I suppose dreams are just that these days: dreams. And no, this time it’s not by Fleetwood Mac. The New England Revolution were out of upsets it seemed as they fell to the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Finals 1-0. In a relatively evenly matched game, it came down to who would capitalize on the opportunity when it came their way, and unfortunately for the Revs, it turned out to be Columbus. As the game drew late, it appeared that it was destined for extra time, or maybe even penalties as neither team could really crack the code of the other. Each squad had moments of attacking coordination and threats, but they were just as described: moments.

I don’t know who told Gustavo Bou, Carles Gil, and Adam Buksa to read my website, but whoever it was, tell them thanks. In my last article, I talked about how the Revs three DP’s really needed to step it up, primarily focusing on Adam Buksa. I can say with absolute confidence that those three players took their game to another level, and were the primary reason why New England was able to advance as far as they did.

It’s pretty evident that moving forward, the Revs will need to center their development around players like Gil, Bou, Buchanan, and Kessler. Kessler, albeit somehow the lowest rated player in FIFA for MLS, showed incredible maturity and proved to be a force to be reckoned with defensively in his rookie season. Tajon Buchanan took his game to an entirely new level during the postseason, and has now set an incredibly high standard for himself moving forward. If this is only the beginning of Buchanan’s development, that’s a scary thing for the rest of MLS. Gil has proved that when he’s healthy, he’s the glue that keeps this macaroni house of players together. The chances he creates and his creativity on the ball is unparalleled, and among the best in the league. Bou is a wildcard, but has shown us time and again that he can be dangerous from absolutely anywhere. He may not be completely reliable defensively, but his ability to find pockets of space and shoot from wherever and whenever he wants has become an asset that this team can’t afford to lose. I still firmly believe this team can do without Adam Buksa, and need to find a more dangerous number nine, but if he continues to step his game up the way he did in these playoffs, I won’t be upset there either.

The future is bright for the New England Revolution, but with Gil being 28 years old and Bou being 30, they need to capitalize soon.

Until next season, Revs.

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