FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It was clear that the New England Revolution needed a change.
Another summer swoon had come to a head in early August, when the Revs lost four straight games to drop from sixth to eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They’d been outscored 13-2 in that four-game stretch to see their goal differential balloon from -6 to -17.
So for the Revolution’s trip to face the San Jose Earthquakes on August 24, head coach Jay Heaps moved away from the 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid formation he’d employed for years, instead switching to a more standard 4-4-2 setup with a diamond in midfield.