10/8/08
| Defense Wins Championships |
by Noah Sharfman |
A clichéd phrase - Defense wins championships - is the backbone of the Revs' push into the postseason
Badilla joined the Revs' back line in August and is 'picking it up pretty quickly' according to fellow defender Michael Parkhurst
Photo: Keith Nordstrom |
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| Michael Parkhurst Card Plaque |
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If the cliché, "Defense wins championships" is true, the New England Revolution has positioned itself well to make a deep run in the postseason.
The 2008 Revolution rests in second place in the Eastern Conference with just a handful of games remaining in the regular season due, in large part, to the solid play if its experienced defenders.
Chris Albright, Jay Heaps and Michael Parkhurst have been mainstays on the Revs’ back line this season, and joined by the mid-season signing of Gabriel Badilla, the Revolution possess one of the most experienced and veteran defensive units in Major League Soccer. Playing with the likes of Albright and Heaps is Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis, who has been the Revolution’s full-time starter since 2004.
"We have all been around the league a while," Albright said. "I think more so than anything we know how to kind of keep an even keel. As the season goes on, we’ve had a few bad losses, but we’ve been able to bounce back and get results after that."
Having a short-term memory following bad losses is a must, and the Revs have been able to bounce back on several occasions this season.
"It’s concentration and going out with the objective of being more defensive minded." Albright said of the team’s refocused efforts. "After we took a few bad results, we concentrated a lot more on bringing defensive pride back again."
The ultimate goal of a team’s defense is to have three or four guys working as a single unit in front of their goalkeeper. For the Revolution, finding its chemistry as a unit is part of the growing process that has earned the team the reputation of being an elite defensive group.
"It takes time to get cohesiveness, especially putting Gabriel (Badilla) back there," Reis said. "He and (Michael) Parkhurst are a bit of the same player in that they like to put out a lot of fires by themselves. But it is important for them to talk and keep the center of our defense tight."
The 2008 season has been an experimentation process for the Revs’ defenders. Acquired via a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January, Albright’s arrival in New England, coupled with the play of Jay Heaps, gave the Revolution two veteran backs to anchor the defense.
Albright has held down the right side of the Revs defensive line this season, and as a result, 2008 marks the first season since 2001 that Heaps hasn’t patrolled the right touchline for the Revs on a consistent basis. Heaps has played the majority of the season as the Revs left back, but at times, he has also played as a central defender and a right back The combination of Albright and Heaps playing out wide not only gives the Revs two of the more experienced defenders in the league, but also provides the team with two defenders capable of creating transition opportunities.
"It’s important for them to shut down our opponents’ wide play," Reis said. "But at the same time, they need to get forward. They are both good players offensively and get involved in the attack."
Playing between Albright and Heaps is Parkhurst, a fourth-year centerback from Wake Forest University. Since being drafted by the Revolution in 2005, Parkhurst has developed into an elite defender.
"It’s been great to play with him," Reis said of Parkhurst. "He has obviously shown a lot of people what a quality, class player he is. I think Revolution fans have been lucky to see his growth as a player."
Parkhurst picked up in 2008 where he left off in 2007. Last season, he earned his first international cap with the U.S. National Team and was named the MLS Defender of the Year. This season has been much of the same for Parkhurst. On Aug. 30, Parkhurst and the newly signed Badilla quickly found a rhythm playing next to each other.
"They are doing great," Albright said of Parkhurst and Badilla’s on-field chemistry. "Gabby is picking it up pretty quickly which you don’t see that often with a defender. We’re proud of the job they’re doing."
With Albright’s addition and Badilla joining Parkhurst in the center, communication has been a major factor that has driven the success of the Revolution defenders.
"The defense and middle players have to be most verbal, and I think Matt (Reis) has done a good job with that," Albright said. "He lets us know where to be and makes sure we are in the right spots. That trickles out to the rest of the field."
Other than the overall success of the team, Reis has been the primary benefactor of the solid play of Albright, Heaps and Parkhurst – and the recent acquisition of Badilla.
This season, Reis has posted a goals against average of 1.30, which is his third lowest GAA in his tenure with the Revs.
As a group, the Revolution defenders are leading the team toward the postseason. Although success in the regular season is nice, the group of defenders understands the greater goal.
"It’s about realizing the season is 30 games long and that the playoffs is when the real ‘season’ starts," Albright said. "We have to keep an even keel and make sure we pick the younger guys up."
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