FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Life without Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman and Adam Cristman has changed how the New England Revolution approach the game offensively.
Ralston, Twellman and Cristman were the top three scorers for the Revs during the regular season. Cristman underwent season-ending toe surgery on Sept. 4, while Ralston (broken fibula) and Twellman (post-concussion symptoms) hold out some hope of returning if the Revs advance.
Without the combined 22 goals and 10 assists those three contributed in 2008, the Revolution attack has changed its focus.
"It's different," Revolution defender Chris Albright said. "The importance is put on defending and keeping our organization. A goal is a bonus at this point."
In a 0-0 draw in the opening leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series with Chicago, the Revs created chances occasionally by trying to get the ball wide and flighting crosses into the box. But the crosses often went astray and the Revs created very little through the center of the park without Ralston's attacking presence to complement Shalrie Joseph and Jeff Larentowicz.
"We're looking for the same commitment," Nicol said. "We just need better quality at the right time. That's it in a nutshell."
That quality will come, Nicol believes, because the team hasn't deserted its offensive game plan and continues to create some chances.
"The positive is that we're on the verge of it," Nicol said. "If we looked as though we didn't have any idea whatsoever, then we'd have some problems. I think we do [have an idea] and I think we'll give them some trouble."
With less offensive options, Nicol knows his team will have to look to complement that game plan with other ideas.
Strikers Kheli Dube and Kenny Mansally have been charged with finding that goal. Changing the forwards means changing how the front two attacks. Mansally and Dube will look to use their pace to get in behind the defense more often than a Twellman-Dube pairing would and will likely hold the ball up less consistently. The two interchange frequently in order to confuse defenses.
The onus doesn't just rest on the strikers. Set pieces -- whether corner kicks or free kicks -- helped the Revs win SuperLiga earlier this season. With Jay Heaps, Albright and Joseph in the side, New England can point to at least three aerial threats.
Even with those possible targets, Nicol admits that those players needs good service -- likely from Mauricio Castro -- from dead ball opportunities in order to turn those chances into goals.
"It's a free ball in the box," Nicol said. "It's a combination of a good ball and somebody that has more desire than the next guy to get on the end of it. It's those two things. If you only have one of those things, it doesn't work."
Nicol could also ask his fullbacks to help out more in the attack. Albright and Chris Tierney didn't get forward much in the first leg to overlap the wingers. More overlapping could provide additional opportunities for service in the box.
Tierney thinks his side will be more willing to send the fullbacks forward in the second leg as it searches for the vital goal it may need to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship.
"That's something we'll be definitely looking to do on Thursday night," Tierney said. "That's the way a 4-4-2 is. We can go forward a bit. We were focused on getting a clean sheet. Having done that, we're going to look to get forward a bit more in the second leg."
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