FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Asked on Wednesday morning what he wants to see his New England Revolution side improve upon ahead of this weekend’s trip to Yankee Stadium, head coach Jay Heaps gave a blunt – but appropriate – response.
“The score line,” he said. “I don’t want to lose.”
Heaps, of course, elaborated on the thought, laying out what needs to be better against expansion side New York City FC following the season-opening 3-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders FC.
“We’ve got to be better in all facets of the game,” said Heaps. “I thought we started the game well and I thought we did a good job at components of the game, but I don’t think we were dangerous enough.”
The Revs registered just one shot on target at CenturyLink Field – Kelyn Rowe’s 39th-minute blast, which was expertly saved by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
“We need to be more dangerous and we need to look to penetrate a little bit more,” Heaps added. “We had more attacking possession than they did, but they scored three goals and that’s the difference. They were much more dangerous than us.”
There are also improvements to be made defensively after the Revolution conceded three goals for the first time since a 5-1 loss to the LA Galaxy last July. An early penalty didn’t help matters as the Revs were forced to chase the game, leaving gaps for Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins to exploit.
The nascent partnership between center backs Andrew Farrell and Jose Goncalves will continue to develop through the early part of the season, but an upward trajectory is the expectation.
“It wasn’t going to be perfect from first kick,” said Farrell. “We’re just looking to improve each day. It’s a very important position to play and we’ve got to be zero mistakes. Hopefully each game we get better.”
That will be the goal on Sunday evening when the Revs visit the Bronx for NYC FC’s first-ever home game (5 p.m. ET on ESPN2). While Heaps will pinpoint areas of focus in the buildup, an overall improvement will be the objective against an unpredictable – and somewhat unknown – opponent.
“I think we can all be better,” said Andy Dorman. “Obviously it was the first game of the season. The passing wasn’t as sharp as it could’ve been and we gave up soft goals.
“At the other end of the field, we probably weren’t as sharp as we could be when we’re into the season and settled. That was the only disappointing side of it. We’re looking forward to the game this weekend. It’s a chance to put it right.”
