There’s a collection of teams who, when they come to Providence Park, feel as if they arrive amid reminders that the club even exists. Such is the reality of Major League Soccer’s schedule, where teams from the Eastern Conference only visit Portland every two years, by which time (given the rapid improvement of the league’s talent) their players, approach and expectations are usually transformed.
Who even coaches the New England Revolution, anymore? Dedicated MLS fans know (it’s actually somebody soccer famous), but how many Revs can those same fans name, right now? What formation does D.C. United play?