Revolution defender Avery John wants to beat the Columbus Crew and look good trying.
The Revolution (11-8-12, 45 points) can secure their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference with a victory over the Crew (8-14-9, 33 points) in the regular-season finale tonight (7:30) at Gillette Stadium.
If the Revolution lose and the Chicago Fire beat or tie D.C. United tonight, the Fire would snatch second place away from the Revs. Chicago can also overtake the Revs with a win and a New England tie.
The Revs and Fire will battle in a two-game, first-round playoff series starting next Sunday at the home of the third-place team.
“The most important thing is you want to look sharp, get that creativity back and have a good result going into the playoffs,” said John after a lively training session yesterday on the lower practice field at Gillette. “Even though we know Columbus is out of it, they have been scoring, and we want to be sharp and put on a good performance going into the playoffs.
“We want the higher seed, we need to be aggressive and sharp, and we don’t want to get anybody injured. We have to battle as a team and give it a good performance.”
Due in part to his obligations to the Trinidad and Tobago national team, John has only started nine games for the Revolution this season. In those games, the Revolution are 6-0-3. Going back to the 2005 season, the Revs are 9-0-3 in 12 starts and 14-2-6 overall when he’s counted among the starting 11.
John was unaware of his statistical relevance to the Revolution’s playoff run or his role in more than half the team’s wins.
“I honestly don’t think about those things,” said John. “The most important thing for me is to be consistent every time, and I want to win every game.
“I try to take it to a next level with a little pride and try not being scorned. If they haven’t lost a game I’ve started this year, that’s good, because it means I’m playing well.”
John is most comfortable at the left back position, but can play center back or defensive midfield.
When he first came to the Revs in 2004, John was an overly aggressive tackler, and his tactics weren’t tolerated in MLS. But those are the qualities that made him a formidable force on his national team. John played at the World Cup in June.
“The international game is different, and it’s faster and more aggressive,” said John. “But I’m used to (MLS) because I’ve been in it so long.”