FOXBOROUGH – The New England Revolution secured a 4-2 win against Orlando City in what was another match defined by how different the two halves were.
In the first half, New England was on the front foot. The Revs were pressing with ferocity and controlling possession, and the game at large.
After having over 70 percent Field Tilt according to Futi at the conclusion of the first half, New England finished the match with just 60 percent. At the start of the second half, Orlando looked far more impressive as it was in control of the game and New England was forced to sit back. It was a stark contrast from what was seen in the first 45 minutes.
“It wasn't a game plan," head coach Marko Mitrovic said about the change in style. "Something we spoke about after the game is that we believe we found our success in the first half and we had the game under control. I don't want to say that we took the pedal off the gas because there is also the opponent that maybe came with a different mindset and different approach in the second half and there is a certain adjustment that we have to do. I would say that before we scored the second goal, [Orlando City SC] kind of had the game on the front foot and maybe had more controlling possession. We scored the second goal and then it was 2-1. I think before the [penalty kick] we kind of established our rhythm again and maybe establishing our rhythm again didn't confuse us when we scored a goal. We just kept going and we deserved to score that third and fourth goal.”
While part of this is due to Orlando pushing for goals and having an impressive attack even without Antoine Griezmann, it also appears to be a recent trend.
Looking back at New England's win over Chicago, you would have expected that Robert Lewandowski's side picked up three points. Chicago finished the match with 81 percent Field Tilt. With a two-goal lead early on in the second half, New England sat back and had to withstand Chicago's attack.
This was also seen to a lesser extent against NYCFC. New England was able to get a 12th-minute goal from Carles Gil and wound up taking on pressure from the Pigeons. Luckily, Daniel Gazdag would bail out the Revs, and they would secure three points.
"We do what we have to do to win," center back Ethan Kohler said. "At the end of the day, we want to be winners, and whether you win by sitting in a low block for 90 minutes and then scoring the one chance you have, or by outplaying the other team, to me, it doesn't matter. Obviously, we have the style of football we want to play, but at the end of the day, we want to be winners."
While playing a more passive game can lead to late goals and points dropped, New England's performance so far this season indicates that this issue might not be as impactful. Saturday's win was another example of a club drawing level, but the Revs were still able to find a way to win.
Brooklyn Raines and Kohler both told the media in the locker room that they believed the Revs would be able to come back after Orlando scored its second goal. 10 minutes of extra time furthered Kohler's confidence.
But there is also the fact that New England has players who can show up in big moments. Peyton Miller and Gil showed their quality on Saturday, and Gazdag has shown glimpses as well.
“We have a foundation of belief for sure, but a lot of it comes from knowing that we have a ton of quality," Kohler said. "It's hard to have belief if you don't have the talent and the ability, and a really good coaching staff behind you. So, I think first and foremost, that's what kind of gives us the confidence to always think that we can go and win games. And the fact that we've done it time and time again also helps. I think we can do better to keep our foot on the pedal. And like Marko [Mitrović] said, when teams are already underwater, keeping them there. Like I said, we have this great foundation of belief because of our quality.”
