A Closer Look At The Revolution's First Win of 2025

Clips, quotes, and analysis from the Revolution's 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls.

Seth Macomber

Apr 02, 2025

The New England Revolution got their first win of 2025 on Saturday when they beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1.

Here’s a closer look at the game.

Outside Midfielders

Luca Langoni had a positive outing, creating two big chances. His success was primarily tied to staying high and wide.

Look here as Langoni moves to the peripheries to open up a gap that Carles Gil exploits.

Here’s another chance he created by floating off his defender's back shoulder. Langoni was offside for this one, but the movement is dangerous.

Don’t get me wrong, I like that Langoni is willing to work hard defensively. You can see here that he produces a good opportunity by aggressively pressing.

That said, Langoni is best when he’s in space.

On the other side, Ignatius Ganago had promising moments. Early on, he put in a cross while out wide.

Here, you can see Ganago coming in for a late run after a wide Langoni plays a centering pass. Langoni should’ve been selfish here, but I like that the two outside midfielders want to combine.

This is one of two chances that Ganago should’ve finished.

Of course, Ganago is sometimes tasked with coming inside, operating as a second striker. This is understandable since he’s a strong player who battles defenders.

Ganago’s best moment came when he moved up top and drew a last-minute penalty kick.

It will be interesting to see what the Revs look like once everyone is healthy. Caleb Porter noted that Leo Campana and Tomas Chancalay should return in 1-2 weeks.

Bold Outside Backs

Porter started 17-year-old Peyton Miller and 20-year-old Ilay Feingold, and I thought both looked solid.

On the right side, Feingold could carry the ball forward. Here, you see he has the technical ability to beat a defender on the dribble.

Miller has always been unafraid despite his age. This is a little moment, but look at how Miller tries to push forward.

Feingold and Miller are both part of the build-up play in this clip.

Both players need to be cleaner in the final third, but I liked their energy and hunger.

In fact, Feingold likely prevented a goal with his defensive work on Emil Forsberg.

While Sands and Brandon Bye certainly have roles on this team, I believe Miller and Feingold should be given a run of starts.

Polster and Yusuf Win Second Balls

It can be challenging to evaluate defensive midfielders because their work is often discreet.

While Carles Gil deserves credit for his free-kick goal, that moment was created when Alhassan Yusuf won a loose ball.

Matt Polster also blocked passing lanes throughout the night (see above). I liked that he tried to move the ball forward by passing or dribbling.

One thing to watch is how the team reacts to giving the ball away. The Revs were caught out of shape at times, including the first Red Bulls’ goal. Below is another dangerous moment that Aljaz Ivacic successfully neutralized.

The central midfielders need to be aware of their positioning to ensure that the backline is protected.

All of this is to say that I would like to see Yusuf and Polster pair together next weekend.

Final Thoughts

To be clear, there’s still work to be done for the Revolution, who are 13th in the Eastern Conference with four points. That said, I thought Saturday’s game had promising moments.

On Tuesday, Porter told the media, “We were much more aggressive. Our mentality was aggressive, on both sides of the ball. We got numbers forward. In wide areas, we were able to get more width, crosses, quality in the box, more runners in the box. We should have scored more than two goals, so that’s, for me, the one thing. We have to, in that first half, get more goals than we did.”

I appreciated the team's willingness to move forward more quickly, especially in the first half. I liked that Langoni was getting in behind. I liked that the outside backs pushed into the final third.

All attention now turns to Saturday’s game against FC Cincinnati. How will the Revs perform on the road against a difficult opponent? Will some of the tactical and personnel shifts we saw against the Red Bulls continue?

One thing I think Porter should consider is playing Ganago up top instead of Maxi Urruti.