The New England Revolution have had a weird start to the season.
On the field, they struggled at the start and off the field rescheduled matches and international windows made it difficult for any sort of rhythm to be built. Even when New England was able to win a game, it had a long break.
But now New England will get a consistent run of games. Between April and May, the Revs will play 10 matches with the potential for more depending on how far the club goes in the U.S. Open Cup.
After that interrupted start and a 3-0 win over CF Montreal on Matchday 6, Revolution head coach Marko Mitrovic believes it is important for the club to build some positive momentum.
“It’s very important, because when you get into the games that you play every three days – and we have now the next two weeks we know for sure we’re going to have midweek games – and potentially one more week and another week after that, we know we’re going to have a very busy schedule," Mitrovic said. "Not only us, but every other team. With all the travel that we have in some of the games, for example in one week we’re not going to be here with two away travels, you don’t have much time to work. And then, you rely a lot on what you’ve done so far and also on that team spirit and momentum that can keep teams going with the belief that we’re doing the right things. So, it is very important to build the right momentum at the right time.”
The Revolution and D.C. United have had similar starts to the season. New England has a game in hand but is one point behind D.C. United.
But even with the extra game, D.C. has scored seven fewer goals while also averaging 40.7 percent possession. For Revolution fans, their boring style of play is likely to remind them of life under Caleb Porter.
I went on multiple podcasts before the season and told everyone that if DCU isn't bad in 2026, it's going to mean they're boring. This is what I was talking about/afraid of. 5 total shot attempts, 0.17 total xG.
— Jason Anderson (@jasondcsoccer.bsky.social) 2026-03-22T00:29:52.592Z
"[D.C. United] is a very tough team to play against. Besides their last game [4-0 loss vs. FC Dallas], where things just didn’t go their way," Mitrovic said. "They’re a very tough opponent in every game that they play. We expect a very difficult [game]. They have a clear identity of what they want to do on the field. I would say they are, in one way, predictable in their behavior. But being predictable can always be a strength for the team because habitually they are doing things that they are doing. I really expect a very demanding game.”
In that most recent game, D.C. striker Tai Baribo suffered a thigh injury and is questionable for the match in Foxboro. If he does miss the game, a performance such as what was seen against FC Dallas could be repeated by D.C. United.
But as indicated by Mitrovic, D.C. could be a difficult team to break down. Especially on the road, the Eastern Conference rivals could decide to park the bus without their top striker.
Saturday is a great opportunity to pickup points early in the season. The last few years, New England has dug itself into a hole that it is unable to get out of. Another three points could help the Revs have some margin for error in its quest to return to the playoffs.
