FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—After two seasons establishing himself as one of the top right backs in MLS, New England Revolution defender Andrew Farrell's third slate opened with a new/old assignment.
With the loss of A.J. Soares, Farrell was the rightful choice of Jay Heaps to slide into central defense. Though it was his primary position at Louisville – where Farrell played it well enough the Revs tabbed him for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft – the start to his professional career at center back was inauspicious.
In New England’s first two matches of the season, versus Seattle and New York City FC, the Revs were wiped off the pitch by a combined 5-0. It appeared Farrell and his teammates on the back line had yet to establish a level of comfort. He has continued to learn and work tirelessly to improve, reaching elite form during the Revs' six-game unbeaten streak.
“The more consistent he is in the games he’s putting together, the more he continues to put himself out there as a really good center back in this league," Heaps said. "I think now people are starting to notice his improvements in the areas of the field where he’s much more comfortable in that position. It wasn’t that he wasn’t comfortable playing center back, it’s, was he comfortable playing center back at this high a level? He’s certainly shown every time he steps on the field he’s willing to get better, and that’s the most important thing.”
Earlier this season, the Revs' new center back was putting in the work, but with a trend indicating Farrell's plays were starting at the center of the field, then tracking towards his customary right wing.
More than 20 games later the progression is evident, with the majority of Farrell's interceptions concentrated in the middle of the field, his recoveries more up field and out of the box.
During the Revs' last three matches, which they've won by a combined 6-0 aggregate, Farrell's improvement is paying major dividends for the club.
“Early in the year it wasn’t too pretty,” Farrell said. “But I think the confidence that my teammates and everybody kind of put in me – that they were sticking with me no matter what – kind of brought my level up. I knew I could do better.”
Farrell credits a major portion of his continued growth to the help of key veterans in the back, including central defense partner Jose Goncalves, and vocal keeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
“Jose has been here since I’ve been here and he’s been a good on-the-field and off-the-field role model for us," Farrell said. "Eating right, doing the right things and, on the field, he’s always giving it his all. [And] Bobby has been huge. He’s always directing me in the right places, getting on me if they see that I’m not doing as well as I can.
"I think they have high expectations. That’s good. That keeps me at the level I need to be and pushing me to get better. I’m glad for those two guys and the whole team in keeping confidence in me.”
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Said Heaps: “It’s important for a player to get comfortable and it’s important for the players to develop the relationship. I think Jose and Farrell are definitely getting better together; they’re understanding each other’s strengths and how to play off of each other.”
Each week, Farrell is finding something else to improve on, and cites recent work to shut down crosses into the box, something that plagued the team earlier in the season.
He knows he has to get those in-game repetitions, has to learn the differences of playing against Kei Kamara versus Sebastian Giovinco, and has to have continued desire to improve further still.
"I think it’s crucial for where I want to be,” Farrell said. “We want to keep improving. So just getting those in-game experiences has helped me a lot. It’s been a lot of fun. I like playing back there.”
