FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The first two games of Andrew Farrell’s return to center back did not go as planned.
With the departure of AJ Soares in the offseason, Farrell became the heir apparent to pair up with captain Jose Gonçalves at the heart of the New England Revolution's backline. But as the Revs dropped their two opening matches by a combined 5-0 margin, the third-year defender found himself navigating a shaky transition.
He quickly discovered that he had the firm backing of his club all the same.
“After the first two games, I was not necessarily nervous, just – I think my confidence might have been low,” said Farrell. “It started from the front office and from the coaching staff. They stuck with me even in the tough first two games I had back there. It comes down from the coaches to the players, to everyone in the organization: They’re backing me up, so I feel confident back there.”
That faith is now paying big dividends as Farrell continues to gain comfort in his new role.
In the six games since, and in the face of numerous injuries that have caused significant turnover along the backline, Farrell and his mates have held opponents to just two goals over a 4-0-2 stretch.
“We know we have the quality in our backline, and each guy has stepped up when his name has been called on,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “We know what we have, and it’s a combination each week. We know that it’s only four spots back there and a good number of guys who are getting left out, so each week we push each other.”
Farrell, who played center back during his college career at Louisville, had played primarily right back since joining the Revolution in 2013 but moved into the middle for 10 matches last season.
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This year, he is the only Revs defender – and only player besides goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth – to have played all 720 minutes, all at center back, anchoring a unit that has accounted for four clean sheets thus far.
In working through the kinks of the season’s opening matches, Farrell has shown that he is capable of quickly adapting to new roles, and in the process reaching new levels of comfort and leadership.
“Andrew’s doing really well,” head coach Jay Heaps said. “We’re excited about Andrew Farrell’s play, his adaptability playing with a couple different center-back pairings – and he did well last year with AJ. For me, that says a lot about the character in the player because you’re adapting and you’re reading the game off of another player as well.”
Added Farrell: “I feel real comfortable now.”
