The New England Revolution will try to put their early-season struggles behind them when they host FC Dallas on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The game will kickoff at 4:30 P.M. PT and can be seen on CSN-NE and Major League Soccer (MLS) Live. This will be the 41st all-time meeting between the two clubs, with the Revolution holding a (win-loss-draw) 23-15-3 all-time series lead.
How did both teams fare last weekend?
The Revolution ended a six-match winless streak after beating the visiting Chicago Fire 2-0 last Saturday. Star midfielder Lee Nguyen had a goal and an assist, but the main story was the debut of Sierra Leone striker and MLS veteran Kei Kamara, who was traded to the Revs for allocation money and future draft picks after falling out with former Columbus Crew teammate Federico Higuain and former Columbus Crew manager Gregg Berhalter. Although Kamara didn’t score, he had a busy 90 minutes for his new team, finishing with six shots, four of them on target. The Revs’ new center back pairing of Andrew Farrell and Je-Vaughn Watson was a success, and goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth only needed to make one save. With the win, the Revs stayed undefeated at home (2-0-4) but currently remain in seventh place, one spot outside the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
As for FC Dallas, they won their second game in a row--and the second game of their double-game week--after beating the visiting Seattle Sounders 2-0 last Saturday. FC Dallas got off to a dream start after center back Walker Zimmerman was dragged down in the Sounders' eighteen-yard-box by Sounders center back Chad Marshall in the third minute. Dallas Designated Player (DP) Mauro Diaz stepped up and blasted the penalty kick into the top-left corner of the goal, giving FC Dallas the early 1-0 lead. Right midfielder Michael Barrios clinched the three points for FC Dallas in the 80th minute, latching onto a deft Mauro Rosales lobbed pass before firing past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei with a laser beam into the bottom-left corner of the net. Although the Sounders controlled almost 60% of the possession and completed 86% of their passes, they finished with only three shots on target, and couldn’t break down a well-organized FCD back line. With the win, FC Dallas moved up to second in the Western Conference and stayed undefeated at home (5-0-2 on the year).
Keys to the match
Will FC Dallas put an end to their road woes?
FC Dallas have been unbeatable at home this season, but their performances on the road have ranged from brilliant to downright atrocious. They were thoroughly dismantled in a 5-0 road defeat to the Houston Dynamo back in March, before turning in impressive road performances in wins over the Portland Timbers and DC United. Just when the league was ready to call them “road warriors,” visiting FC Dallas were beaten 3-0 by a then-struggling Vancouver Whitecaps side, before being trounced 4-0 by another then-struggling team, the New York Red Bulls, at Red Bulls Arena on April 29. Two weeks ago, FC Dallas traveled to renovated BMO Field to take on Toronto FC, and although the visitors performed valiantly, they eventually lost 1-0 and suffered their third consecutive road defeat.
Given their inconsistent road performances thus far, it is almost impossible to predict how FC Dallas will fare on Saturday. However, there is one thing FC Dallas will need to do if they hope to claim all three points against the Revs: get left midfielder Fabian Castillo in one-on-one matchups against the Revs’ right back, which will most likely be Kelyn Rowe, who normally plays as a winger. Rowe did a good job containing Chicago Fire left back Brandon Vincent and Fire striker Gilberto in last weekend’s victory over the Fire, but he does not have the pace to deal with the blazing-fast Castillo. Rowe also has very little experience playing in the right back role, and Dallas manager Oscar Pareja should ask his central attacking midfielder Mauro Diaz as well as his two central defensive midfielders--most likely Carlos Gruezo and Victor Ulloa--to switch the point of attack quickly in order to isolate Rowe and force him to defend Castillo on his own. Castillo has only contributed two goals and two assists so far this season, and a matchup against a Revs back line that has given up 20 goals, tied for most in the Eastern Conference, may be the perfect matchup for Castillo to exploit as he looks to kick his 2016 season into high gear.
Is Kei Kamara the man to lead the Revolution's offense?
Based off of last Saturday’s performance against the Chicago Fire, many Revolution fans would answer this question with a resounding “yes.” Revs striker Kei Kamara looked every bit like the target forward the Revs so desperately needed last weekend, and he displayed a full repertoire of skills. He held the ball up well and pressured the Fire back line when the Revs didn’t have the ball, made a nice pass to winger Juan Agudelo which led to a Revs scoring opportunity, and struck a fierce shot which Fire goalkeeper Matt Lampson parried away for a corner kick. Kamara even showed off his agility, attempting a bicycle kick shot which went wide in the 68th minute. Yet the main reason Revs fans should be excited with Kamara’s arrival is his aerial ability. He scored nine of his 22 regular-season goals with his head for the Columbus Crew last season, and the Revs are second in the league in open-play crosses this season. The Revs have two talented crossers in right winger Diego Fagundez and left back Chris Tierney, who is nursing a left hamstring strain but will probably start against FC Dallas on Saturday, and Revs fans should be salivating at the idea of Kamara getting on the end of an inswinging cross from Tierney and powering a header into the back of the net.
However, Revs fans cannot overlook the fact that Kamara does bring drama to the Revs’ locker room. He endured a controversial end to his tenure with the Columbus Crew, and was heavily criticized by Middlesbrough fans for criticising the club on Twitter for “doing nothing” when he contracted malaria during his time at current English Premier League club Middlesbrough from 2013-2014 (gazettelive.co.uk) It will certainly take time for Kamara to gel with his new teammates and get accustomed to the Revolutions’ offensive style, so it remains to be seen whether or not Kamara can coexist with star player Lee Nguyen, who currently pulls the strings--and takes the penalty kicks--for this Revolution side.
As for Saturday’s matchup against FC Dallas, Kamara will most likely be defended by Dallas center back Walker Zimmerman. Both Zimmerman and Kamara are 6’3” tall, and both are dominant in the air. Zimmerman will almost certainly be marking Kamara during set-piece opportunities, i.e. Revs corner kicks and free kicks, and if Kamara is able to beat Zimmerman to the ball or out-jump the 23-year-old center back on set pieces, it will certainly spell trouble for the Dallas back line.
Projected formations
New England Revolution projected starting lineup/formation (4-2-3-1)
Bobby Shuttleworth; Kelyn Rowe, Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney; Gershon Koffie, Scott Caldwell; Juan Agudelo, Lee Nguyen, Diego Fagundez; Kei Kamara.
Notable Subs: DF Je-Vaughn Watson, MF Teal Bunbury, MF Daigo Kobayashi, FWD Femi Hollinger-Janzen.
FC Dallas projected starting lineup/formation (4-2-3-1)
Chris Seitz; Ryan Hollingshead, Walker Zimmerman, Zach Loyd, Maynor Figueroa; Carlos Gruezo, Victor Ulloa; Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz, Fabian Castillo; Tesho Akindele.
Notable Subs: DF Atiba Harris, MF Kellyn Acosta, MF Mauro Rosales, FWD Maximiliano Urruti.
Matchup to watch
New England Revolution left back Chris Tierney - FC Dallas right midfielder Michael Barrios.
FC Dallas right midfielder Michael Barrios has been FC Dallas’s most valuable player so far this season. Central attacking midfielder Mauro Diaz already has two goals and five assists this season, but he still isn’t 100% fit after suffering a couple of niggling injuries in April. Both Fabian Castillo and Maximiliano Urruti are going through a scoring drought, with the latter recovering from a left ankle sprain. Barrios has picked up the scoring load for FC Dallas in 2016, scoring a team-leading five goals and providing a constant attacking threat down that right side. He is one of the fastest players in MLS, and his ability to cut inside and turn defenders inside-out spells trouble for a Revolution back line that is not blessed with speed. Barrios is also a perfect player to use when FC Dallas counterattacks since he can run behind the defense and has very good finishing ability. If the Revs back off of central attacking midfielder Diaz and the Argentine is given time to play a through-ball, don’t be surprised if Diaz tries to put Barrios through on goal every time he receives the ball.
Standing in Barrios’ way is Revolution left back Chris Tierney, who is returning to the starting lineup after missing a couple of games with a left hamstring strain. The 30-year-old has been one of the Revolution’s best players so far this season, and the Revs certainly missed him when they were defeated 4-2 by the Los Angeles Galaxy two weeks ago. The longest current tenured Revolution player will have his hands full defending the speedy Barrios, but his pinpoint crossing ability will also force Barrios to defend him when Tierney joins the Revs attack. If Tierney is able to find space on the left side and whip in a couple of tantalizing crosses into the Dallas eighteen-yard-box early in Saturday’s game, not only will it help the Revs attack, but it will also neutralize Barrios’ attacking threat since the Colombian will have to help right back Ryan Hollingshead defend the dual-threat of Juan Agudelo and Tierney. But if the Revs can’t keep possession of the ball, Tierney will spend less time crossing and more time defending Barrios, and Barrios will inevitably get the better of Tierney in his one-on-one battles with him.
Projected scoreline
This is one of the hardest games for an MLS enthusiast to predict because both teams are coming off of wins. FC Dallas has been one of the most inconsistent road teams this season, and it is possible that they could either win 3-0 or 4-0 or lose 3-0 or 4-0 on Saturday. As for the New England Revolution, they just broke a six-game winless streak with a win against the lowly Chicago Fire, and they may have found the perfect player to lead their offense in Kei Kamara. Saturday’s game will be a very intriguing contest, and both teams’ fans should pay attention to the Walker Zimmerman-Kei Kamara matchup and the Michael Barrios-Chris Tierney matchup. This author believes that FC Dallas will score one goal, courtesy of Barrios on an assist from either Fabian Castillo or Mauro Diaz, but the Revolution will score two goals and will heap more misery on an FC Dallas back line that has already conceded 19 goals, tied for third-most in the Western Conference. Attackers Kei Kamara and Lee Nguyen will score the goals for the Revolution on Saturday, and the Revs’ defense, strengthened by the return of Chris Tierney, will defend well enough to ensure that manager Jay Heaps’ side pick up their second consecutive win, and move back into the playoff picture.