Things are really looking up around here. The Patriots could still make the playoffs if they win out! The Celtics got a trade exception for Gordon Hayward! The Bruins re-signed Jake DeBrusk! The Red Sox have financial flexibility!
OK… so maybe all those teams still have some work to do before we start talking about them winning their next championship.
But there is one team that could be on the verge of adding to New England’s trophy case in the near future: The Revolution.
That’s right. The Krafts’ other team is now just two wins away from winning their first MLS Cup, something they’ve come painfully close to capturing five times before, only to suffer heartbreak each time.
Maybe you’re thinking “I don’t like soccer” or “I don’t care about the Revs.” Well, you like winning, right? You care about championships, don’t you? Then come grab a nice, comfortable seat on this bandwagon, because these Revs are exciting -- and worth getting excited about.
“Team of destiny” gets thrown around a lot in sports, but it’s hard not to feel like something special is brewing with this Revs team if you’ve been following their playoff run.
As the eight seed in the Eastern Conference, they had to win a play-in game just to get into the playoffs proper, which they did in dramatic fashion, beating the Montreal Impact on a Gustavo Bou game-winning goal in the final seconds of stoppage time.
Then they went on the road to face the top-seeded Philadelphia Union -- a team they had lost to in four of five meetings in the regular season -- and came away with a 2-0 win.
In the conference semifinals on Sunday, the Revs went down to Orlando -- a place they had never won in the six years Orlando has had a team -- and picked up a thrilling 3-1 win over Orlando City. Clinging to a 2-1 lead late in regulation, goalkeeper Matt Turner came up with a game-saving stop on a penalty kick taken by Nani. Carles Gil then set up Bou for an insurance goal to seal the win.
Speaking of Gil and Bou, if you’re just jumping on board and wondering who the stars to watch are, it starts with them. They emerged as one of the best attacking duos in MLS last season, and were expected to build off that success this year.
Things didn’t quite work out that way, though. Gil battled injuries all year, including suffering an Achilles injury in August that many feared would end his season. He managed to make it back just in time to get up to speed for the playoffs, though, and the rest of the Eastern Conference is now suffering as a result.
Gil is an elite playmaker in MLS, and his presence frees up everyone else in the Revs’ attack, including Bou. At least one of the two has been involved in all seven goals the Revs have scored in the playoffs -- Gil with two goals and three assists, and Bou with three goals and one assist.
Another star who has emerged in these playoffs is 21-year-old Tajon Buchanan. Due to a combination of injuries at the full-back position and the return of Gil up front, Revs coach Bruce Arena decided to move Buchanan from his usual attacking wing role to right-back for the playoffs.
Buchanan has been a revelation in his new role, causing all sorts of problems for opposing defenses by jumping into the attack from the back line with his speed and offensive instincts. He helped set up a goal against Montreal, scored one against Philadelphia, drew the penalty that set up New England’s first goal against Orlando, and then made good plays at both ends of the pitch to help set up the second (as shown in the second video below).
Now the Revs head to Columbus to face the Columbus Crew in the conference final this Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC. Is it stupid that such a big game is going up against the NFL and overlaps with the start of a Patriots game? Yes, of course it is. Can I explain the MLS’ scheduling madness? No, I cannot.
But take a look at the NFL’s 1 p.m. slate this Sunday. Aside from maybe Titans-Browns, you can’t tell me with a straight face that you actually care about any of those garbage matchups.
So flip over to ABC at 3 and give the Revs a shot instead. You’ll get into the second half before the Patriots start, and you might even end up sticking around. We all know the Patriots play like crap in the first quarter anyways.