Five Things We Learned About The Revolution During The 2024 Leagues Cup

Let's look back at the summer tournament before we look ahead at the final 11 games of the regular season.

Photo Courtesy of J. Alexander Dolan

The New England Revolution bowed out of the Leagues Cup in the Round of 32 when New York City FC defeated them in a PK shootout after a 1-1 draw during regulation.

The Revs, who played at home for all three games, collected a 1-0 win over Mazatlan and 1-1 draws against Nashville SC and NYCFC. They now have a break before resuming league play on August 24 when they travel to face Montreal.

Here are five things we learned about the Revs during Leagues Cup.

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The Fight Is Still There

The Revs’ injury woes have been well-documented as they’ve been missing their three Designated Players and one U-22 player for quite some time. Still, the team has enough talent to avoid lopsided results.

On July 17, the Revs suffered a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union. While the loss was on the road amid a busy stretch of three games in eight days, it’s not the type of scoreline fans want to see.

The Revs battled hard after that and didn’t lose in their next four outings. These games were a little cagier as the team sought a result. 

NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing spoke about the Revs’ game plan during his post-game press conference, saying, “I listened to Caleb’s press conference pre-match and he spoke about how they’ve had a real pride in defending the game and, with their injuries, how they’ve relied on making the game difficult for their opponent and they definitely did that to us tonight.”

The Revs will need to, uh, Bring the Fight™ during their last 11 games if they want to make the playoffs as they currently sit five points below the line.

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The Difference in Depth

Generally speaking, the Revs were better in the first half than in the second half during Leagues Cup.

Nashville outshot the Revs 8 to 5 (3 to 2 on target) in the first half with both teams collecting a goal. Nashville also had the edge in the second half (10 to 2 and 3 to 1 on target).

The difference was more jarring against NYCFC, a game that also saw each team score a first-half goal. The Revs had the edge in the first half 7 to 6 (3 to 1 on target), but didn’t record a single shot in the second half (0 to 7 and 0 to 4 on target).

The NYC game showcased the value of having options off the bench as the visitors brought on Maxi Moralez, who created the most chances (3) in the game during his 32 minutes, Alonso Martinez, who had two shots (one on target) in his 25 minutes, and Julian Fernandez, who created one chance in nine minutes.

It’s worth noting that no second-half goals were scored in the Nashville or NYC games.

In the Mazatlan game, the Revs brought on Jack Panayatou and Ema Boateng in the 64th minute to replace Esmir Bajraktarevic and Tommy McNamara. Panayotou and Boateng combined five minutes later to score the game-winning goal.

Given the circumstances, it makes sense that the Revs played more defensively during the Leagues Cup. However, you’d expect to see a better ability to see out games when the team returns to full health. 

Consider this, the Revs scored first in ten of 13 games since June 1. In those ten games, they went 6-2-2.

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Stock Rises For Wood, Harkes, and Panayotou

With a knee injury limiting him, it was uncertain how much Bobby Wood would contribute this year. 

Before July 17, Wood’s only start of the year was a 58-minute performance against Club America in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Wood has started the last five games, going 80+ in the last four. He’s been critical in the build-up play and has goals in his last two outings. 

Wood will now battle for minutes with the returning Giacomo Vrioni.

Harkes is another player who stepped up during Leagues Cup. Operating in a more advanced central role, the 29-year-old showcased his hold-up play and ability to find seams with his passes. 

He was also a tenacious defender, frequently picking up loose balls while blocking passing lanes. 

The competition at central midfield just became more intense with the acquisition of Alhassan Yusuf, but Harkes proved that he can help the Revs in a variety of ways.

Panayotou will also face competition after Leagues Cup as Luca Langoni has arrived in Foxboro. The Homegrown had a good tournament, showcasing quick feet and vision while collecting a goal and assist. 

The 20-year-old, who had two assists in four starts while on loan to Rhode Island FC, is one to keep an eye on.

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Ivacic Stands Strong

The goalkeeper position has been in flux since Djordje Petrovic left last summer. 

Tomas Vaclik was signed as a replacement but never saw the field as the Revs opted to use Earl Edwards Jr. and Jacob Jackson.

Henrich Ravas joined before the start of 2024, but he transferred back to Poland after eight appearances. 

Ivacic has looked solid since his arrival in April and had a particularly strong showing during Leagues Cup.

He had two saves in a 1-0 win over Mazatlan, who had an xG of 1.22. He had five saves in the 1-1 draw against Nashville, who had an xG of 1.85. Ivacic also made a save during the shootout. 

NYCFC had an xG of 2.28, but was limited to only one goal due to Ivacic’s four saves. In the shootout, he guessed right 5 of 7 times while Matt Freeze guessed right 1 of 7. NYC ultimately advanced when Mark-Anthony Kaye hit the woodwork.

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The Emergence of Miller

16-year-old Peyton Miller has four straight starts, three of which came during Leagues Cup.

The Homegrown has looked fast and strong while operating as a left back. Defensively, he refused to back down and offensively he knows how to pick out a cross.

Only Bajraktarevic (7) created more opportunities for the Revs in the last four games, according to FotMob. Miller created five chances while Wood created four.

Interestingly, Miller and Wood are the only two players who created at least one chance in three games (no one created a chance in all four).