Ignatius Ganago Reminds Revolution Fans What He's Capable Of

"I think sometimes, even good players, they need to remember they can hit the back of the net."

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

The New England Revolution scored their first goal in the run of play in the 2025 season but that was not the only goalscoring drought to be broken. Ignatius Ganago scored his first goal in 686 days.

The last time that the Cameroonian scored was in a Ligue 1 season finale with FC Nantes in 2023. Whether it be injury struggles, personal tribulations off the field, or poor luck, the forward has been desperately attempting to find the back of the net.

The moment that he waited so long for finally came on Saturday night against New York City FC. Carles Gil played a beautiful cross and Ganago got on the end of it and directed the ball past Matt Freese.

It was a goalscorer’s goal. Ganago was in the right place at the right time and didn’t let the opportunity go to waste.

“I’m really happy,” the forward said. “I’ve made it a long way. I had a big injury, so now I’m coming back. I’m really happy with the goal. The team won today, so we have to continue like this.”

Caleb Porter gave some insight into how he tried to help his forwards get out of the scoring slump. The head coach noted that he sat down with Leo Campana and Ganago individually and had them watch over highlights of their previous goals.

Porter noted postgame that sometimes players need to be reminded of what they are capable of and why they were acquired by New England.

“A guy like [Ignatius] Ganago has just kept grinding,” Porter said. “He has played well in most games. He has been in good spots, he just hasn't finished. I actually sat down with him and Leo [Campana] individually on Friday. In Leo's case, I showed him all his goals in MLS. Just went through about three minutes of goals and reminded him of his quality. And then I went through, with Ganago, all his goals in Ligue 1 to remind him his quality. I think sometimes, even good players, they need to remember they can hit the back of the net. They need permission to watch themself, and I gave them permission. We watched their goals, and then they went and did it.”

Ganago touched upon his relationship with Porter in the locker room. Even when the forward was failing to find the back of the net, the head coach was reminding him of his quality.

“[Porter] always speaks to me after every game,” Ganago said. “He just keeps saying that I’m a great player, that I don’t have to bother myself. The goals will come. Today I scored a goal and I gave an assist also. So, it’s a great day for me, for everybody, so I’m really happy for this.”

Besides the goal, Ganago assisted on Campana’s goal in the first half and displayed some great chemistry with his fellow forward. The Cameroonian has made a claim that he should stay in the starting XI, even with the likes of Tomas Chancalay getting healthy.

Ganago noted how he likes to play in the front of the attack and how the forward enjoys getting to combine with Campana.

“It’s really good because this is the way I really like to play,” the Cameroonian said. “I like to play in front of the attack. Today was really good with Leo [Campana]. We work every day in training together. Now we are getting to know each other better, so it's very good. And we have Carles [Gil], one of the best players in the league, who is just behind us [in the formation]. Sometimes it's easy to play with him, because Carles is a top player, and Leo also is a very good player. The chemistry is coming, and I think we will do better the next games, I think.”

There has been a lot of talk about turning points and floodgates being opened. New England finally seems to have found its scoring boots and Ganago will be looking to continue the positive momentum that he’s built.