing. That’s the hallmark of a bad team, not an improving one.