Keep it compact, control the ball.
Such were the words from the NE Revolution camp this week preparing for the Weds game against Chivas USA. Unfortunately, they did not. They also went down a man with another red card and the final could have been worse than 4-0.
When you are struggling with possession, go back to the basics. Bring the ball out of the back on the ground. Just like Chivas did most of last night. They showed patience, passing to open men (before the defender crowded the player with the ball), switched sides from time to time, maintain possession for long stretches, forcing the Revs to run and defend and tire themselves.
What did the Revs do? Long balls over the top. Most were lost immediately, some even went out of bounds to Chivas. So instead of keeping possession, giving the Revs time to play offense, it was a quick turnover, Chivas ended up with the ball again and came back at the Revs.
Frustrating!
