Three formations have defined the Jay Heaps era. Throughout his six seasons at the helm of the Revolution, Heaps has allowed his system to evolve by rarely—if ever—making impulsive lineup changes.
In the early days, the Revolution gaffer deployed a 4-1-4-1 with a rotating cast of defensive midfielders, from Clyde Simms to Andy Dorman. In 2014, the arrival of Jermaine Jones threw a wrench in this system, and Heaps responded by transitioning to a 4-2-3-1. In this setup, Jones and Scott Caldwell held down the defensive midfield spots and Charlie Davies earned the lion’s share of starts up top.