The New England Revolution has now gone 388 without scoring, a new club record. After five games, the Revs have managed just one goal this season, that was by Jerry Bengtson in the season opener against Chicago.
What has to worry Revs boss Jay Heaps, besides not scoring, is the lack of offense. Once again the Revs did not have a shot on goal. New England only has 10 shots on target all season, a paltry average of 2 per game. It is difficult to win games consistently when you have two shots per game.
Heaps will hope that the return of Saer Sene against Seattle, will help jump-start the Revs season. Sene has been out for seven month since ACL surgery, and the partnership between Bengtson and Sene on paper is one of the best in MLS.
But good strikers are only as good as the service they get, and that service has been non-existent this season. One of the strengths of this New England Revolution side was supposed to be its midfield, but once again the midfield got overrun against Seattle. On Saturday, New England made Seattle look like Barcelona as the Revs had only 31.5% possession.
Not all the blame falls on the midfielders though. The Revs were unable to play the ball out of the back to build possession due to some atrocious passing. The back four of Tierney, Gonçalves, Soares and Farrell completed passes to Revs players only 55% of the time, with AJ Soares the worst offender with only a 41% completion rate. It is difficult to build any sort of passing game when your defenders give the ball away almost half the time.
The one bright spot for Heaps and the Revs is that they have the best defensive record in MLS. With the shutout in Seattle, New England have conceded just two goals through the first five games of the season. That defensive strength will keep the Revs in games this season as they try to find a offensive rhythm. The downside is that this type of soccer is about as entertaining as watching paint dry.
The Revs will be on the road once again next weekend when they visit the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, April 20. Kickoff from Red Bull Arena is set for 7 p.m.
