'The most important game'
Surging Revs can wrap up a rare playoff berth Saturday
By DON CUDDY, Standard-Times correspondent
NEW BEDFORD -- The New England Revolution, having lost its way early in the season, has emerged from the Major League Soccer wilderness in recent weeks with a renewed sense of purpose.
Even coach Steve Nicol must be rubbing his eyes as he looks at the standings. The Revs have conceded more goals than any other team in the league, but they've also scored more than any other team in MLS.
Despite this topsy-turvy style, four wins and a draw in its last five games has put the team in control of its own destiny.
Only the visiting Metro Stars now bar their progress to the postseason. A win tomorrow night at Foxboro (7:30, UPN-38) in the season finale would put the team in the playoffs for only the second time in its seven-year existence.
"If we win, we're in," assistant coach John Murphy said Wednesday night at a soccer clinic at New Bedford's McCoy Field. He was accompanied by Jamaican international Winston Griffiths and the team's latest recruit, Marshall Leonard, a 22 year-old defender from El Paso, Texas.
"This is the most important game in the history of the team," Murphy said. "We're all playing for our jobs. Yes, the team made it to the playoffs once before, but there is more at stake here, with the status of soccer after the World Cup and being in the new stadium -- as well as having the opportunity of hosting the final."
The Revs will be missing both the injured Rusty Pierce and Steve Kamler, who is suspended for accumulating yellow cards. But with the recently injured Carlos Llamosa now ready to start, they will perhaps not miss their two players as much as the Metro Stars will miss standouts Clint Mathis and Tim Howard -- both of whom were given red cards last week.
Metro Stars head coach Octavio Zambrano this week publicly called for Mathis to seek professional help for his fiery temperament -- not a good sign for a team in the hunt for the playoffs.
In all three previous meetings this season, victory has gone to the New Yorkers but this is a much more important game, and the force appears to be most definitely with the Revs.
During their time spent propping up the table this season, they have unexpectedly found a blend of consistency, inspiration and luck that has propelled them into the playoff picture. Confidence among the players has surged with each success.
"Nothing beats winning," Murphy said. "Early in the season, when we weren't getting results, we may have gone into games second-guessing ourselves. Now it's the complete opposite."
Proof of this came in Dallas last week, when they won 3-0 in front of a large and noisy crowd.
Murphy credits head coach Steve Nicol, who has created a good environment at the club. Nicol had an illustrious career in England, playing on one of the great Liverpool sides, and represented his native Scotland many times at the international level. He's taken his experience and shared it with his Revolution players.
"Steve has left none of the players out of the loop, and every one of them knows what is expected of him," Murphy said. "He's been there himself and done it at the highest level so he knows what it's like. Players like working for someone like him."
The team is hoping that the fans will heed their call to come out in numbers and give them some loud encouragement. With so much riding on the outcome of this one game, officials are quietly hoping for a turnout in the region of 30,000 which would be about double the attendance at recent games in the new arena.
"The fans deserve a winning team, without a doubt because we have loyal fans, knowledgeable fans, and they've been very patient with us," Murphy said. "We appreciate that, and it's a reciprocal arrangement. When the fans are into it, we feed off of that, so we expect the crowd on Saturday to be the loudest it's ever been and that will create a huge advantage for us."
Winston Griffiths, the young Jamaican, also expressed confidence in getting a result tomorrow.
"Considering that we had no chance a few weeks ago, everyone is very happy that we can now do something," he said.
Griffiths has played 25 times for his national team, and he said that soccer has now eclipsed cricket as the most popular game in the island nation. Since arriving in July the former URI standout has slotted comfortably into the left wing berth.
He had previously played with Wolde Harris with the Jamaican squad, but has particularly enjoyed being a party to MLS leading scorer Taylor Twellman's goal rush.
"The ball just comes to him," Griffiths marveled.
Although it will unquestionably be an exciting night in Foxboro, Murphy said the team will prepare no differently for this game than any of the others. After all, taking it one game at a time has been working quite well for them.
And if they succeed tomorrow, can they win it all?
"Right now, on the last day of the regular season, every team is still in with a chance," he said. "That shows how even it is. If we can make the playoff, why not us?"
Why not indeed.
This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on September 20, 2002.
|
|
