The Soccer Show: Shalrie Joseph Expects “Aggressive” Style vs. FC Cincinnati
The top two teams in MLS will go head-to-head tonight when the Revolution welcome FC Cincinnati to Gillette Stadium (7:30 p.m. – MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 98.5 The Sports Hub). Both teams bring identical 6-1-2 records into the contest, setting up an early showdown between two clear playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference. On the 10th episode of The Soccer Show with DJ Bean, airing every Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Revolution club legend and now assistant coach Shalrie Joseph joined the program to preview tonight’s pivotal match.
“It’ll be huge. They’re one of the best teams right now,” the former Revs captain said of Cincinnati. “From what they have done in the last couple of years to the way they are now, they’ve had such a huge growth. It’s going to be a huge matchup for us in terms of offensively and defensively.”
“We know this matchup will tell a lot about where we are as a team and where we are mentality-wise.”
Much like Revolution Head Coach Bruce Arena, who will be coaching against his son, Kenny, this weekend, Joseph also has deep roots with the Cincinnati staff. Joseph, an eight-time MLS All-Star and four-time Best XI selection in his playing days, spent five years starting for the Revs alongside current Orange and Blue manager Pat Noonan, who helped New England win three straight conference titles from 2005-07.
“Our DNA is to be on the front foot, to be aggressive, and we want to score the first goal,” Joseph added. “Someone like Pat Noonan, who I had the pleasure to play with and have a little bit of conversation with, especially this preseason, he is aggressive, too. This is going to be a matchup of two of the best minds in soccer. Even though Pat is a little bit younger in terms of experience, it’ll be very aggressive the way he is in his nature.”
“The way they play, their style of soccer, and the way we’ve been playing, we are going to need to bring our best game this weekend, especially against the likes of [Sergio] Santos and [Brandon] Vasquez and [Luciano] Acosta.”
Both of these Revolution greats have excelled early in their coaching careers. For Joseph, he has long known that this would be his path after hanging up his boots.
“For me, it’s just always been the love of being a soccer player, just playing the game, and it’s so enjoyable. But what drew me [to coaching] is trying to find solutions to a game that I played,” said Joseph, who previously coached the Grenada National Team. “I love the Xs and Os. I love trying to figure out how to beat a team. I study a lot of soccer. You name it, I watch it. I think being a coach and having the opportunity to learn my knowledge of what I’ve been through as a player has drawn me even closer to the game.”
Joseph, now a father, feels gratitude for the position he now finds himself in with his old club, learning from one of the sport’s great coaches in Arena.
“It’s a dream come true… To learn from him every day is just an enjoyable day. We don’t look at it as work. We look at it as learning and just being a part of something special,” Joseph said of the organizational culture at 1776 Revolution Way. “He makes it fun to be around. He’s always telling you how to get better or little things like that. The biggest thing is understanding players mentality and how to get everything out of them, and that’s the things he strives for the most.”
Tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET match between New England and FC Cincinnati airs live on 98.5 The Sports Hub with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies on the call, or watch live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.