Revolution vs. Red Bulls: Three Takeaways

Currently on an unbeaten run of seven games, it’s a good time to be the New England Revolution. The club’s most recent result came on Saturday when the Revs handed the New York Red Bulls their first defeat of 2015. The milestone provided plenty of talking points.

1. No one is hungrier than Charlie Davies. If you go back and rewatch all of Davies’ team-leading three goals, you’ll notice that hustle was a vital component for each one. That’s not to say that the New Hampshire native isn’t skillful as Davies has the speed and smarts that you want from a forward. More than anything else, what has set Davies apart through the first nine weeks is his will and drive. His first tally of season was a sliding tap-in against the Philadelphia Union. One week later, Davies fought hard to score a header against Real Salt Lake. His most recent was an all-out diving header. It obviously takes talent to score these goals, but it also takes a lot of resolve. Davies’ passion for scoring is why he needs to be a starter.

2. Lee Nguyen makes an impact off the bench. After missing some training sessions earlier in the week to deal with "private matters," Nguyen observed the first portion of the game from the sideline. In the 56th minute, his number was called as he prepared to make his fifth-ever appearance as a substitute for the Revs. Nguyen looked unaffected by the role change as he displayed some fancy footwork and played a key role in the second goal. With only one goal and two assists through nine games, it seems unlikely that Nguyen will put up the same numbers as last year. Still, he’s an important piece to the team.

3. While it was a weakened Red Bulls side, the result was still good. Playing against a team that’s coming off a midweek game is obviously beneficial. Despite this, the Revs were 1-0-2 under these conditions heading into Saturday. The Red Bulls provided a chance to add another tally to the win column as they hosted the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday before traveling to Gillette Stadium. With a short time between fixtures, coach Jesse Marsh did some lineup shuffling for the week’s second game, putting regular starters Bradley Wright-Phillips and Lloyd Sam on the bench. While this weekend’s win was an expected one, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a good one. After all, sometimes the "gimmes" prove to be the most difficult to win.