New England Revolution 3 - Atlanta United 3: 3 Thoughts

Carles Gil's stoppage-time goal salvaged a thrilling draw on the road on Wednesday after letting a 2-0 first-half lead slip.

Photo Courtesy of J. Alexander Dolan

Looking to snap a winless skid that saw them pick up only one point through their last three matches and slip to third in the east, the New England Revolution took a midweek trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, coming away with a thrilling 3-3 draw in second-half stoppage time after letting a 2-0 lead slip away in the first half.

Coming into the match, Atlanta were looking to continue their red-hot form, unbeaten in their last three matches off the back of a 4-0 thumping of Colorado Rapids in their last home match. The Five Stripes sat in fifth place in the east just two points behind the third-place Revolution, setting the stage for a classic in-conference clash on national television.

With the seemingly endless injury struggles still very much present for the Revolution, Bruce Arena once again sent out an XI riddled with changes from the team that earned a 3-3 draw vs. Chicago on Saturday. Returning to the 4-3-3, Bobby Wood got the start as the lone striker up top while Vrioni was once again relegated to the bench following his first full 90 minutes as a Rev vs. Chicago.

Elsewhere, Carles Gil returned to the starting XI in the midfield after coming off the bench on the weekend, and Boateng and Blessing got the start on the wings. Farrell got bumped to right-back, while Omar Gonzalez stepped in to the central role for his first MLS start of 2023. Gustavo Bou also made a return to the squad, starting on the bench after missing multiple weeks with injury.

What do you need to know about Wednesday’s loss? Here are three thoughts.

1. Slow start - no more!

Through their last three matches, slow starts have killed Bruce Arena’s side, who had been forced to chase the game after conceding first-half goals all three games. Wednesday proved to be a drastically different story for the Revs, who took the lead on the road just 23 seconds into the contest as Carles Gil took advantage of a miscued pass from Brad Guzan. Intercepting the ball inside the 18, Gil calmly slotted the ball past Guzan to give the Revs the lead for the first time since their 2-0 win in Toronto on May 6.

The goal was the 11th earliest goal in Major League Soccer history, and the second-earliest in New England Revolution history. With Atlanta on the back foot early, New England were finally able to find their rhythm without going behind. They allowed Atlanta to dominate possession (72-28%) and control the majority of the opening half, but did their job in the final third as they kept an efficient attack off the scoresheet through 45 minutes.

Gil would finish off a brace by salvaging a point out of nothing in second-half stoppage time, slamming a ball home from inside the box to tie the game after letting a 2-0 first-half lead slip.

2. Bobby Wood shows why he is the starter - and puts away a cross!

Following a first half-hour that was largely dominated by Atlanta following Gil’s early goal, things would get even better for the visitors less than 10 minutes before the break. Bobby Wood continued his impressive start to the season, showing that he is more than just a veteran presence with his fourth goal of the year that doubled the Revolution’s lead in the 37th minute. He crashed the box to put away Ema Boateng’s perfectly-weighted cross from the left wing at the back post.

The goal also represented a sigh of relief for Revolution fans, who have become accustomed to watching New England send in cross after cross without any final product. With questions being asked of who would become the Revolution’s much-needed arial presence in the box, Wood’s awareness making runs and in the 18 paid dividends for a Revolution team who have been struggling to put away chances of late.

Not to mention it was one of their only chances of the half. Clinical.

3. Makeshift back line falls short in the second half

Despite all the hype of the first half, the elephant in the room remains: the second-half collapse. Despite allowing Atlanta to get one back early in the second half, the Revolution back line stayed resolute through 70 minutes. However, it was not enough. Through on onslaught of Atlanta pressure in the second 45 that saw the Revs struggle to string together more than two passes at a time, they failed to hold on as Thiago Almada’s long-range strike knotted the match at two in the 72nd minute.

While the Revs were always going to fall back on defense after going up by two goals on the road, the nature in which the game shifted after the goal was excessive. In the late stages of the first half into the second, the Revs consistently dropped everyone behind the ball, allowing wave after wave of Atlanta pressure. It was only a matter of time before they equalized, and that is exactly what happened. Things eventually went from bad to worse for the Revs at the death, as Miguel Berry took advantage of an defensive miscue in the 87th minute to ice the comeback for Atlanta.

Through 90, Atlanta kept 73% of the ball, outshooting New England 12-5. The Revolution only registered a single shot in the second half (Gil’s goal), while Atlanta had eight. Ultimately, the Revs paid the price.

4. BONUS THOUGHT: Latif goes down

Amidst a slew of injuries in the last few weeks that has decimated the Revolution roster, things continued to get worse for the Revolution against Atlanta. Latif Blessing went down in the late stages of the first half with an injury that ultimately forced him off at halftime. While the extent of the injury is unknown, Revs fans will hope it is nothing serious.