3 thoughts after Revs 3-1 loss to Charlotte FC

The New England Revolution suffered yet another loss on Saturday night as Charlotte FC picked up their first MLS victory.

It was another ugly effort as the back line continued to leak goals and New England struggled to find the back of the net. The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Revs.

So let’s get into some takeaways from the match.

1 - Andrew Farrell appreciation

Andrew Farrell can draw the ire of Revolution fans, but they got a picture of what life is like without him this past week.

The back line has played horrible the last two games. Jon Bell and Omar Gonzalez are not an ideal center back pairing and it certainly showed.

Bell is still young and the raw potential is there. Still the Revs II product needs to do a better job of clearing balls as well as putting pressure on opponents when they have the ball.

Gonzalez has looked every bit of 33 years old. The veteran center back looks extremely slow at times and has let opponents go right by him. While Gonzalez is a threat in the air, his offensive capabilities don’t make up for his defensive lapses.

Based on Bruce Arena’s latest comments, it looks like Farrell along with Henry Kessler will be game ready once the international break is over.

“We’ll strengthen our backline with the returns of [Henry] Kessler and [Andrew] Farrell, so that will help us as well,” Arena said after the 3-1 loss to Charlotte.

Once Farrell does make his return, fans should appreciate how much he contributes to the Revs back line.

2 - New England needs a keeper

While Earl Edwards Jr., has had his moments, it seems clear that he won’t suffice if New England wants to make an MLS Cup run.

After getting off to a hot start, Edwards has really come down to earth in terms of his performance. In his last three games, Edwards Jr. has allowed seven goals.

Now not all can be blamed on Edwards but he isn’t blameless. The goalkeeper has allowed some goals that he should have gotten his hands on.

While the return of Kessler and Farrell will help plug the holes of the back line, it’s unlikely to solve all of the goal scoring problems. EEJ is better served as a backup, Brad Knighton is quite old and isn’t a starter either and Jacob Jackson is in his rookie year.

With Matt Turner moving to Arsenal in the summer, New England needs to find its starting goalkeeper rather quickly. While there are plenty of targets to choose from, the current crop of starters won’t get the job done.

3 - Carles Gil is a wizard

If you thought that Carles Gil had lost any of his magic during the offseason, the midfielder proved that he still has it this season.

Gil’s near assist to Brandon Bye was a work of art. The curling ball into the box seemed like it was put on a string by Gil. While Bye missed the mark, it showcased just how talented Gil is.

Some stuff that Gil attempts is truly absurd. If this had gone in, the goal would be in contention for Goal of the Year.

Bonus Thought:

I can confirm there is a lot of soccer left. While the Revs latest run of play is concerning, the sky isn’t falling (yet).