FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Much has been made of the New England Revolution’s recent switch to a 4-4-2 diamond formation. The discussion has focused primarily on the system’s use of two strikers, a departure from the 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid setup the Revs had used for the majority of the past four years.
The change has reinvigorated the Revolution’s attack, which snapped an extended scoreless drought in last weekend’s 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids. New England’s use of two forwards has taken pressure off the target striker, while it has freed up the midfield to find different spaces between the lines.