Revolution aren't out of their depth
FOXBOROUGH - In seven seasons with the Revolution, midfielder Steve Ralston cannot remember a team with this many interchangeable parts.
When injuries or national team duties claimed players this season, there was someone to fill the void. What could have turned into a downward spiral blossomed into an ideal training ground for the Revolution's younger players. They came in as subs, started in positions once manned by familiar faces, and all the while the Revolution rose to the top of the MLS standings (10-4-3, 33 points) and qualified for the US Open Cup semifinals.
"I think this is the deepest we've ever been," Ralston said. "Part of that is because we've had so many injuries and so many call-ups that guys were given opportunities to play and did well."
If the Revolution ever needed this type of depth, it was this year. They are slated to play at least 38 games, with matches in the US Open Cup, SuperLiga, and CONCACAF Champions League added to the 30-game MLS schedule.
The Revolution are at the halfway point of the season, and take on Santos Laguna tonight in their first SuperLiga match. SuperLiga is in its second year and features four top Mexican teams and the four top MLS teams from 2007.
The first match of the tournament for the Revolution is expected to be a measuring stick as they take on the Mexican Clausura champion.
"It's going to be tough playing against teams we've never played against," said Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst. "We don't really know what to expect from the teams that we're playing."
The Revolution are accustomed to making adjustments. From the first month of the season, players such as Amaechi Igwe took advantage of opportunities.
Igwe, a 2007 first-round pick, played with the reserves last season. In April, he was in the starting lineup at left back at Kansas City. He admitted to a few nerves before the game, but he saw the opening to fill a spot vacated after last season.
"Once I settled in, I just knew that I could play," said Igwe, who has played in 10 games this season, starting six. "I hadn't had the opportunity yet, and once I got the opportunity, I knew I would gain more confidence."
Knee and ankle injuries have kept the team's all-time leading scorer, Taylor Twellman, out of all but three league games, but young strikers Adam Cristman (6 league goals), Kheli Dube (4), and Kenny Mansally (2) stepped in and contributed. Sainey Nyassi and Pat Phelan have filled voids in the midfield.
"You learn more when you're on the field playing in an actual game," said coach Steve Nicol. "A lot of young guys are getting on the field and have done real well. It's made it hard not to keep playing them."
"It's bad that guys have been injured, but it's been great to see so many guys filling in, and we knew that was going to bode well in the future," Parkhurst said. "The future is now because we have so many games coming up. Those guys have the confidence to step up and replace the guys they're going in for and not let the level drop, which is most important."
Goalkeeper Matt Reis said the contributions from the young players can be credited to the scouting by Nicol and assistant Paul Mariner. The development throughout the season has created more competitive training sessions and made the Revolution a more dynamic unit, according to defender Jay Heaps.
"The last couple of years, we've had three or four guys that could step in and play at any time," he said. "This year we can go 10 players deep . . . We have another squad of players that can step in, and they've proven themselves."
Mexican teams have more financial incentive to win the SuperLiga, according to the MLS Players Union, which released a statement yesterday suggesting the league has falsely implied that the tournament champ will win $1 million. "[That] is true only for the Mexican players," the statement read. "MLS . . . has unilaterally set its own bonus structure for players, who will receive only [15 percent] of the $1 million."
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com
