Jack Panayotou Scores First Goal With New England Revolution

"I've imagined the feeling and it was even better than I could imagine."

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

Jack Panayotou dons the same number that New England Revolution captain Carles Gil wore before switching to No. 10. On Saturday evening, Panayotou was able to make the difference, akin to the many cases where Gil has put the team on his back.

Panayotou entered the Leagues Cup match against Mazatlan FC in the 64th minute and would score the match’s lone goal in the 69th minute. The 20-year-old made a great run towards goal and connected on a Matt Polster cross to secure a win for New England.

There wasn’t a better time for the Cambridge, MA native to score his first goal for the Revolution.

“It's something I've always dreamed of.” Panayotou said of scoring his first goal. I've imagined the feeling and it was even better than I could imagine. So when I scored, I didn't even know what to do. I was overcome with emotion.

“I mean, the biggest thing is we got the win,” Panayotou later added. “We needed a goal there and I’m happy to be the one to provide it.”

In 26 minutes, Panayotou completed seven of his eight passes and registered 13 touches. Head coach Caleb Porter was impressed by the youngster and even mentioned that he considered starting the 20-year-old.

“Yeah, I opted to go just with the same lineup as last game, just because I wanted continuity,” Porter said. “But I really thought about starting Jack [Panayotou] in the game, actually. I think he brings the ability to play in pockets. He's pretty shifty one-v-one. In an open game, sometimes that's not his type of game, but in a game where we're trying to break down a low block, it's a perfect game for him. So, I was real pleased. He went in. Him and Ema [Boateng], I thought, lifted the game and gave us a spark, the spark we needed really to score the goal.”

Panayotou has claimed through the Revolution ranks. He started in the Academy before eventually playing with Revs II and the first team.

The midfielder was named Revolution Academy Player of the Year in 2022. Panayotou has also scored 10 goals for Revolution II in 26 matches played.

Throughout his soccer journey, the 20-year-old has adopted a signature celebration from the top striker in the world, Kylian Mbappe. After the initial joy of scoring the goal, Panayotou stood tall and crossed his arms akin to the Frenchman.

“Yeah, it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time, when I’ve been scoring goals for the Academy and the second team,” he said. “So, I had to bring it out for my first goal here.”

The goal was even more rewarding considering the journey that Panayotou has gone through in 2024. The midfielder returned to New England after going out on loan to Rhode Island FC.

“I wanted to continue to improve as a player and I wanted to continue to play,” Panayotou said of his loan stint. “Every player goes through stretches like that, and I think it helped me grow a lot as a person and a player.”

Now, Panayotou looks to be knocking on the door of the starting XI. With his skill on the ball and ability to evade defenders, he replaces part of what the Revolution have been missing since Gil has been sidelined.

While Saturday’s goal was his first, it surely won’t be his last.