April 24th, 2008 . 7:43 am . By: Jason Benfield

New England Formation

New England traditionally play in a 3-5-2 formation. The outside backs tend to stay a bit wide, and are allowed to join the attack at times, with the central defender holding a deeper position but not behaving as a sweeper. The midfield consists of a center triangle of two defensive mids positioned behind an attacking midfielder. On the wings, both players are expected to be two-way players and help out defensively, but are an essential part of the attack. Up top, the Revs have tried to play a traditional English forward pairing, with one target forward and a second forward who is not necessarily fast but a very good passer in order to work combinations in tight space. New England rarely attacks through balls over the top – they will counter down the wings and then play the ball inside. Because of this, forwards with speed are not a necessity, and even the second forward is expected to be strong in the air.

In the preseason, New England experimented with a 4-4-2 and because of the lack of options at attacking midfield, we may see this look for the Dallas match. Under this circumstance, expect the midfield to take a flat shape, where all four players have both offensive and defensive roles. The outside backs will have more freedom to join the attack. This look will force the forwards to drop further into the midfield for the ball, and at the same time there could be more direct play than they usually exhibit.

New England Revolution ROSTER

Just a reminder of the rating system:

1 = Developmental player
2 = Solid bench player
3 = Below average starter in MLS
4 = Above average starter in MLS
5 = All-star caliber player in MLS
6 = Superstar

Albright – 4 - Normally their starter at right back, but has missed the last couple of games with an ankle injury and is expected to be out against Dallas. Came into the league as a forward because of athleticism, size, and speed, but was awful in front of the goal. Eventually pushed back to outside midfield, and then to right back, where he has excelled. Good speed, nice physicality on the outside. Can provide a good ball into the box, but doesn’t have the highest field IQ. Is susceptible to bad turnovers that result in dangerous chances for the opposition, which holds him back from locking a place in the national team.

Castro – 3 - Midfielder from Honduras has shown well early in the season. Started the year at left mid for the injured Smith, then moved centrally after Ralston hurt his shoulder. Looks like more of a natural outside midfielder. Nice crossing ability, but not great in tight space and doesn’t have great vision. Often bypassed in the attack when playing in the middle because not active enough. Struggled to find the ball against NY. Will miss the Dallas game because of a red, but may be a 4 once he gets more time on the wing.

Cristman – 3 – Looked good early last season, then trailed off. Not sure if he will hold off Mansally for a starting spot once Twellman gets back. Better touch than you would expect from a bigger player; also has better speed, and can make good passes. Shows decent vision. Cannot create chances for himself, and really struggled to make an impact in the last game, other than getting fouled for the free kick that led to the goal. Another player who is similar to Abe in that he surprises you once he is on the ball as you don’t expect too much. Depends on an effective partner, and might be more of a 2.

Dube – 1 - Tons of speed, but is behind both Mansally and Cristman, which should tell you something. Very raw, but good athleticism and there is upside if he gets games with the reserves.

Fernandez – 2 – Costa Rican youth forward the coaching staff is very high on. Good athlete and good on the ball. Can also play attacking midfield.

Flood – 2 – Showed that he can be adequate off the bench when filling in for Larentowicz, but doesn’t provide much other than clogging up the midfield. Thrown out of a Red Sox game last week, so kudos to him for that. Good tackler but doesn’t provide much going forward.

Heaps – 4 - Versatile defender; can play any spot on the backline. With the addition of Albright, has been asked to play left back, but plays on the right when Albright is not available. Partners with Parkhurst in the middle when the Revs move to four at the back. Looked a little uncomfortable on the left side. Doesn’t have size for the middle, but good hops make him better in the air than you would think. Not the fastest player in the world and forwards can beat him with the ball at their feet.

Hilgenbrinck – 1 - Came on at the end of the last game and played left back. Wasn’t beaten, but New York did not have many opportunities at that point and New England had a lot of players back as cover. Will be asked to play Thursday if New England go with a back four.

Igwe – 2 – Started against New York at left back and looked very comfortable on the MLS field. Played a solid game. Good going forward and ripped a nice shot just past the far post. Beaten on the great Altidore goal because he didn’t turn his hips fast enough and then gave up on the play – rookie mistake. Has potential. Moved over to the right at the end of the game, and would probably play there in a back four.

Joseph – 6 – Very good player who is being allowed to join the attack more this season. Has been great so far. Holds the play up very well, good outlet passer. Obviously a top tier player. Has a nice feel for the game – when to counter, when to slow things down. Great physical player. Underrated passer. Best defensive mid in the league.

Larentowicz – 4 – Has really progressed the last two seasons. Very good last year, and has played well this year other than the red against Chicago. Passing and first touch have improved, and now takes some free kicks. Handles the speed of the league well now. Is knocked up, so could be out for the Dallas game, which would force Flood to fill in for him. Plays with a good intensity.

Mansally – 2 - Challenging for the starting spot as a second forward. Great speed, but lacks first touch and not good in combonation play, which could keep him from partnering with Twellman. Disappears for large stretches of matches, but is young so that is expected to some extent. Very inexperienced player who is not sure what runs to make at the top, which disrupts the offensive flow of the team. Really only works well with countryman Nyassi; other than that is not effective.

Nyassi – 3 – Great speed, quick feet, passes well. Will be tough for Thompson to take the right mid job back. Fantastic goal in the opener. Kind of like Beasley when he was in the league – speed, athleticism, and defensive effort are always there, but inconsistent on the offensive side as he doesn’t always impose himself on the game.

Parkhurst – 5 - Solid all-star center back. Faster than you think, good physically. Reads plays extremely well. Good in the air and good defending players on the dribble. Very strong tackler and distributes well. Rarely gives the ball away in a bad position. Really plays mistake-free soccer, committing few fouls with few turnovers.

Ralston – 5 - Very good right wing for years; has handled the switch back to the middle quite well. Began his MLS career cleaning up for El Pibe in Tampa, so is comfortable roaming the center of the pitch, albeit now in the creative role of his mentor. Good vision, makes quick decisions on the ball, and a tireless worker. Looked fantastic in the opener and unfortunate to get hurt as he was all over the place. Underrated as an attacking central mid.

Reis – 5 - Perennial all-star, and the best keeper in the eastern conference. Good size, great positioning. Lacks athleticism to challenge for a national team spot, but is a good overall goalie. Great leadership and command of the backline. Reads plays well and quick to come off his line. Not great with the ball at his feet.

Smith – 4 – Has improved enough to be a solid starter in the league. Relied on athleticism when first came in, but now is a much more balanced player and has a more consistent impact on a game. Touch has improved greatly and has allowed him to take advantage of size and speed. Long stride is hard for players to keep up with in space. Probably the most effective outside player with size in the league since Sanneh played for DC.

Thompson – 3 - Great for depth and showed last year that he can be effective as a starter. Nice speed and a great work rate. Not the cleanest player on the ball, but effort is the biggest strength of his game. Essentially beat Dorman out of a position midway through last year as Ralston was moved to the inside to give him a spot in the team. Will have a tough battle with Nyassi to win a starting spot back, but the competition should help both players in the long run. Has been injured to start the year, but is ready to at least fill a sub’s role.

Twellman – 5 - All-star forward hasn’t played this season due to a knee injury, which is kind of a coincidence after all of the contract issues in the off-season when he was denied a transfer to Preston. Some people compare him to McBride, but doesn’t have the same size or first touch to make him successful at the international or top European level. Above average speed, above average in the air with nice finishing skills and athleticism, but doesn’t do any one thing “great” that would put him over the top. Very similar to Kreis in that regard, but obviously better in the air. Underrated passer, great motor, and a quick, smart player on the ball. Definitely a top level striker in MLS. Will miss the Dallas game with his knee injury, and has been sorely missed.

Warren – 2 - Backup goalie has seen limited action with Reis in between the pipes, but is a solid backup in the league.

Brill, Britner, Knighton, and Wadsworth are all developmental players I have never seen and as such I have no report to give.

EXPECTED NEW ENGLAND LINEUP

Okay, with all of the injuries, I will go out on a limb and guess a 4-4-2.

EXPECTED DALLAS LINEUP

KEY TO THE GAME

New England are really struggling at the top, so they rely on bringing the ball up the wings at this point. The Dallas backline will be able to neutralize the Revolution forwards, so if Dax and Wagner play well, New England will really have problems putting any pressure on the Dallas defense. Dax has a massive physical mismatch on his hands, while Wagner will struggle with the speed and athleticism of Nyassi, so it will be quite a challenge for the Dallas wingbacks. Because the wings will concentrate on the defensive end, it is imperative that Rocha join the attack in order to give Dallas adequate numbers going forward. Otherwise, what should be a situation of taking advantage of another injury-ridden team could become a difficult, defensive affair devoid of chances.

Categories: Match Preview.

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