I hate leading off with ridiculously absurd statements every week in this post...but we're going to do it again.
No one, not even you put that hand down, would have said with a straight face after New England 4-1 loss in Nashville on Matchday 1 that 10 games later the Revs would be playing Nashville for first place in the East. Yes the team that started 1-3 with three points in four games and seemingly only known for stealing games late has a chance to overtake the dominant force in the East so far this season.
But that's what we have today at Gillette Stadium (730pm, Apple TV), Revs vs Coyotes, Two versus One, New England two points behind Nashville in the East standings. The two best defenses and two top five offenses in the East (Revs are technically tied for 5th with 4 teams on 20 goals but have a game in hand) and these two teams could not be doing it in more different ways.
Sam Lattof
Nashville very much reminds me of the 2021 Shield Revs, with Sam Surridge (9G) playing the role of Adam Buksa and being a dominant force in the box. The supporting trio of Espinoza, Mukhtar, and Madrigal scoring and creating (combined 10G/13A) gives BJ Callaghan's Coyotes a dominant attacking force in all phases. While they win a lot of close games, they can blow you out as well and just always seem in control. Having a true target man in the box to aim for just seems to open up space for everyone else and Nashville is generally clinical when given the opportunity.
Recent form notwithstanding amid a mass of mixture congestion, a ton of injuries, and gutting out two 1-0 losses to Tigres have slowed down Nashville a bit but they still haven't lost in league action since a first minute goal to Chicago over a month ago. Being able to get results during difficult stretches is the hallmark of a good team, and grinding out a draw being down 0-2 last week against DC might looked like dropped points on paper but given the circumstances I don't think that's a bad result.
New England on the other hand has been a lot more chaotic, buoyed by contributions across the line early and now getting their star man back into the flow. Completely understandable inconsistencies with a new coach and a lot of moving pieces due to injury, but so far it has been rare to see the Revs dominate matches for long stretches. In fact, largely the opposite is true, with New England's attack often disappearing for long stretches.
While Matt Turner is often standing on his head and making a game-saving effort in front of goal, or Mamadou Fofana stacking the pads on the goalline, there is a poise to New England's occasional frantic and emergency defending. New England has been getting goals from all phases - run of play, counters, set pieces - but it still lacks a fluidity and balance (and consistency) as the Revs are still understandably growing under Marko Mitrovic.
We've also see great individual performances take over at times this year: Luca Langoni's playmaking, Alhassan Yusuf's prowess in the final third, Ethan Kohler's rise up the centerback depth chart, Will Sands putting Zaha in his pocket. Then of course we have the excellence of the great magician himself Carles Gil who is producing at an MLS All Star level again with a blistering upcasted fireball explosion of four goals and two assists in his last five games including two spot kicks.
Seth Macomber
Now while the Revs lead the league in xVibes and a still endless supply of articles on player confidence, this on from Seth on Brooklyn Raines, there has been a big sticking point that the Revs do not yet have a signature win against a rather mediocre and home heavy schedule. Signature moments aplenty, but still looking for that first complete 90 minute performance. Getting that type of excellent team game today would go a long way to silence some of the doubters regardless of points.
Unfortunately, not all of those questions surrounding the Revs will not be answered today, as even with a win against a Sam Surridge-less Nashville team, it's just another chalk mark in the fortunate column for the Revs. Which is a hilarious take for a team that could be 7-0-0 at home at the end of the night, there aren't seven coincidences on that schedule. Nashville is still very capable even without their talismanic striker, regardless of the run of form the Coyotes have been on since his injury including a pair of 1-0 CONCACAF losses to Tigres.
As always, we chat with great friend of the site, Ben Wright of SixFiveOneSoccer, who dishes on all things about the Boys in Gold including that series against Tigres, if and/or when we see Sam Surridge before the World Cup, and the ups and downs of their last game against DC United.
Be sure to give him a follow and head on over to their site for my answers to Ben's questions and their side of the game coverage.
Josh Nye
1) I know a pair of 1-0 losses to Tigres wasn't how Nashville wanted their CONCACAF run to end, but certainly the club is happy with that continental run, yes?
1) Yeah, I think they are for sure. There are a lot of "what ifs" in their series against Tigres, particularly with the injuries. I think it probably looked different with Sam Surridge, Eddi Tagseth, and Patrick Yazbek available – MLS clubs just don't have the depth to handle absences like that. But even so, they were really impressive, giving up just three goals in the entire tournament and taking down Club América. The win at the Azteca is an instant all-time moment for the club, and they cemented themselves among the top teams in North America with their run. I also think the way LAFC were clapped out of the tournament, and the struggles of all the other CCC semifinalists this past weekend, make Nashville's run even more impressive. Crucially, they're still in first in the East, which is pretty unheard of during a deep CCC run.
2) Any updates on Sam Surridge? Will Nashville be seeing him at all before the World Cup break? How much different has the offense looked without him?
2) He's been labeled "week-to-week" since the Charlotte match, where a collision with Morrison Agyemang with virtually the last kick of the game left him with a nasty issue. BJ Callaghan told me last week that he was "optimistic" that Surridge would play before the World Cup break, but it also doesn't make sense to risk a larger injury. The attack has really struggled without him. He's obviously an S-tier scorer in MLS, but he's also a hugely important focal point and opens up a lot of space underneath for players like Hany Mukhtar. Nashville will be much better with him back.
3) The Revs know a lot about comebacks this year, Nashville salvaged a point vs DC over the weekend. What went wrong in the first half to go down 0-2 and what went right to get the equalizer?
3) I honestly think it was a CCC hangover. With the run to the semifinals, Nashville have played between seven and eight matches more than every other team in MLS, and they were coming off a difficult road trip to Monterrey. Add in some crucial injuries and an emotional letdown after their elimination, and I don't think it's a shock that they looked flat. A draw against DC isn't a good result at all in a bubble, but I was really impressed with how they responded after halftime. I honestly think I feel better about this team now than I did before the DC match.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
Surridge, Yazbek, and Tagseth are the big ones. The two midfielders won't play before the World Cup break, which really hurts Nashville. Surridge might, but I'd be shocked if he even makes the trip to New England. Really, really tough one to predict here. The Revs are obviously on an elite streak at home, and Nashville have the fourth-best record on the road in MLS, averaging 1.83 points per game. This feels like the classic unstoppable force, immovable object dilemma. You gotta give the edge to the home team, so I'll say the Revs pull out a narrow 2-1 win, but this should be a really fun matchup.
