Late Drama Earns Revs II 3 Points in Home Opener
Revs II went toe-to-toe with NYCFC II and came out on top to a last-minute goal!
New England Revolution II returned to action Sunday night as they hosted New York City FC II inside a chilly Gillette Stadium.
Revs II opened things at home after holding on to secure a 3-2 victory over Atlanta United II in their season opener on March 26th. New York City opened their 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign after not playing on Matchday 1.
Nico Campuzano returned between the sticks as 15-year-old Peyton Miller made a second consecutive start at left back alongside Pierre Cayet, Tiago Suarez, and Victor Souza. Fourth overall pick Joshua Bolma started in the midfield alongside Noble Okello and captain Jake Rozhansky while Damian Rivera, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, and Marcos Dias comprised the attack. First-teamer Esmir Bajraktarević was also in the matchday squad as he started the game on the bench.
The Revolution II offense was rolling in the 24th minute as a series of passes in the defensive half led to the ball finding Marcos Dias on the right flank. Dias drove into the box while evading pressure and then slotted a ball across the face of goal to Jordan Adebayo-Smith, who tapped the ball into the back of the net to notch his first goal in a Revs II kit.
NYCFC II took full advantage of the free kick opportunity in the 42nd minute as John Denis rocketed the free kick past Campuzano and into the top right corner of the net. That marked Denis’ fourth goal against Revolution II since 2022.
Tempers flared before halftime as a skirmish arose following a Jake Rozhansky foul. Rozhansky and New York’s Piero Ellis received yellow cards as a result.
Revs II’s first substitution came in the 50th minute as Esmir Bajraktarević came on for Noble Okello.
Denis came close to continuing his reign of terror against Revs II in the 70th minute as he attempted to find the top right corner, but his shot deflected off the post. Jonathan Jiménez suffered the same fate as Denis minutes later as his shot deflected off the post in the 73rd minute.
A pair of substitutions came in the 71st minute as Weverton and Malcolm Fry came on for Adebayo-Smith and Dias.
Miller entered the books in the 79th minute as he received a yellow card for committing a foul on Stevo Bednarsky. Damian Rivera received a yellow card in the 84th minute after fouling Bednarsky.
The Revs II offense got rolling when it needed to most in the 88th minute as Miller launched the ball to the opposite side of the field, where it found Fry. Fry sent a through ball into the box to a darting Bajraktarević. Bajraktarević slipped through the open NYCFC II defense and slotted the ball past the keeper to give Revs II a 2-1 lead in the closing minutes.
Revs II held on as they walked away with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Esmir Bajraktarević. Sunday’s win puts Revs II in third place in the Eastern Conference with six points on a 2-0-0 record.
Revolution II will look to make it three consecutive wins on Monday, April 10th, as they host Philadelphia Union II at 1 PM on MLS Season Pass.