FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For the walking wounded among the New England camp, the international break could not have come at a more ideal time.
The extra week between last Saturday's 2-0 victory over Chicago and the home date with Columbus on June 16 gives those players some additional time to heal their lingering knocks and push their way into the reckoning for first-team minutes.
“You ask about guys getting rest: we're not pushing anyone through this time,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps told MLSsoccer.com. “This is a good time to get guys back at their own pace. You saw Flo Lechner was on the field [on Tuesday] and [Sainey] Nyassi, too. It's important that we take those next couple of weeks to get them ready, so that when we hit our stride, they'll be participants and numbers ready for us.”
Clyde Simms (left ankle tendonitis) could join the group at some stage this week, but Heaps said Ryan Guy (right calf tightness) remains a bit behind the rest of his teammates on this particular front.
“Ryan's a little bit behind those other guys right now just because of the nature of his injury,” Heaps said. “He got hurt, came back and then got hurt again. We have to be a little bit smarter with him.”
Murray surgery leaves Revs short between the sticks
It takes a little bit of deft management to use veteran number one Matt Reis in the proper manner during the week to ensure his freshness and his sharpness for the weekend.
Heaps will have to allot Reis' training reps carefully over the next six to eight weeks after third-string goalkeeper Tim Murray underwent a medial meniscectomy on his left knee last Thursday. The hectic reserve team schedule – including a 2-1 win at Montréal on Tuesday and a visit to Columbus on Sunday – exacerbates the situation due to the limited availability of backup Bobby Shuttleworth.
A variety of goalkeepers – including members of the Revolution Academy – will help to fill the void over the next few weeks, according to Heaps.
“It's important for us to make sure we have another goalkeeper here and make sure we're getting the same type of prep for Matty,” Heaps said. “It isn't always about the number of repetitions. It's about being present when we need him for set pieces and game preparation. Matty's an experienced pro. We need to make sure we get him his rest, but we have to make sure we have bodies here, that's for sure.”
Six youth players named to U.S. Soccer Training Center session
Several members of the Revolution Academy's U-16 team will feature among a group of players hoping to impress U.S. Soccer staffers and potentially mount a case for inclusion with the youth national teams next Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.
The chosen six players are Austin Aviza (Medway, Mass.), Gabe Gissie (Worcester, Mass.), Zach Herivaux (Brookline, Mass.), Guy Kabala (Manchester, N.H./recent U.S. U-17 callup), Amadu Kunateh (Salem, Mass.), Declan McCabe (Weston, Mass./recent U.S. U-17 callup) and Christian Sady (North Andover, Mass.).
