Going into their Wednesday evening matchup with D.C. United at Gillette Stadium (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+), the New England Revolution are flying high. They lead the Supporters' Shield standings and 12 points separate them from second-place New York City FC in the Eastern Conference standings.
While Western Conference counterparts Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders might have something to say about it, the Revs have firmly stayed at No. 1 in the Power Rankings, with MVP favorite Carles Gil leading the way. Fueled by other stars like goalkeeper Matt Turner and forward Gustavo Bou, they've still managed to reach seven games unbeaten (six wins, one loss) despite Gil's recent injury absence.
Part of it is a strong roster assembled by one of the league's best-ever coaches in Bruce Arena and the club brass. But according to left back DeJuan Jones, talent is only part of the equation when it comes to the Revs' success in 2021.
“I would say just a winning culture," Jones told reporters this week. "I mean, we go in every game expecting to get three points and we know it's going to be a battle. It’s going to be a grind. Nothing is going to be given, especially when we're top of the league and everyone's trying to take us down.
"So, we go in every match knowing we've got to work hard for each other for 90 minutes. Like I said, it's going to be a battle. We might not be the best team player-wise, but I think as a whole collective unit, we work really well together and we're going to continue to push as hard as we can and try to win as many games as we can.”
The Revs' ascent back into the league's elite can almost directly be traced to Arena's arrival after the five-time MLS Cup champion coach took over for Brad Friedel during the 2019 campaign. Asked about that winning culture Jones mentioned, the coach deferred to his players, but cited support from the Kraft family as a driving factor as well.
“That’s probably a better question to ask the players, because the players are an important part of the culture," Arena said. "But we have a good work ethic. We treat everyone with respect. We like to believe we have integrity. The biggest part of having a good culture is having success on the field.
"When you combine those other things with some success on the field, your culture builds and it grows, and it becomes a good culture. So, we think that’s been important. Organizationally, our team has been well supported the last couple of years. I think our everyday environment with the new training facility has been a real plus. All of those things add up to a good culture.”
Twenty games into the season and performing at a clip above two points per game (2.15), the formula certainly resembles a sustainable one that could deliver the Revs their first-ever Supporters Shield by season's end. They're also on pace to challenge LAFC's record-setting points haul (72) from the 2019 campaign.
Now, Wednesday's match against Hernan Losada's resurgent D.C. United represents the latest opportunity to pad their lead atop the league table.
“It’s really professional. How the players take care of themselves – players really take care of themselves and understand our goal this season," midfielder Arnor Traustason said. "One of those things is taking care of your body and be ready for the next game, even if it is after two games, or a week, or whatever. The players, we are professionals. And we act like one as well. It’s a good environment and a good group of guys. It just shows in the games as well and in the results.”
