New England Revolution 1: New York Red Bulls 0: 3 Thoughts
Red Bull gives the Revs wins
The New England Revolution returned home on Wednesday night to face the New York Red Bulls and a banged-up squad managed to secure a win.
DeJuan Jones once again missed out due to injury and both Jacob Jackson and Ryan Spaulding picked up head injuries that saw them fail to make the matchday squad. The injuries saw Ben Sweat start at left back and Nico Campuzano join the first team on a short-term loan.
Earl Edwards Jr. once again got the start in net while Sweat was joined by Dave Romney, Omar Gonzalez, and Matt Polster on the back line. It was Gonzalez’s second straight start and Polster’s second straight at right back.
Tomas Chancalay earned his first start since joining New England as he lined up opposite Nacho Gil with Giacomo Vrioni serving as the striker in the 4-3-3. Mark-Anthony Kaye, Ian Harkes, and Carles Gil made up the midfield.
But what do you need to know about the match? Here are three thoughts.
1 - Another Giacomo goal
Sneakily, Vrioni is climbing up the Revs goalscoring ranks as he added to his total on Wednesday evening. The 24-year-old scored his sixth goal of the season which saw him pass Gustavo Bou.
It was a class play all around with Mark-Anthony Kaye providing a perfect pass to jumpstart the attack. The striker came onto the ball and had a clinical finish to give New England the lead.
The goal was a promising sign as the Revolution will be without Bou for at least a month as he recovers from a muscle injury. Whenever Vrioni gets a chance on net, he needs to make the opponent pay as he did against the Red Bulls.
Richie Williams decision to move to a 4-3-3 seemed to pay off for Vrioni and the rest of the squad. Along with securing the win, the 24-year-old received a lot more service compared to the Montreal game.
But the goal is a promising sign for Vrioni. The Revolution will need him to step up as the regular season nears its conclusion and New England pushes for the playoffs.
2 - A rare off night for Carles Gil
When you are an MVP-caliber player such as Gil, you are held to high standards. So while Gil might have had a fine game for someone else, it was a down night in terms of what he is capable of.
While the captain was still magical on the ball, he struggled to connect with his teammates. At times, Gil was just doing too much on his own and trying to win the game by himself.
It is hard to blame Gil as New England is dealing with a lot of injuries as well as new players getting significant minutes, but it wasn’t his best night at Gilette Stadium. Luckily for Revs fans an off night for him is a good night for most MLS players.
3 - Defensive star Dave Romney
No matter who Romney is lined up next to, he always puts in a good shift. Once again that was the case on Wednesday night.
Even with New England missing three outside backs and two center backs, Romney was constantly getting onto balls and clearing the balls out of his own third. Both, Omar Gonzalez and Romney performed well and helped limit the chances New York was able to get.
Considering all the injuries, the Revolution would be screwed without Romney. While part of it is due to him simply being able to stay healthy, the offseason acquisition has my Revolution Defender of the Year vote. Romney has rarely made a mistake.
It’s another quick turnaround for New England as they play Austin FC on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
I was thinking how lucky the Revs are to have Dave Romney. He is so reliable, so tough, so smart. Talk about a rag-tag group of players, nice to see them work as a team and get the win.
I think this was the second poor game in a row from Gil as he had a bad game at Montreal too. Let's hope it's just a temporary aberration or else the team's season will be over quickly.