Revolution at Montreal Impact, 10.27.12: Summing Up a Season

An optimist, or a member of the New England Revolution marketing team, would likely summarize New England’s last game of the 2012 MLS season thus: The Revolution beat the Montreal Impact 1-0, matched their longest consecutive-wins streak of the season, and won on Canadian soil for the first time in nine attempts. A more balanced appraiser would note that Montreal dominated Saturday’s game in every statistical category except goals scored, that New England’s longest win streak this season is two games (a modest feat they accomplished only twice), and that winning occasional MLS games in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal is not a noteworthy achievement.

The game was one of those in which one team creates many chances but can’t finish, and the other team creates one or two chances but converts. Shortly before that conversion, Montreal had created a couple chances in front of the Revs’ goal, but the ball ultimately—it seemed almost incredibly—failed to cross the line. The Revolution got their chance in the 88^th minute courtesy of a Jeb Brovsky foul on Ryan Guy near the right corner flag. The call was dubious and Brovsky was understandably irate at the assistant referee who’d made it, but of course play marched on. Chris Tierney lined up and hit one of his characteristically excellent dead-ball strikes. His pass found A. J. Soares at the near-post corner of the six-yard box. Soares snapped a header down into the ground towards the far post and into the net.

It may have been fitting that Soares capped this season with a winning goal, as he’s been one of the Revolution’s most consistent performers during his two years with the team. He was second on the team (to Kevin Alston) in minutes played this year despite coming off season-ending ankle surgery last October and suffering through some minor (relative to ankle surgery) injuries during the latter part of this season. He, Alston, and Reis can be counted on above all others on the roster.

In some ways, though, 2012 has been a bit of a comedown for Soares. He was named Best Defender last year by the Revolution beat media, but fellow central defender Stephen McCarthy won that award this year. Furthermore, last season Soares was the heir apparent to Shalrie Joseph as New England’s undisputed team leader. Soares may yet fulfill that role, but Joseph is now gone and it is the steady veteran Clyde Simms, not Soares, who typically captains New England. And when Darrius Barnes replaced Soares in central defense in a September 1 game against the Philadelphia Union, there was no noticeable drop-off. In fact, Barnes played well and New England came away with a clean sheet and a 0-0 draw. Soares sat for the next two games—a 2-0 win against Columbus and a 2-1 loss at D.C.—and it was unclear if he hadn’t played due to injury (he was listed as “probable” with whiplash) or to coach’s decisions. Whatever the case, Soares did regain his starting position for the final five games of the season, and he played well if not spectacularly. And there’s no doubting that the Revolution are still counting on Soares to be a fixture for them at center back for years to come, whether or not he becomes a Joseph-like face of the franchise.

Benny Feilhaber is another candidate to become the long-term leader of this New England team. After sitting out last week’s win against Chicago due to a red-card suspension, Feilhaber played the full 90 minutes against Montreal, an indication, perhaps, that coach Jay Heaps still has Feilhaber in his long-term plans. I’ve discussed Feilhaber’s sometimes dazzling, often frustrating play in a few recent posts, and I won’t go into them much here. As usual, Feilhaber saw a lot of the ball against Montreal, connected on a lot of passes in the midfield, but ultimately wasn’t much of a factor near the goal. Also as usual, he had more than his share of head-scratching unforced giveaways. In the 58^th minute, he passed to Tierney along the left sideline and the ball rolled out of bounds; in the 65^th minute he passed directly to the Montreal defense; and in the 76^th minute he gave the ball away at midfield, leading to a scoring opportunity for Montreal. Feilhaber finished the season stuck on one goal and two assists, and he is surely happy to see that season end.

With luck, Feilhaber will be around next year to improve on those numbers and build a rapport with Designated Player Bengtson. Bengtson like Feilhaber is talented but hasn’t produced much for the Revolution. He ended the season with two goals in thirteen games played. In Montreal, he did work a nice give-and-go with Fagundez in and around the box near the end of the first half. Unfortunately, though, his standout play of the night was a squandered chance in the 42^nd minute. Soares played a good ball into space for Bengtson, and Bengtson proceeded to run at the Montreal defense, Tierney making an overlapping run to Bengtson’s immediate left. Bengtson’s final ball was both poor and ambiguous; it was either a remarkably weak shot on goal or a remarkably inaccurate pass to Tierney. Tierney is not one of nature’s complainers, but even he couldn’t hide his frustration with Bengtson on that one.

In the end, the Revolution had another disappointing season, finishing well out of the Eastern Conference playoffs with 35 points. Still, that’s a seven-point improvement over last year. And while the Revolution didn’t necessarily deserve to beat Montreal in the finale, good and improving teams often win games they probably shouldn’t win, especially on the road. And to the Revolution players’ credit, they effectively killed the Montreal game after getting their late goal. Last year’s Revolution team almost certainly would have squandered the lead, as they did for example against Philadelphia after going up 4-2 in the 55^th minute. (Sebastien Le Toux scored the equalizer in stoppage time in that one.)

Also, despite their poor record, New England’s 2012 team had many new players who produced, most notably forward Saer Sene and midfielders Lee Nguyen, Clyde Simms, and Kelyn Rowe. The 17-year-old Fagundez is also skilled, and he gained much valuable experience towards the end of the season. (Fagundez easily could have had two assists in the Revs’ final two games, but Bengtson failed to convert from close range against Chicago and Fernando Cardenas couldn’t beat the keeper after getting in behind against Montreal.) Even Dimitry Imbongo, despite his occasional wild shots, has proved to be a strong player with his back to the goal and adds good value when trying to kill a game, as he did against Montreal as a substitute. Finally, the diminutive Cardenas is quick and dangerous with the ball at his feet, though it must be said that he consistently runs out of gas after about 45 minutes of play.

If those promising new acquisitions continue to produce next season, if Feilhaber and Bengtson play up to their contracts and talent levels, if Heaps and GM Michael Burns can come up with a few more good player acquisitions in the offseason, and if Revolution players can avoid too many injuries, then New England should make the playoffs in 2013. That statement is hardly a bold one given its numerous conditions. But it’s plausible that those conditions are all met. And even if some don’t break New England’s way, the Revolution should improve as their young players continue to work together and gain experience.

Something must be said in closing about the Revolution’s home field. No matter how successful the Revolution may be on the field next season, the franchise will never generate any excitement in New England or anywhere else if the team continues to play at Gillette. MLS is growing its fan base in no small part because of its appealing new stadiums, most of which hold about 20,000 fans so that there are no vast sections of empty seats, which always lends a bush-league air to any game. And of course there are no NFL markings on those stadiums’ fields, as there often are when the Revolution play at home. (Click here to see a list of MLS stadiums, along with capacities, playing surfaces, and years built.)

From a fan’s perspective, the only positive aspects of the Revs’ current stadium situation is that you can decide to go to a game at any time, right up until first kick, because no game is ever sold out. Also, fans can park and tailgate for free. Those are considerable benefits, but even fans with shallow pockets recognize that good sports teams almost by definition create ticket demand, a sense that you’d better buy in advance or it’ll be others who are having the fun and not you. The Revs will never generate that kind of excitement and demand if they continue playing at Gillette.

All of these stadium-related points have been made before, but they bear repeating because building a new stadium is critical if soccer is ever going to get widely noticed in New England, where the Revolution must compete with the popular Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. No one is dumb enough to think that building a stadium anywhere in this country is as easy as waving a wand. But no team in MLS plays in such an unsatisfactory setting as the Revolution. And with the recent proliferation of state-of-the-art soccer stadiums—such as those built outside New York and in Kansas City and Houston—the gap between the Revolution and other teams is widening. It’s therefore deeply disappointing that the Revolution still have no firm plans to play anywhere else but at an NFL stadium with an artificial playing surface in a faceless suburb with no satisfactory access to public transportation.

Revolution v. Chicago Fire, 10.20.12

The bottom-dwelling New England Revolution managed to draw 25,534 fans to Gillette stadium for their final home game of the year on Saturday against the Chicago Fire. The respectable turnout almost certainly had more to do with the unseasonably warm game-time temperatures and to a tee-shirt promotion than to any star power on the field. Three of the Revolution’s most compelling players—Benny Feilhaber, Saer Sene, and Lee Nguyen—sat out due to suspensions or injuries.

On the other side, the Chicago Fire is a good team—they’re sitting on 56 points and will finish second in the Eastern conference with a win over D.C. next week—but not a flashy one. Chicago’s best player may be Chris Rolfe, hardly a household name. Chicago announcers noted during the broadcast that the team’s lack of player charisma may prevent it from getting the recognition it deserves. The 1-0 loss to the Revolution on Saturday will not strengthen the case that Chicago is being unjustly overlooked as an MLS-Cup contender, though I agree that any team can have a bad game.

Revolution midfielders Blair Gavin and Clyde Simms played a large part in stifling Rolfe and the rest of the Fire’s midfield. Fans will recall that Gavin was acquired from Chivas USA in the Shalrie Joseph trade. This was Gavin’s first game for the Revolution, and he looked promising, especially given his youth. (He was a first-round pick in the 2010 MLS draft.) He was disruptive on defense and made some good runs and passes. Rookie midfielder Kelyn Rowe also had a strong game, as did center back A.J. Soares. And it may be time to start paying utility man Ryan Guy a living wage. He played right back against the Fire and was all over the field, making skilled Fire midfielder Alvaro Fernandez’s night a long and sometimes painful one. Guy twice heedlessly barreled into Fernandez while challenging for headers, once knocking heads with him on a corner kick in the 29^th minute. Guy may have saved the Revolution on that play, as Fernandez’s shot went over the bar. It was one of the few chances generated by the Fire.

Perhaps the most intriguing performance of the night for either team was turned in by Revolution youngster Diego Fagundez, who played the entire 90 minutes, and not at forward but on the right wing. Fagundez did have a number of giveaways, but he was on the ball a lot, often surging through the midfield on the attack. In the 17^th minute, he scored the game’s only goal off a long-range strike. The play was, fittingly, the result of hard work and good vision on the part of Fagundez’s fellow midfielders. Gavin won the ball in the Revolution third and passed to Simms along the right sideline. Simms played the ball square to Rowe, who turned and made a good pass up field to Fagundez. Forward Jerry Bengtson also played a part, making a good run into the box to draw defenders away from Fagundez. The shot’s worth checking out, and comes at about the one-minute mark in the highlight video below.

Fire fans must hope this game is an aberration. Chicago never seriously threatened an injury-depleted Revolution side, and the Revolution really should have won by two goals. The game was not a remotely pretty one, but it did open up in the final minutes. Surprisingly, it was New England that was on the front foot, not Chicago, a team still fighting to avoid having to play in the single-elimination playoff game in the East. New England nearly got that second goal in stoppage time, when Juan Toja played a ball wide to Fagundez. Fagundez dribbled up the right wing and played a perfect cross to a wide-open Bengtson at the far post. Bengtson one-timed the cross with the outside of his right foot, sending the close-range shot over the bar. Revolution management must be wondering how a guy who scores so regularly for his country—Bengtson had a hat trick for Honduras last week against Canada—can’t finish a little more consistently for his club team. He still has only two goals in twelve games for the Revs.

Speaking of big-name players coming up small for the Revolution, Benny Feilhaber was suspended for the Fire match due to his two-yellow-card performance against Philadelphia a couple of weeks back. Given the Revolution’s success on Saturday—and in particular the Revs’ midfielders’ success—it will be interesting to see if Feilhaber starts against the Impact in Montreal in the season finale. Jay Heaps has benched Feilhaber for a number of games this season. My guess is that Heaps may again leave Feilhaber on the bench against Montreal, for part or even all of the game. Yes, Heaps may sit Feilhaber simply to give other, younger players time on the field in this lost season. But then again, Heaps may sit Feilhaber because he feels that other players give the Revolution a better chance to win.

Whatever happens next week, it’s clear that the Revolution roster is far from settled going into next season and that the team lacks a leader in the absence of Joseph. I mentioned in my post about the recent Philadelphia game that I thought Nguyen and not Feilhaber was this year’s team MVP. Apparently a lot of other fans feel the same way, as Nguyen was presented with the team MVP award before the Chicago game. Revolution management deserves much praise for acquiring Nguyen on the cheap, and for signing double-digit scorer Saer Sene. But next year the organization will need much better performances from relatively big-name players Feilhaber and Bengtson if New England is to return to the playoffs.

U.S. Men’s National Team v. Guatemala, Kansas City, 10.16.12

The U.S. men’s national team’s 3-1 home win over Guatemala was the performance U.S. fans have been waiting for in this semifinal round of World Cup qualifiers. The U.S. thoroughly outclassed their opponents, holding the ball for about 75% of the game, taking eight corner kicks to Guatemala’s one, and making many more dangerous crosses into the box than their overmatched opponents. The U.S. probably should have won by a wider margin. Herculez Gomez, for example, after a tough game in Antigua last Friday, easily could have had two assists last night, one on a ball into Eddie Johnson that Johnson scuffed and one on a deflected cross that Clint Dempsey couldn’t quite get a head onto.

The entire U.S. starting front six acquitted themselves well. (By the time U.S. subs started to come on in the 65^th minute, the game was well in hand.) Dempsey scored twice on classic Dempsey-type goals, the results of hustle and timely runs, both scored from about a yard out, one while sliding. Dempsey also had an assist after making a near-post run and flicking a header across goal to a wide-open Carlos Bocanegra, who pounded the shot home from close range. Michael Bradley had another solid game in the midfield—does he have any other kind these days?—that included a skillful chip over the keeper to put Dempsey’s second goal on a platter for him. Bradley worked well with fellow central midfielder Danny Williams, who was a virtual no-show last week in Antigua. Williams and Bradley were especially effective muscling opponents off the ball in the midfield, so that Guatemala never really had a chance to get things going.

Graham Zusi also had another good outing, looking comfortable on his club team’s home field, the sold-out Livestrong Sporting Park, probably the most visually appealing soccer stadium in the country. (I envy those U.S. fans in attendance last night.) Zusi and Eddie Johnson traded time on each wing in the midfield. Johnson looked very sure with the ball at his feet, seeming at times to be giving demonstrations on how to effectively use step-over moves to create space and send dangerous crosses into the box. After receiving a beautiful long ball from right back Steve Cherundolo in the 18^th minute, Johnson crossed from the right flank to assist on Dempsey’s first goal.

The ageless Cherundolo turned in another polished performance, but the U.S. backline otherwise kept this dominant team performance from being a complete one. The U.S. came out strong in this game but conceded an early goal off a counterattack that saw the U.S. central defenders Bocanegra and Geoff Cameron get caught flat-footed. Former MLS MVP Carlos Ruiz got in behind them and then coaxed Tim Howard into no-man’s land before using the outside of his foot to calmly finish. Bocanegra looked slow on the play and never had a hope of recovering once Ruiz had the ball at his feet. (And it should be noted that Ruiz is hardly in the prime of his career; he’s 33 and, as I understand it, is not now playing for any club team.)

Ruiz’s goal was more proof that the U.S.’s back line is far from settled. Bocanegra, remember, was forced to play left back last week against Antigua and Barbuda. (His giveaway in the 25^th minute led to Antigua and Barbuda’s only goal.) Michael Parkhurst played left back last night, and looked good defending though he did commit a couple of unforced turnovers. In any event, if the U.S. front six is to pressure the ball high up the field as they did against Guatemala, then the U.S. back four will have to communicate better, hold the line better, than it did on the Ruiz goal.

All the communication in the world, however, isn’t going to make Bocanegra more fleet of foot. It might be that Klinsmann again experiments pairing Cameron with Maurice Edu in central defense, as he did in the U.S. friendly victory against Mexico in August. It won’t be an easy call, though. Bocanegra typically captains the team and is a reliable, smart, tough, and, of course, experienced player, not to mention the fact that he’s a threat to score off set pieces. His goal last night was his 14^th, the most ever for a U.S. international defender.

In some important ways, last night’s victory was ideal in just about every way. The U.S. won convincingly, looked good doing it, and advanced to CONCACAF’s final round of qualifiers. But Ruiz’s goal will likely prevent U.S. defenders from getting too complacent. There is clearly much room for improvement. And even U.S. attackers and midfielders can’t, or shouldn’t, crow too much after last night’s win. The Guatemala defense on each of the three U.S. goals was deficient, particularly on Bocanegra’s goal. On that corner kick, Guatemala players set up in a zone defense and then remained screwed to the ground, looking like orange practice pylons painted blue as Zusi played his ball in, Dempsey ran to the near post, and Cameron and Bocanegra crashed the goal. Similarly, no one bothered to cover Dempsey on his run to the back post on the second U.S. score.

In short, while this Guatemala team has talent, it was not particularly competitive last night, a fact that game tape will amply show. After viewing that tape, U.S. players will not have to be told that teams like Honduras (who dropped eight goals on Canada yesterday) and Mexico will pose much tougher challenges for the U.S. when they meet in the final round. For now, though, U.S. players deserve a round of applause for getting through a reasonably tough semifinal group and for saving their best, and most attractive, game for last.

U.S. Men’s National Team v. Antigua and Barbuda, North Sound, Antigua, 10.12.12

The U.S. men’s national team continues to play down to the competition in CONCACAF qualifying matches, needing the full 90 minutes to generate the game-winner in this narrow 2-1 victory over Antigua and Barbuda. To be fair to the U.S., the conditions were about as poor as you can imagine in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier in 2012. The playing surface looked like sodden foam rubber irregularly painted green and yellow, with patches of dirt showing here and there, and the rain came down in tropical fashion for what appeared to be the entire game. Also, the U.S. 24-man roster called in for this match was down four players. Defenders Edgar Castillo and Fabian Johnson were late scratches, and midfielders Brek Shea and Landon Donovan were, as I understand it, hopeful choices to begin with. They were injured when they were called by Klinsmann, remained injured (Donovan with a knee injury, Shea with an abdominal strain), and were unavailable last night.

Having listed those considerable obstacles, last night’s performance was, despite the result, not a promising one for the U.S. They were fortunate to come away with three points against a team that has not yet won a semifinal-round game after five attempts. Very few U.S. players distinguished themselves. Herculez Gomez, who has played so hard and so well in recent national-team games, had a night he’ll want to put behind him. Twice he received through balls in the box, and twice his heavy touches resulted in balls rolled directly to the Antigua and Barbuda keeper. Clint Dempsey looked frustrated when he was in the camera’s eye, but he was seldom there. Danny Williams played for 56 minutes but he too failed to have a significant impact.

Williams was subbed for the erratic Jermaine Jones, who had one of his lesser nights. Shortly after Jones checked in, he was given a yellow card for handling in the U.S. end. There was nothing subtle or inadvertent about it; Jones actually raised his hand above his head to flick the ball. As a result of the foul, a free kick was awarded in a dangerous area (luckily for the U.S., nothing came of it), and Jones will have to sit out the next match against Guatemala due to an accumulation of yellows. Incredibly, Jones appeared to lunge for the ball again with his hand later in the match. It’s stunning, bizarre actually, that a player from the Bundesliga would show such a lack of discipline.

The U.S. defense occasionally looked vulnerable, and they were badly exposed on Antigua and Barbuda’s goal. Due to Fabian Johnson’s and Castillo’s injuries, Carlos Bocanegra was moved to left back, and he had a mostly rough night. In the 25^th minute, he and Graham Zusi failed to clear a Quinton Griffith throw-in to the very large and fast Peter Byers. Byers collected the ball, left the U.S. players standing in his wake, and then drove to the end-line, skinning U.S. center back Geoff Cameron as if he (Cameron) were playing in ski boots. Fellow center back Clarence Goodson fell down trying to defend Byers’s cross and Dexter Blackstock scored.

The U.S. does, however, deserve a lot of credit for getting this away victory in such a tough and strange environment. And MLS fans can feel some satisfaction that it was not Clint Dempsey or even really Michael Bradley (who did have a strong game) who were prominent in this victory, but Eddie Johnson, Zusi, and even Alan Gordon, who not only earned his first cap when he came on for Gomez in the 73^rd minute, but justified Klinsmann’s surprise call-up with a clutch and skillful assist on the game-winner.

Though the U.S. looked ineffectual for great stretches of this game, controlling possession but failing to generate scoring chances, their two goals rose above the general level of play and surroundings. The first came off a give and go between Zusi and Bradley after a corner kick, the former tracking away from his own goal to receive Bradley’s pass and then curling an arcing left-footed cross to the back post. Johnson ran onto it and snapped a sure, technical header into the ground and from there into the back of the net.

The second goal was even prettier. In the 90^th minute, right back Steve Cherundolo took a throw-in in the final third, sending a ball near the flag to Sacha Kljestan, who’d come on for Zusi about ten minutes earlier. Kljestan one-timed a side-footed pass back to Gordon, who in turn calmly one-timed a cross off a short-hop towards the back post, where Johnson buried it. The four-player exchange wasn’t necessarily spectacular, but no four players in the world could have executed it better, and the goal came with one second left in regulation time.

The U.S. plays its final semifinal match next Tuesday, against Guatemala in Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City. After Guatemala’s victory over Jamaica yesterday, the U.S. needs only a tie to ensure its place in the final CONCACAF qualifying round of six, otherwise known as the hexagonal or “hex.” But anything less than a victory over Guatemala will be a disappointment for U.S. players, coaches, and fans. The environment will be friendly, the playing surface perfect, the opponent an objective underdog. If the U.S. is to join the exclusive club of elite soccer nations as Klinsmann intends, it must be able to win such games convincingly. And we should remind ourselves that the U.S.’s biggest soccer rival is again the gold standard in CONCACAF. Mexico is now 5-0 in semifinal games and has already qualified for the hexagonal.

Revolution at Philadelphia Union, 10.6.12

In today’s mlssoccer.com, Jonah Freedman makes the case for five former U.S. men’s national team regulars who he thinks could help the team now. Benny Feilhaber is the fifth player on the list, and Freedman claims that Feilhaber “creates chances at a better rate than nearly anyone currently in the US pool.”

I don’t know what statistical evidence Freedman is drawing on to make his claims, but presumably it’s derived from MLS’s Opta Chalkboard. In any case, Freedman did not mention the fact that Feilhaber has recently struggled to get playing time for one of the league’s worst teams, nor did he mention that Feilhaber has played 2,057 minutes this season and still has just one goal and two assists over that stretch.

There are of course other ways to judge a player besides studying electronic “chalkboards” and goals and assists statistics. One must have only a passing knowledge of the game to agree with Freedman that Benny Feilhaber has, by MLS standards, great skill. It’s a pleasure to watch Feilhaber with the ball at his feet. And he combines that skill with an admirable work rate and willingness to play defense. In the 32^nd minute of last Saturday’s game against Philadelphia, for example, he worked hard at midfield to help his team win the ball, running around and even sliding in his attempts to pressure the opposition. When New England did gain possession, striker Jerry Bengtson played the ball back to Feilhaber, and Feilhaber went to work, using a subtle touch with the underside of his cleats to stop the ball and roll it forward before he proceeded to slalom through a trio of Union defenders. He then cut the ball back and played a pass to Clyde Simms. The little buildup eventually led to a rather weak cross into the box, but it was a chance nonetheless and it likely wouldn’t have occurred without Feilhaber’s skill and tenacity.

So in some important ways, Feilhaber is clearly a cut above most players in MLS. His relatively high salary attests to that fact. At $400,000 per year, Feilhaber’s contract is currently worth more than twice that of any other Revolution player. But for my money, Feilhaber’s injured midfield mate Lee Nguyen was New England’s MVP this year, and Nguyen’s skill on the ball and soccer IQ rival that of Feilhaber’s. As long as we’re mentioning salaries and statistics, Nguyen makes almost ten times less than Feilhaber, with an annual base salary of just $44,000. Before Nguyen went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, he played 2,386 minutes and had five goals and two assists, all better than or equal to Feilhaber’s numbers. Statistically, you could make an even stronger case for another injured Revolution player as this year’s team MVP. Saer Sene scored eleven goals before he tore an ACL on September 1. In short, Feilhaber may have great qualities, but he’s failed to meaningfully assert himself this season, even on a bad team.

There is something to be said for the idea that Feilhaber is the type of player who needs good players around him in order to truly shine. This can be said of all soccer players, of course, though it is truer for some players than others. Former New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph, for example, could control the midfield, win balls, and outmuscle opponents no matter who he was playing alongside. But Feilhaber is a creator, the type of player who routinely tries to squeeze through balls past crowded defenses, and that kind of player needs teammates who make intelligent, timely runs.

Having said that, a great player also needs to know the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates and play passes accordingly. It should be said that apart from a bad pass very early on in Saturday’s game against Philadelphia, Feilhaber protected the ball well and in general played well. But he has committed far too many unforced giveaways in other games this season, and I believe that’s why he eventually lost his starting job, before injuries began to accumulate for New England and he got it back.

What is more disappointing than the giveaways this season, however, is Feilhaber’s occasional on-field outbursts. Given his salary, his experience, and his considerable talent, he is far from a steadying presence in New England’s midfield. He is a strong competitor, but he sometimes has trouble channeling his emotions in useful ways. Some Revolution fans will remember that last July against Philadelphia, Union veteran Carlos Ruiz baited Feilhaber into a second yellow card midway through the second half. Feilhaber compounded his error by shouting and shoving opposing players before being sent off. It was an unfortunate display that hurt his team in that game and, because of the automatic suspension, the next.

Feilhaber again failed to master his emotions against Philadelphia last Saturday. He frequently berated the referee in the second half over calls and non-calls. He eventually, and predictably, received a yellow card, for a foul on Antoine Hoppenot in the 86^th minute. Feilhaber immediately resumed his bickering and it was clear from his naked rage that he was in danger of getting a second yellow. Sure enough, just a couple of minutes later he was sent off for an away-from-the-ball foul in the midfield circle. Feilhaber punctuated the foul with a boisterous and close-range “eff you” to the ref.

And so Feilhaber exited yet another Revolution game without a goal or an assist. His team would go on to lose, and he would be unavailable to play in the next match. The Philadelphia TV color commentator summed up the situation haltingly but accurately: “And even with the frustration and all the injuries they have, he’s got to be a team leader on this team. And that’s got to unbelievably frustrate Jay Heaps. . . . There’s no leadership in the context of the eleven on the field. You expect more from a player with that kind of experience.”

I agree with Freedman that Feilhaber still has the tools to help the U.S. men’s national team. But Feilhaber’s lack of composure and continued lack of goals and assists last Saturday will not help his case with Jurgen Klinsmann.