FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Lee Nguyen has always been there. You just may not have noticed until he started hitting the stat sheet in a big way, once again.
New England’s No. 10 has been omnipresent in the Revs midfield this season, but of late he has gone on a tear similar to the 10 goals in 11 matches that he produced down the stretch last season, only this time it’s assists.
Over his last nine games Nguyen has three goals and seven assists, including a team-record hat trick of helpers in the club’s recent win over Orlando City SC. He is currently tied for third in MLS with 10 assists on the year and is the first Revolution player to hit double digits in that category since Steve Ralston bagged 14 in 2007.
Last year it was an 18-goal tally for Nguyen, the most in league history by a natural midfielder, that propelled him into a higher stratosphere within MLS.
While the statistic may be different, the craft and the preparation to be in the right position at the right time, remain the same.
“It’s all about being on the same page with your teammates,” Nguyen told MLSsoccer.com. “For me, it’s all about repetition in training. You get to practice these moments in training, try to get prepared for the games. Although it may be a little bit faster [in game], you kind of know what’s going to happen. You watch game tapes of the players you’re playing against and you try to prepare for those moments.”
Point blank, Nguyen is ahead of the game before it even begins.
He knows he needs to be steps ahead of his opponent if he is going to gain the upper hand, but he also knows that by working consistently with his teammates, that he can pull off what he is thinking about doing.
Much of the time it has come with some flair and creativity as the Revs midfielder has worked tirelessly to find and create spaces that tend to open up even better spaces for his teammates, and that is where he may be at his deadliest.
“Sometimes you’re going to be in those situations where you have the chance to finish it and then you’ll be in those moments where you’re the guy that has to find the other guy to finish it,” said Nguyen. “For me, lately, it’s been the setup man. That’s my job too, playing the No. 10. Not only finish those chances, but create chances for my teammates. I’ve been able to do that as of late.”
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Encompassed in these impressive statistics is the ability to see those spaces where he should shoot, or when he should instead make the final touch to a player in a better position, and his coach would be the first to say that those statistics don’t tell anything close to the whole story.
“Lee’s a special player,” said Revs head coach Jay Heaps. “I think he’s not just creating plays, he’s working hard in certain areas of the field defensively for us. But, for me, he’s a player that can change the game at any moment. You look for players like that, they are very hard to find. I like the way he influences the game.”
As for Nguyen, he doesn’t care how he influences the game, so long as he does in some way, and most importantly, so long as it helps the Revolution capture a win, which they’ve been doing a lot of late.
“I get as much joy creating a chance for someone else as much as I do for myself,” said Nguyen. “I’m always happy when we get that goal because it takes pressure off the guys and puts us in the driver’s seat. Anytime we can get a goal and get a W, that’s the most important thing. I’m always happy creating a goal, or setting one up for myself.”
