With eight and a half days of preseason training in the books, the Revolution got their first taste of full-field, 11-v-11 intra-squad action on Tuesday night under the lights Grande Sports World. A 55-minute run-out gave the Revs – and the Revs’ coaches – a chance to gauge where they stand after a week and a half of training.
Ryan Kinne scored the game’s only goal in the 40th minute – slotting home a through ball from midfielder Stephen McCarthy – but the game was less about scoring and more about settling into game action and getting used to playing together.
“It was a good first night for the guys,” head coach Jay Heaps said. “ It got them under the lights, got them 11-v-11 so they could get a feel. We only went about 55 minutes to get a sense of where they are. We don’t want to overcook them, but at the same time we want to see some players in action on the full field.”
The squads got their first taste of the attacking style of soccer Heaps has preached since his hiring in November. With focus on ball movement and player movement off the ball, the Revs ran through 55 minutes of up-tempo soccer. But while glimpses of the new style of play emerged, Heaps cautioned that there is certainly more work to do.
“Guys are competing. It’s pretty fast soccer,” Heaps said. “There’s some good stuff and there’s some bad stuff, and I think that for our very first game, our first time 11 on 11, it was good. But we’ve got some things to improve.
“I think we’re still trying to figure out ourselves right now,” Heaps said. “There’s a lot of new faces and we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to blend, how we’re going to gel. There’s a lot to improve on, but we have a good base to start improving upon.”
Two new players are expected to join the player mix on Wednesday. Recent Colombian signings John Lozano and Fernando Cardenas received their U.S. P-1 Visas this week and were scheduled to land in Phoenix on Tuesday night. They pair is expected to join their new teammates on the field for Wednesday’s regeneration session. Additionally, U.S. Under-23 player – and first-round draft pick – Kelyn Rowe is expected to arrive in Revs camp later on Wednesday, while Benny Feilhaber is expected in on Thursday following the U.S. National Team’s match against Panama in Panama City on Wednesday night.
Lineups:
Grey: Matt Reis, Chris Tierney, A.J. Soares, Darrius Barnes, Kevin Alston, Kenny Mansally (Alec Purdie 26), Shalrie Joseph, Clyde Simms, Sainey Nyassi (Saer Sene 26), Zack Schilawski, Zak Boggs
Orange: Bobby Shuttleworth, Tyler Polak, Kevin Garcia, Junior N’Tame, Ryan Kinne, Diego Fagundez, Mike Roach, Stephen McCarthy, David Foley, Jeremiah White, Saer Sene (Rick Smith 26)
Scoring:
Orange - Ryan Kinne (Stephen McCarthy) 40’
