FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After a perfect 3-0-0 week the New England Revolution claimed top spot in the Supporters' Shield standings, reigning supreme with 33 points from a 10-3-3 record.
New England secured two shutouts en route to their most recent nine points, while simultaneously producing an impressive eight goals in the same stretch.
However, as the Revs look back on the past week, the immediate blemish they focus on is the single goal conceded in their latest 2-1 triumph over CF Montréal.
To this roster, conceding one goal isn’t up to their high standards, and they want better for themselves.
“It was a very good week, a very important week to get the three wins,” said Tommy McNamara. “We didn’t close out the game against Montreal very well.
“We rode our luck a little bit, which sometimes you need to get good results, so it’s good that we were able to come away with the three points, but there’s things we needed to do better in that game that we’re focused on in this upcoming week.”
This mindset of determination is ubiquitous throughout the locker room.
“I think everyone is pleased,” said A.J. DeLaGarza. “But still there’s a lot of work we can do on areas we can fix. One, finish off our chances, defend a little bit better and control the game a little bit more throughout the entirety of the game, so that’s controlling the ball and passing better and moving better for each other.
“At the end of the day we're at the top of the East and entire league so that’s something we can be proud of and continue to do our work out here every day.”
In addition to those objectives, the squad also looks to properly regenerate and recover at training after 19 different players put in shifts during the heavy rotation of a successful, but hectic, nine-point week.
“Number one is getting enough bodies back on the field,” assistant coach Richie Williams said of the squad’s priorities in training this week. “Obviously picking up some injuries and some guys coming back from injuries, and again, still the international call-ups as Canada and the U.S. still move on in the Gold Cup, so we want to make sure that we have guys that are able to play from a physical standpoint.
“[Going into] the rest of the week, we’ve got to get a group together that’s going to be ready to play against a very good Red Bulls team.”
As the Revs head on the road to visit their longtime rivals, they feel strongly that they can build on their recent performances and put in a solid 90-minute shift in New Jersey.
“I think everyone’s confident,” said DeLaGarza. “Everyone’s been working to help one another. When one guy gets beat, we’re all there to try to help out. I think we have to try to continue to do that with the way we play so it’s a good step in the right direction getting two clean sheets on the road.
“Now, we’ve got to be a little bit better at home and killing games off, so that’s the next step.”
The Revs will look to close out their next game at the Red Bulls on Saturday at 6 p.m., with coverage on TV38 and myRITV.
