Carlos Ruiz (12th minute) and Carlos Valdes (24th) converted unmarked goals, Ruiz finishing a breakout keyed by Justin Mapp and Valdes scoring off a set piece.
Mapp was left isolated on A.J. Soares, crossing to Keon Daniel at the back post, Ruiz then volleying Daniel’s header from just outside the goal area. Valdes got a half volley from about the same spot, this time off a Sebastien Le Toux header from a free kick.
“The two goals are basic stuff,’’ Nicol said. “It’s page one, rule one. Set piece, pick up your man. We don’t pick up our man, what do you expect is going to happen when you do stuff like that?
“We’ve been pretty much like that all season. We haven’t done the basics of the game well. A successful team, at the very least they do the basics well, and then they add their own quality on top of that. We, individually, aren’t doing the basics well and then it’s a domino effect after that.’’
The Revolution (3-9-7, 16 points) gave a spirited performance in their last game, a 3-3 tie at Real Salt Lake. But last night they were missing defender Ryan Cochrane and captain Shalrie Joseph (both suspended), and the lack of leadership was apparent.
“We talked before the game,’’ Nicol said. “It doesn’t mean you go around kicking people and fighting people, it means you do the basics well. And to do that, part of playing the game is communication. So, when you have nobody on the field talking, particularly when you’re under pressure, then it becomes twice as hard.
“At halftime they got a roasting and the second half we changed it and put up a bit of fight. Obviously, Benny getting a red card totally kills that. Not that we were playing like superstars, anyway, but we were actually competing, we were actually in the game. Had we snuck a goal, we might have stolen something from the game but, obviously, the red card makes that impossible.’’
