Emmanuel Boateng Grabs Decisive Goal In Draw With Cincinnati
Emmanuel Boateng Grabs Decisive Goal In Draw With Cincinnati
Boateng found the back of the net in first-half stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati and see the Revs come out of the matchday as Major League Soccer leaders.
Over the last three seasons, Ema Boateng has played a crucial role off of the Revolution’s bench. When Bruce Arena’s side needed a goal, his pace and energy have always provided a necessary spark late in the game.
That seems to be the role that the winger has comfortably fallen into under Arena — a “super-sub”. But Boateng showed he can do much more than that during the last two weeks.
With injuries riddling the squad and midweek rotation from Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match in full flow, Boetang found himself in the starting XI for the second consecutive match on Saturday. He started and went 74 minutes in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Sporting KC, and then went 90 in Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati.
The start marked his second of the season— and 14th with the Revs in 47 appearances since 2021. A full 90-minute shift would see him find the back of the net for the first time in 2023, tapping home Brandon Bye’s cross at the back post deep in first-half stoppage time to level the game at one.
“It feels good, for sure,” Boetang said. “We’ve been working on it in the offseason, every time I get on the field I just want to make an impact. Whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, I know we have a great team and I just have to be there and do my part, and my teammates are always in good spots to support me and to help me improve.”
The winger spoke following the game on his connection with Bye on the decisive first-half goal.
“I know Brandon [Bye] and we’ve been working on it, as soon as he’s on the ball I know I have to get my a** to the second post, and he does the same too, when I get to the line, he’s crashing in,” Boetang said. “He knew it too, we talked about it right after. As soon as he took his touch he knew I was gonna be in that spot to put it in.”
After losing Dylan Borrero in the 22nd minute following what Bruce Arena referred to as a “serious knee injury”, conceding a penalty (which Petrović saved) and eventually going down a goal just minutes later, the odds seemed to be stacking up against the Revolution in the first half.
However, Boetang’s goal deep into the nine added minutes of first-half stoppage time breathed much-needed life into the Revolution and their 30,080 supporters on a rainy night at Gillette Stadium. He nearly went on to give the Revs the lead just minutes later, but his close-range shot (and follow-up attempt) was cleared off the line in the last action of the half.
“Ema played very well,” Revolution head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena said postgame. “It was a good goal, give Brandon credit as well, good goal.”
A first tally for Boateng also gave fans a first listen to his 2023 goal song — POWER by Kanye West.
“I love that song, that was the first album that I bought with my own money,” Boateng said. “I just played that album throughout my high school years, so I just sat to stick with that. Who gon’ stop me, man?”
With a goal that kept the Revs on top of the league, it has certainly proven difficult to stop the Ghanaian in 2023.