The Bent Musket - Revolution 1-1 Fire 2014: Full Match Coverage StoryStreamFor the Fort, By the Forthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/31882/bentmusket-fave.jpg2014-04-19T20:22:41-04:00http://www.thebentmusket.com/rss/stream/53957552014-04-19T20:22:41-04:002014-04-19T20:22:41-04:00Revs 1-1 Fire: Cards, Penalties, and Craziness
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<figcaption>Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Revolution were looking for a win, but had to settle for a draw in Chicago on Saturday. Given the topsy-turvy nature of the affair, the point will seem like a pretty good haul.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/">New England Revolution</a> endured early adversity and confusing officiating to come out with a 1-1 draw with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/">Chicago Fire</a> in Bridgeview on Saturday afternoon. <span>Quincy Amarikwa</span> scored early, but Lee Nguyen's penalty leveled things in the first half.</p>
<p>The match really belonged to referee Sorin Stoica, though, who repeatedly made confusing and controversial calls that had both sides scratching their heads. In addition to the first-half penalty converted by Nguyen, Stoica issued a red card to Amarikwa and then awarded Chicago a stoppage-time penalty while sending off <span>Kevin Alston</span>.</p>
<p>Amarikwa's goal was actually the first real chance or meaningful attacking action of the match. <span>Jeff Larentowicz</span> picked up an errant touch from <span>Diego Fagundez</span> and laid it off to Alex. The Brazilian then fed a razor-sharp ball to Amarikwa on the run that split <span>Andrew Farrell</span> and <span>Darrius Barnes</span> cleanly. There were hints of offside, but the flag stayed down, and Amarikwa out-muscled Farrell before finishing between Bobby Shuttleworth's legs for the lead.</p>
<p>Sorin Stoica's first controversial call came in the 28th minute. Kevin Alston surged into the box on the left against Patrick Nyarko. He appeared to take too long a touch, but went down when clipped lightly by Nyarko and got the call from Stoica. Fire fans will point out that Alston looked to have kicked the ball on too far, and that the contact was light; Revolution fans will take it. Nguyen buried the penalty past <span>Sean Johnson</span> in the 31st minute to even the scores.</p>
<p>In the 34th minute, Stoica's decision-making stunned again. He issued a card to Amarikwa for simulation in the box, but replays showed that there was at least as much contact there as on the Alston penalty. Alone, the yellow might not have been notable enough to warrant inclusion in any game recap; later, however, it would prove critical.</p>
<p>In the first of two injury incidents, Fire midfielder Alex was replaced in the 38th minute by <span>Matt Watson</span> after picking up a limp and being unable to continue. The other was Diego Fagundez, who apparently sustained an injury that required him to be replaced by <span>Chris Tierney</span> at halftime.</p>
<p>Stoica's first yellow card to Amarikwa became significant in the 73rd minute. Amarikwa came in studs-up on <span>Andy Dorman</span> but missed him, catching the Revolution midfielder with his trailing leg instead. It was still an ugly challenge and worthy of a yellow card, which is exactly what Stoica issued. The noteworthy part was that it was Amarikwa's second yellow, and he was sent off amid vehement protests from the Fire.</p>
<p>Chicago actually played better while down a man, with their best chance coming in the 79th minute. Larentowicz flicked a header to <span>Lovel Palmer</span> in the box, who crossed to the far post for Bakary Soumare. The big defender went horizontal with a scissor volley that deflected off of Darrius Barnes and went wide. If not for Barnes, it would have been on frame.</p>
<p>Stoppage time was a big mess. In the 90th minute, <span>Mike Magee</span> got a hold of a long ball and fired on goal past Shuttleworth. It deflected off the base of the far post, but Kevin Alston was able to clear the follow-up off the line. That shot was followed by yet another, which hit Alston again, before the ball was finally cleared. However, Stoica pointed to the penalty spot and issued Alston a red card for handball and denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.</p>
<p>Replays seemed inconclusive on the handball, but nevertheless it was a penalty and the man advantage had disappeared. Jose Luis Anangono stepped up to take the spot kick, but he fired it largely down the middle, where Shuttleworth was able to save and block Larentowicz's follow-up before the ball was cleared, saving the draw.</p>
<p>New England will be back in action next against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebluetestament.com/">Sporting Kansas City</a> in Foxboro on Saturday, April 26th.</p>
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https://www.thebentmusket.com/2014/4/19/5632188/revolution-vs-fire-2014-lee-nguyen-quincy-amarikwa-bobby-shuttleworth-sorin-stoicaSteve Stoehr2014-04-19T16:11:16-04:002014-04-19T16:11:16-04:00Know Thy Enemy: Revs vs. Fire
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<figcaption>Saer Sene (39) will enter Saturday's match seeking his first goal of the 2014 season. | Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>On Saturday, fresh off a statement-making victory over Houston, the Revs will face a Chicago side in dire need of a win. Will Quincy Amarikwa and co. quiet the Revs on the road? Sean Spence has the lowdown. </p> <p>After earning an unexpected 2-0 victory over Houston, and receiving goals from a pair of unlikely heroes, the Revs will visit Chicago to take on the winless Fire. We caught up with Sean Spence from <a href="http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/" target="_blank">Hot Time in Old Town</a> to discuss the Easter-weekend showdown.</p>
<p><b>TBM: <span>Quincy Amarikwa</span> has been on a real hot streak lately. What would you say has led to his emergence in the starting XI this season and how high do you think his ceiling is?</b></p>
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<p>SS: Quincy is an interesting case. He's always brought a palpable fight to the field in his first four years in the league - the guy was a pole vaulter in high school, and carries that strength and sense of leverage into battling centerbacks for position. What's changed is that he seems to have learned how to put his abilities in harness for the team - he's not just brawling for position, but also making intelligent runs and finishing with some swagger.</p>
<p>Initially, Amarikwa got a shot in the starting XI because Juan Luis Anangono played his way out of it. It's that last question that hangs over the entire enterprise - is this ephemeral form or durable quality? My best guess: Quincy's better than we thought, but not quite three-goals-every-five games good.</p>
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<p><b>TBM: Tell me about Mike Magee's contract dispute/non-issue/training bust-up/new contract. What's going on with this guy? Is the 2013 MLS MVP back as the same player in 2014?</b></p>
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<p>SS: Ve know nossing!</p>
<p>Real talk: MLS contracts include specific non-holdout language; players (and agents) have to tiptoe around to keep from activating those clauses. Was Mike holding out? All parties say no. Did Mike take an unscheduled two-week break during preseason, then return to a contract that had magically more than doubled? All parties say yes. I leave it to the reader to tell their ass from this particular hole in the ground.</p>
<p>All that aside, Magee's still the same player. He's pathologically competitive. He thinks the game at a very high level. If Goncalves is out, the Revs will likely have a difficult time mentally in the back - Magee and <span>Harrison Shipp</span> are very good at finding space and forcing difficult decisions upon defenders.</p>
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<p><b>TBM: <span>Frank Klopas</span> out; Frank Yallop in. What have you seen from New Frank that makes you think that the Fire are in a better spot to succeed this year than they were with Old Frank. Give me one reason why the Fire are worse-off with New Frank.</b></p>
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<p>SS: New Frank (Yallop) is much more a modern football manager - the difference in the level of detail in preparation is notable. Yallop's substitutions make sense, and happen before the 85th minute. His tactical changes are explicable, not confounding. I explain the difference this way: Under Yallop, I don't find myself going "Holy f--k THIS MAKES NO SENSE" on a daily basis. It's a nice change.</p>
<p>As to what we've lost, I think Klopas was good at motivating guys to go run through a wall once their backs are up against it, and I haven't seen a lot of that. Frank I's teams would play terrible football, then somehow will themselves back into the game. Under Frank II so far, the Fire have played pretty decent football, then somehow found a way not to get all the points.</p>
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<p><b>TBM: The Fire re-shuffled the backline in the offseason sending <span>Jalil Anibaba</span> to Seattle and <span>Austin Berry</span> to Philadelphia. Is this new Fire defense better than last year's, or are there lingering concerns about this new unit?</b></p>
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<p>SS: Winless in six, 10 goals conceded, and zero clean sheets? Yes, I'd say there's still lingering concerns about this unit. That said, they're not the kind of concerns that the presence of Berry or Anibaba would allay.</p>
<p>The central pairing of <span>Bakary Soumare</span> and <span>Jhon Kennedy Hurtado</span> has shown an ability to play dominating defensive football for long stretches. Soumare's size and surprising quickness are used in an aggressive stopper role, while Hurtado sweeps up behind, covering runners ghosting into space. They're usually very good until that one moment when it all comes undone.</p>
<p>That's where the concerns come in - that one moment. Soumare has an established history of mentally switching off at the wrong times, and Hurtado can't always be there to clean it up. This defense still hasn't put together a full 90 minutes without the critical mistake, and the longer it goes before that happens, the less likely it seems to happen at all. We here in Fire-land are weeping and fasting for a clean sheet.</p>
<p>That said, if you're looking for goals against the Fire, just fall over with the ball at your feet. Seven of the 10 goals Chicago's surrendered have come off set pieces.</p>
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<p><b>TBM: Give us one player to look out for on Saturday.</b></p>
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<p>SS: This will be the Revs' first look at Harrison Shipp, the homegrown player who led Notre Dame to the NCAA title last fall. He's an interesting player from a player-development standpoint, a sort of antipode to the traditional American college product - he's not tall, or fast; he doesn't have three lungs; and he's unlikely to dribble through a double-team when an obvious out-ball presents itself.</p>
<p>That's what he's not. What he is, is an American trequartista, a cerebral schemer whose immaculate first touch allows him to find pockets of space all over the attacking zone. He's been playing on the left, but generally uses that merely as a starting spot. And his service in dead-ball situations is both cunning and accurate. The kid's just good.</p>
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<p><b>TBM: And of course, give us a predicted XI and scoreline for the match.</b></p>
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<p>SS: Predicted Fire starting XI (4-4-2): Johnson - Cochrane, Soumare, Hurtado, Palmer - Shipp, Larentowicz (c), Alex, Nyarko - Magee, Amarikwa.</p>
<p>Score prediction: The Fire finally get to the final whistle without brain-farting away a goal, and win, 2-0. Goals from Amarikwa and Magee, entering a week layoff where their bromance goes viral.</p>
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https://www.thebentmusket.com/2014/4/19/5627972/new-england-revolution-chicago-fire-2014-know-thy-enemyNick Hemming2014-04-19T16:05:42-04:002014-04-19T16:05:42-04:00Revs vs. Fire 2014: Lineups and Live Thread
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<figcaption>Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Revolution face off against the Chicago Fire on national TV today.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New England Revolution</a> take on the <a href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Fire</a> in Chicago today. I'd love to give some analysis but I don't have time. Alston appears to be moving to right-back, with Farrell in the middle and Barnes on the left to account for <span>Jose Goncalves</span>' absence.</p>
<p>Join the live thread below!</p>
<p><u>Lineups</u></p>
<p><b>Revolution:</b> <span>Bobby Shuttleworth</span>; <span>Darrius Barnes</span>, <span>Andrew Farrell</span>, <span>A.J. Soares</span>, <span>Kevin Alston</span>; <span>Andy Dorman</span>; <span>Saer Sene</span>, <span>Lee Nguyen</span>, <span>Daigo Kobayashi</span>, <span>Diego Fagundez</span>; <span>Teal Bunbury</span></p>
<p><i>Bench: Knighton, Davies, Tierney, McCarthy, Bengtson, Caldwell, Neumann</i></p>
<p><b>Fire:</b> Johnson; Palmer, Hurtado, Soumare, Cochrane; Nyarko, Larentowicz, Alex, Shipp; Amarikwa, Magee</p>
<p><i>Bench: Ianni, Reynish, Pineda, Watson, Anangono, Joya, Ritter</i></p>
https://www.thebentmusket.com/2014/4/19/5631672/revolution-vs-fire-2014-lineups-and-live-game-threadSteve Stoehr