New England Revolution 1 - Nashville SC 0: 3 Thoughts
New England Revolution 1 - Nashville SC 0: 3 Thoughts
The New England Revolution managed to break down Nashville's back line.
The New England Revolution beat Nashville SC for the first time in club history on Saturday.
New England’s injury issues have continued as Carles Gil and Andrew Farrell didn’t make the matchday squad. Bruce Arena’s back line remained the same along with a majority of the midfield.
The only changes came with Gustavo Bou being paired with Bobby Wood up top after featuring as a CAM and Dylan Borrero being moved out wide after appearing on paper as a striker.
Revolution fans got to welcome home Teal Bunbury who got the start and made his return to New England. Also, fans in New England got to watch reigning MVP Hany Mukhtar grace the pitch.
But what do you need to know about the win? Here are three thoughts.
1 - Gustavo Bou is back
La Pantera got his second start of the season and he was able to score his first goal of the season.
Bou looked good in the first 45 minutes. He was able to find open space and created numerous chances. Unfortunately, he strayed offside on some occasions and couldn’t beat Joe Willis.
But in the second half, Bou showed the confidence of a veteran striker and blasted a shot past Willis and into the net. With Bou sneaking it near post, it was an impressive shot from the 33-year-old.
If Bou is able to continue to find the back of the net, New England will be a tough team to beat.
2 - Nashville parks the bus
Once again Nashville was perfectly fine letting the Revolution control the game. New England’s opponent bunkered down and the Revs were unable to find a goal until the second half.
Without Carles Gil, New England lacked the final touch to find the back of the net early on. While the Revolution have continued to improve its roster, they still rely a lot on Gil to make some magic and lead the attack.
When Bou did score, it was more due to an amazing shot and his personal skill. He put the team on his back.
While Brandon Bye was whipping crosses into the boxes, no one was able to get their head on one.
3 - Clean sheet chasers
After a shellacking from LAFC, New England’s back line responded well and secured its third clean sheet of the season with the help of some great goaltending from Djordje Petrovic.
Both Kessler and Romney continued to look well. Romney got one over on his former team and Kessler continued to impress after a disappointing 2022 season.
With Farrell nearing a return, it will be interesting to see what Arena decides to do in the back. Could he go to a three-man back line or could the Revolution veteran be in line for a bench role in the 2023 squad?
But Kessler and Romney deserve to continue to be run out. Outside of the LA game they have played well and have performed much better than the back line of 2022.
Now back to their winning ways, the Revolution will be hoping to grab another when they face DC United next Saturday.