Bruce Arena: “We’re not talking about competing for a championship right now”

The New England Revolution were looking like one of the best teams in MLS prior to Sunday night’s loss to FC Dallas.

New England had won five straight games and was able to secure points in six straight games. The attack was starting to find its form and Matt Turner was playing some of the best soccer of his career.

But everything came crashing down against FC Dallas. The Revolution looked like a completely different team.

It’s worth noting that Sunday night was New England’s third matchup in nine days. It’s a brutal stretch of games that can test even the best of teams, but Matt Polster said himself after the game that heavy legs can’t be an excuse.

Even though the Revs have been able to string together wins recently, the performance of the back four has been troubling. New England has allowed six goals in three games.

While Matt Turner was able to save the day against NYCFC, he can only do so much. That was proven in the 2-1 loss to Dallas.

After the game, Bruce Arena was asked if he feels the Revolution can compete for a championship with the current backline and the Head Coach and Sporting Director didn’t want to talk about that just yet.

Arena said, “We’re not talking about competing for a championship right now. We’re talking about building our team into a good team. So, as we move along through the season and we get towards the end, hopefully we’re positioned to compete and win playoff games. Right now, we’re not talking about winning a championship. Right now, we’re talking about building our team to be a better team.”

If New England continues to allow goals at this rate they are going to have some problems. While the Revs are still at the top of the Eastern Conference, their lead is dwindling. If they are going to compete with Orlando City and the likes of the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy out west.

So while Arena doesn’t want to look that far ahead, if the current backline doesn’t improve or get improved by a Summer transfer, it’s hard to see New England lifting a trophy at the end of the season.