Revolution at Sporting Kansas City, 3.17.12

New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps started what I take to be a promising back line for tonight’s game against Sporting Kansas City: A.J. Soares and Stephen McCarthy in the center, and Chris Tierney on the left and Kevin Alston on the right. Heaps used this defense in a preseason win against the L.A. Galaxy in Tucson, and I think the unit gives New England its best chance to compete this year.

Unfortunately, we were denied the opportunity to test that hypothesis for more than thirteen minutes tonight. McCarthy was sent off early, for denying a goal-scoring opportunity when he grappled with C.J. Sapong about thirty-five yards from the goal. Such calls involve personal judgment, of course, and the call was defensible. Kansas City players were raising their hands and calling for a red card the instant the whistle blew. Still, the red card was a shame, coming as it did so early in the match and on a play that was so far from the goal and that involved two strong players who looked to be fighting for the ball on pretty much equal terms. It certainly was a foul, but I’m not convinced it was a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Whatever the case, in a game in which the Revolution were probably going to be outgunned even at equal strength, the red card effectively ended the match almost before it started.

Kansas City quickly piled up chances, starting in the 19^th minute off a long throw that led to a dangerous shot by Roger Espinoza. Less than ten minutes later, the Revolution looked particularly vulnerable in back, leaving Kei Kamara wide open to receive a cross in the box. Kamara had plenty of time to get off his shot, which was initially blocked by Matt Reis but which fell to Graham Zusi in front of the goal. Shalrie Joseph, who moved to center back in McCarthy’s absence, had fallen to the ground and Soares couldn’t clear the ball either, so Zusi just put it away. For those sympathetic to New England’s players, there was a helpless quality to the scene.

Both teams pressed on in the face of the inevitable New England defeat. Kansas City would go on to score two more goals and came close to scoring at least three more. The most deadening sequence came in the 39^th minute. The undermanned Revolution gave Kansas City attackers all the space they needed to pick them apart. There was no chance Kansas City wasn’t going to score off the buildup. Ex-New England defender Seth Sinovic sent a ball across the goal, which was pawed away by Reis. The ball fell to Kamara, who shot, collected his own rebound, and calmly shot again and scored. The goal, like the game, lacked drama.

It didn’t teach us much either. Most experts predict that Kansas City will win the east and that New England will finish at the bottom of the standings. So the Revolution were almost bound to lose in Kansas City playing a man down and with so many new players in the lineup, including Clyde Simms, Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, and Saer Sene. The Revs by no means disgraced themselves—Joseph played much better than he did in the dismal opener, and Simms and Nguyen both saw a lot of the ball and had their moments. Reis also had about as good a game as a keeper can have while conceding three goals. But this drab outing didn’t spark any hope either. Portland comes to Foxboro next Saturday, and Timbers coach John Spencer might hesitate to show a single minute of the Revs/KC tape to his players. They might get too complacent.