It's About Pride

Losing is unavoidable. It happens to most teams at some point during the season. Sometimes it comes early and often, while it comes rarely for others. Losing isn't the worst thing in the world. It can sometimes help a squad realize and work on its deficiencies. Losing can be frustrating, and it should never be accepted. Fans can live with losing games if their side shows up with a half-decent effort. They won't live with losing pride and fight.

Newsflash: This is not the same Revolution side we saw last year. The players are mostly the same. Caté has added a new dimension to the side with his inventive ability, but for the most part, the same players are playing the same game. You would think that the play would be similar to last year with most of the same pieces in place. Sure, there have been some minor tactical changes, notably the 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 carousel. However, this isn't the same side. They are missing that edge, that scrappiness, and that hunger to play the match. When you see the side on the field, they look as defeated at nil-nil as they do at five-nil. That isn't the Revolution New England fans know.

The side just does not challenge the ball anymore. The strikers don't challenge the defenders trying to work the ball up the field. The midfielders don't press the ball hoping for a stupid mistake. The defenders even play contain in their defensive box. What happened to the aggressiveness in the side? Where is that attacking mentality we saw last year? Marco Etcheverry walked in on the goal to put in a cheeky chip to Carey Talley for a simple third D.C. goal. Only one player bothered to half-challenge him and that was Caté. Where is that urgency?

The players should be motivated and urgent. In fact, they should have had plenty of motivation prior to this season. The Revolution went out of last year's playoffs due to a laughable 6-0 rout. You would think that this team would come out raring to go. Instead, they came out with a lack of fire. The players are making stupid excuses to cover up the real problems. They blame the rotating trialists. They blame the fact that they didn't have a "real preseason". Last year, this team didn't make excuses. It made plays.

When you are playing teams with superior talent, you must overcome that talent deficit with fight and grit. This Revolution team is not equal on talent with most of the teams in MLS. It has to fight and scrap for every loose ball, challenge every little attack, and think about every possible move. The Revolution can't rely on their skill level to defeat teams like Chicago and New York/New Jersey. When you don't come ready to fight, you don't come ready to play. It's not as simple as, "Hey, let's show up, give a half-decent effort, and come home with three points." This isn't MLS, 1996 style. MLS is a solid league. There are no easy games right now. You need to fight and scrap. Right now, this team isn't showing the bottle necessary to win in this league.

What can they do about it? It's going to take some soul searching to turn this ship around. Each player must figure out his priorities. Do I want to play for the Revolution anymore? Can I accept a reduced role for the team? Am I willing to be a team player? These questions must be answered quickly. The Revolution have caught their fair share of bad breaks with the injury to Chrono, the bumbling of the De Leon affair, and the turmoil between Leo Alvarez and Clavijo. There is no quick, easy fix to this morass. Braeden Cloutier isn't the whole answer. John Wolyniec isn't either. The players in this squad have to be willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. This is about the MLS Cup, not personal stats.

Sometimes, you just have to wonder if good old Keego had it right. He didn't have the talent to compete on a consistent basis. He wasn't fast, or particularly agile. He did two things in his time with the Revs: scored goals and fought after every ball. Paul Keegan was the epitome of the New England Revolution. People always questioned why Keego was kept on every year. "He doesn't play much. Let's try for a fresh face." The sheer truth is that the Revs need more players like Paul Keegan right now. Maybe the team would still be 0-6, but there wouldn't be these lingering questions. You can't question the desire of a player like Keegan.

It's put up or shut up time. The playoffs are an unlikely option at this point. There are more important things. These players should be playing for their jobs. The Revs need to put their hearts on the line every time they step over the touchline. This wasn't apparent in the first six games. Maybe it won't mean the playoffs. Hell, maybe it won't mean more than five or six wins. However, it would mean something. The team would be fighting again.

It's all about pride. The pride you have for yourself. The pride you have for your teammates. The pride you have when lace up the boots and put on your kit. You don't play for yourself. You play for your teammates. You play for your family. Most of all, you play for your club. When you step on to that pitch, you represent that club and its fans. Maybe it's time for the Revs to remember that. It's all about pride.