New England Revolution 1 - D.C. United 3: 3 2024 MLS Season Opener Thoughts

MLS IS BACK

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

After a 1-0 win in Concacaf Champions Cup play, the New England Revolution kicked off the 2024 MLS season with a 2-1 loss to D.C. United.

Caleb Porter rotated some new players into the starting XI as Esmir Bajraktarevic, Noel Buck, and Jonathan Mensah earned their first starts of the year. Dave Romney, DeJuan Jones, Matt Polster, Tomas Chancalay, Carles Gil, Giacomo Vrioni, Nick Lima, and Henrich Ravas remained as starters after playing against Club Atlético Independiente on Wednesday.

This match was the 16th straight time that New England has opened the season on the road. The Revs also now boast a 1-2-1 record in the month of February.

But what do you need to know about the Revolutions’ 2024 MLS season opener? Here are three thoughts.

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1 - Giacomo Gone Wild

You would think this would be a positive section of the article but it is far from it.

Vrioni looked good in the CCC match on Wednesday. His aerial skills seemed to have improved and he was looking like a more complete striker.

But 12 minutes into the match on Saturday evening, Vrioni picked up a yellow card for blocking a free kick. It was a dumb decision but hopefully it was a one off right?

It wasn’t.

Already on a yellow, Vrioni made a sliding challenge in the 25th minute and received his second yellow and a sending off. Going to the ground when you already landed in the referee’s book showed a complete lack of awareness, especially when that challenge is coming from behind the opponent.

The performance was Vrioni’s worst as a Rev and probably of his entire career. New England even seemed to perform better when he was off the field.

Caleb Porter showed some faith in the striker but after his performance against United, that faith appears to be possibly misplaced.

2 - Under Pressure

D.C. came out firing to start the game and were dominant for the large majority of the match. Even though United’s head coach Troy Lesesne wasn’t in charge of the match as he was suspended due to yellow card accumulation from last season, the former NYRB coach’s press was on display.

New England struggled to maintain possession and create any real scoring chances. When they did, they were unable to capitalize.

Vrioni’s sending off didn’t make things easier but even when the Revolution were at full strength they failed to handle the press well. They were on the back foot the entire night.

The Revs looked better in the second half but it was too late. New England was already down a man and returning home with any points would have took a miracle.

The result down in Panama might have given fans in New England some false hope because against superior competition, the Revolution looked like a far inferior team.

3 - Capi Curler

Not even replacement refs could stop Carles Gil from working his magic out on the pitch. The midfield maestro opened up his MLS scoring tally on Saturday night in superb fashion.

With a shot outside the box, Gil curled the ball into the far top corner of Alexander Bono’s net and there was nothing the goalkeeper could do to stop the shot.

But Gil is just a mere mortal and a single player on a team. He can’t be relied on to do everything and if that’s New England’s plan, this season will be a long one. So hopefully Vrioni and the rest of the Revolution squad can step up and support their captain.

New England now has a couple of home games on the docket as they play the second leg against CAI in Concacap Champions Cup action at Gillette Stadium on Thursday and then play Toronto FC in the club’s 2024 MLS season opener on March 3.

Hopefully, the Revolution are able to put in a better performance in front of their home fans next week.