New England Revolution not giving up on 'slim' MLS Cup Playoffs hopes, says Arena
By Chris Smith
The New England Revolution head into this weekend looking for a miracle.
Last season's Supporters' Shield winners host Atlanta United at Gillette Stadium looking to do their bit in overturning a four-point gap between themselves and the MLS Cup Playoffs spots.
The problem? Only two regular-season games remain, with the second coming away at the Chicago Fire on Decision Day.
Even so, the Revs aren't giving up hope just yet and are solely focusing on the things in their own control.
"We’re trying to win on Saturday. We’re not yet eliminated mathematically, so we have to put everything we have into this game and try to get three points and hope that there’s still slim hope of being able to make the playoffs as we go to Chicago. That simple," head coach Bruce Arena told reporters on Thursday.
"The only thing we can do is control ourselves and we haven’t done a good job of that over the last, I’d say, six games. We have to get on the field Saturday and try to get three points."
Midfielder Tommy McNamara is similarly motivated, looking to help the Revs do all they can to beat Atlanta United at home and at least stay in with a chance.
"I mean, it’s crazy how it hasn’t happened, but thankfully it hasn’t, and we’re not eliminated from the playoffs yet," said McNamara. "So there’s still a chance. We’re very motivated by that, by playing at home to try to get a win in front of our supporters."
Given their success last year in setting the MLS single-season points record (73), much more was expected of the Revs in 2022.
For Arena, their underperformance can be blamed on a number of factors, including having to part ways with key players like Adam Buksa and Tajon Buchanan.
"We’ll handle any matters in terms of getting our team better inside our team," said Arena. "There’s a number of things we could do better. Obviously, we lost some good players. We didn’t replace them the way we needed to. We’ve had a lot of injuries. We made a lot of mistakes on the field and off and we have to get it better for next year.”
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