The Soccer Show: Harkes and Revs beat Charlotte by ‘going back to the basics’
The 2024 MLS season did not start the way the New England Revolution hoped it would, but with four points in the last two matches, things are starting to trend in the right direction for a hungry Revs team eager to begin its climb up the Eastern Conference table.
Revolution midfielder Ian Harkes joined D.J. Bean on “The Soccer Show” this morning to reflect on the team’s first win last weekend against Charlotte, and look ahead to tonight’s match in the Bronx at New York City FC.
“We desperately needed that,” Harkes said of the 1-0 win, in which Carles Gil provided the winning goal. “The feeling in the group was tough, because we had a few results in Champions Cup but couldn’t find one in the league. We really needed to get that against a good Charlotte team, and we did.
“We did it in a different way. It might not have been the prettiest game, but we’re focused on the results. We had to defend and sit in a little bit, especially in the second half once we were defending that lead.”
Luck hasn’t been on New England’s side for much of the league campaign, with the team and its manager feeling hard done by some questionable calls and unlucky bounces, combined with inconsistent execution. But Harkes and the Revolution aren’t dwelling on what could have been.
“Those moments sometimes start to stack up when you are missing those little chances or things aren’t going your way,” Harkes said. “Whether it’s rust or not converting finishes, things like that. Those start to add up and it kind of stays in your mind in those different games. Sometimes those compound and you have to just push through that, and I think the Charlotte game kind of did that for us.”
The Revolution will look to collect points for a third consecutive match tonight, when the club visits New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies will be in the building to call the match on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2, or watch the action on any device via MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
For the Revs, the gameplan remains a simple one – provide solid, lockdown defense in the back and lean on the playmakers up front to put the ball in the net.
“I think it’s going back to the basics again and getting our defensive structure right, if we’re going in and having the same ideas as [last week’s match],” Harkes said. “We know that if we keep clean sheets and hold out, that we have the talented players on the field to make the difference in the game.”