Home turf doesn't help Revs
August, 6, 2012
8/06/12
4:54
PM ET
By Brian O'Connell | ESPNBoston.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Apparently, the heavy-handed approach that Sporting Kansas City brought with them to Gillette Stadium wasn’t the only thing giving the Revolution fits on Saturday.
Following their 1-0 loss to Kansas City, another culprit was named as a possible suspect for the Revolution’s poor form.
“I don’t know if it was the surface or whatever it was,” Revolution left back Chris Tierney said after the game, “but it just seemed like our touch was off a little bit.”
Tierney wasn’t the only one who cited the artificial surface as a problem. Midfielder Clyde Simms, whose soft pass back to Stephen McCarthy allowed Teal Bunbury to burst through and score in the 20th minute, pointed to the turf as a contributing factor in the game-changing mistake.
“On a normal grass field, I feel like the ball doesn't bounce that high,” Simms said. “I tried to head it back to (McCarthy) and couldn't get enough on it.”
Another player who wasn’t a fan of the turf -- which was replaced prior to the 2010 season -- was Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber. As one of the team’s more technically-sound players, Feilhaber often relies on a cooperative surface to maximize his effectiveness as a playmaker. It’s no secret that a soft surface helps keep the ball on the ground. And a ball that stays on the ground is exactly what the Revolution rely upon to keep the attack on point.
“The ball was bouncing a lot on the turf,” Feilhaber said after the game. “It wasn’t easy for either team to put the ball on the ground and play, which is normally our strength.”
Perhaps it only seemed as if the turf wasn’t cooperating. The Revolution were coming off a three-game road trip that kept them on grass fields at each stop. Maybe the players had grown used to the grass as a result.
But the idea that the artificial surface conspired against them -- and them alone -- is something that doesn’t seem to hold much water. And Feilhaber knows it.
“You can’t say that the turf worked against us,” Feilhaber said. “It’s our home field. The turf’s the turf. It’s going to equally help and bother the play of both teams, so we should be more used to it."
In the wake of the team’s fifth straight loss -- and their second straight at home -- Feilhaber said it was the team’s failure to make adjustments that cost the Revolution on Saturday.
“We didn’t play accordingly,” Feilhaber said. “And we weren’t able to play our game as well as we know we can.”
Following their 1-0 loss to Kansas City, another culprit was named as a possible suspect for the Revolution’s poor form.
“I don’t know if it was the surface or whatever it was,” Revolution left back Chris Tierney said after the game, “but it just seemed like our touch was off a little bit.”
Tierney wasn’t the only one who cited the artificial surface as a problem. Midfielder Clyde Simms, whose soft pass back to Stephen McCarthy allowed Teal Bunbury to burst through and score in the 20th minute, pointed to the turf as a contributing factor in the game-changing mistake.
“On a normal grass field, I feel like the ball doesn't bounce that high,” Simms said. “I tried to head it back to (McCarthy) and couldn't get enough on it.”
Another player who wasn’t a fan of the turf -- which was replaced prior to the 2010 season -- was Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber. As one of the team’s more technically-sound players, Feilhaber often relies on a cooperative surface to maximize his effectiveness as a playmaker. It’s no secret that a soft surface helps keep the ball on the ground. And a ball that stays on the ground is exactly what the Revolution rely upon to keep the attack on point.
“The ball was bouncing a lot on the turf,” Feilhaber said after the game. “It wasn’t easy for either team to put the ball on the ground and play, which is normally our strength.”
Perhaps it only seemed as if the turf wasn’t cooperating. The Revolution were coming off a three-game road trip that kept them on grass fields at each stop. Maybe the players had grown used to the grass as a result.
But the idea that the artificial surface conspired against them -- and them alone -- is something that doesn’t seem to hold much water. And Feilhaber knows it.
“You can’t say that the turf worked against us,” Feilhaber said. “It’s our home field. The turf’s the turf. It’s going to equally help and bother the play of both teams, so we should be more used to it."
In the wake of the team’s fifth straight loss -- and their second straight at home -- Feilhaber said it was the team’s failure to make adjustments that cost the Revolution on Saturday.
“We didn’t play accordingly,” Feilhaber said. “And we weren’t able to play our game as well as we know we can.”
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New England Revolution
The New England Revolution are one of the 10 original MLS teams that began play in 1996. In their history, the Revolution have reached the MLS Cup finals four times (2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007) but have yet to win. For more information on the Revs, check out their official website or follow them on Twitter here.
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