Dominant Win Provides Hope For New England Revolution Fans
5-0 knockout downs Montréal
The Revolution entered Saturday night in last place in the Eastern Conference. After a positive run in Leagues Cup — making it to the round of 32 and losing on penalties to New York City FC — the Revs looked to get back to their winning ways at CF Montréal.
New England opened the first half with a high press that made life difficult for Montréal. Though the possession stats were even after the first half, the Revs looked the better side and controlled the game. Bobby Wood opened the scoring on a great build-up from Carles Gil and Brandon Bye.
Unfortunately, Bye had to be subbed out shortly after the goal with an apparent ankle injury. It was a disappointing turn of events for Bye, who was playing well and getting back to full fitness. Wood remained in his good run of form, scoring again towards the end of the first half for the first 2-goal game in his MLS career.
The Revs began the second half sitting in a more defensive position, with Montréal controlling the ball and getting a few opportunities early. Despite the chances, the Revs never conceded. Aljaz Ivacic did not need to be spectacular, but made multiple saves and continued to look solid in goal.
Gil was resurgent in his return from injury, providing another assist on a goal by Nick Lima thanks to a smart dummy by Giacomo Vrioni. Gil’s second assist of the night tied club legend Steve Ralston for the most assists in Revolution history with 82.
The attacking subs that came into the game all performed well. Vrioni had the contribution on Lima’s goal as well as a goal of his own, assisted by Luca Langoni and Ian Harkes. Langoni’s debut got even better as he scored his first MLS goal assisted by Dylan Borrero and Harkes. Langoni was able to make an immediate impact, looking dangerous on the right wing. Borrero also played his part, streaking down the left wing and making plays happen.
Against a Montréal side that has been struggling — this is their fifth straight loss in all competitions — the Revs looked anything but a last-place team. In his post-game press conference, Carles Gil remarked that a healthy Revs team can be one of the best in the league.
Head coach Caleb Porter thought this was the Revs most complete performance of the season and he was happy the team kept pushing to get the third, fourth, and fifth goals. The Revs played with a winning mentality and were rewarded with their most dominant win of Porter’s tenure.
The team will need to carry that mindset into its game next weekend at Real Salt Lake, the third-place team in the Western Conference. With 10 games left in the regular season and now only two points out of a playoff spot, the Revolution control their own destiny. If the game against Montréal is any indication, there are good things to come.