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When Jay Heaps became head coach of the New England Revolution in 2012, he understood that he was stepping into a world in which he could be let go at any moment. Now in his sixth year of holding the position, Heaps claims he still feels the week-to-week pressure of the job.
“I think I'm coaching for my job every game,” Heaps said. “That's what we do. I signed up for this.”
The Revs ended a four-game losing streak on Saturday when they beat the LA Galaxy 4-3. Even after securing full points, the team finds itself eight points out of a playoff spot. With 14 games left to play, there’s a very real possibility that the Revs could miss the postseason for a second consecutive year.
“For me, no one is happy with where we're at,” Heaps noted. “I think that from every angle we can be better.”
One way of trying to turn things around is to make a couple of mid-season acquisitions. The club only has 24 players on the roster and the secondary transfer window will remain open through August 9.
That said, Heaps isn’t overly consumed by the transfer window, saying “my job is to coach the team.” The gaffer is more focused on helping the team play at their best for a full 90 minutes.
“My job is to come in every week and prepare the team,” Heaps said. “If you go back and look at every game, we have a really clear game plan, we come out and execute it really, really well, and then now the second half is that two-personalities. We have to make sure that we can rejuvenate and be the same team that starts the game that finishes the game.”