Carles Gil And Dylan Borrero "Unlikely" To Play Against Orlando City

Revs are developing a plan ahead of this weekend's game against Orlando City SC.

Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution

Carles Gil and Dylan Borrero are “unlikely” to play in Saturday’s game against Orlando City SC.

Gil has missed the last three games due to a lower leg injury. Borrero played 62 minutes against Atlanta United after missing two games but was a late scratch against the Seattle Sounders because of an injury picked up during warm-ups.

“We’ll see where [Gil and Borrero] are at, but most likely, it’s unlikely for the game [against Orlando],” head coach Caleb Porter said on Thursday. “I don’t know when they will be back, but probably not looking likely for this week though.”

The New England Revolution are coming off a busy week, having played three games in eight days. As such, they’ve enjoyed having a full week to prepare for their next opponent, especially given the injuries.

The Revs will also be without Xavier Arreaga, who will serve a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation.

“We are obviously trying to come up with the best solutions that we can,” Porter said. “Ideally, you don’t want to lose a guy in the warmup [like Dylan Borrero last week], because then you haven’t been able to prep, obviously, in a shape.

“So, we’ve had all week to tinker a little bit with what we are going to do, obviously with some of the key attacking guys out. We need to play to the strength of the group that we are starting. That’s really important. We have a good plan and I think we have a good idea of what we are going to do in this match.

“I always believe that no matter who is in, that we can win, but we have to play well. As simple as that sounds, when you have guys out, you really need to play well.

“Sometimes, there is a margin for error when you have your top guys in, but with the group we start, we’ve really got to play well. I thought we played well versus Seattle, so if we can have another performance that is similar, just a little bit better [in the] final third and not giving away the transition goals that we gave up, which Orlando for sure will be looking for.”

While a team never wants to have players missing, absences create opportunities.

Esmir Bajraktervic has started the last six games he’s been available for, Noel Buck has started three straight, and Jack Panayotou got his first season start last weekend.

“When you look at your roster, you’re always going to need – to be successful in any team, in any league, you need the entire roster,” Matt Polster said. “That’s what it will always take. It’s difficult to play all these games, all the minutes.”

“Of course, we would like Carles, Dylan, Nacho [Gil], Tomás [Chancalay]. I would love those guys to be back, but that’s not the situation we’re in. So, we look to guys like Jack, Noel, Ez, to step up and I feel like they have.

“I thought Jack played great in his first –I’m not sure how many appearances he’s had this year, but he hasn’t played much and for him to come into a game like Seattle late notice, Dylan gets hurt in warmups, and to be able to perform like that, I thought it was a great moment for him.

“I thought Ez has been great this whole year. He's picked his moments to do really well and I think Noel has been fantastic. So, it’s nice that we can rely on young players and that’s going to help us create success within this club.”

After a slow start to the season, the Revs have performed well recently, winning five of their last seven. They’re now two points off of a playoff spot.

This upcoming week is important as they will again play three games in eight days. The goal is to rise in the standings before the Leagues Cup break.

“We know we’ve got another week like last week where it is three games in a week, but we’ll focus on Orlando,” Porter said. “We’ll have our eye on the next game at Philly, but we’re going to throw everything in this game like a cup final.

“We’re right there. We have a chance for the first time in a long time to be right around that playoff zone, depending on other results. So, I know that would feel really good for our guys to finally put themselves in a position where they can smell the playoffs, with some games in hand.”