New England Revolution Drop Another Preseason Match

But they scored their first goal!

Photo Courtesy of Orlando City SC

After a preseason with minimal updates and two losses, New England Revolution fans got a treat on Saturday night. They received updates from the match but New England was still unable to secure a victory.

Henrich Ravas started in net while DeJuan Jones and Nick Lima served as outside backs. Dave Romney and Andrew Farrell were the starting center backs.

In the midfield, Noel Buck and Matt Polster served as defensive midfielders as Carles Gil played in his usual No. 10 role. Esmir Bajrakatarevic and Tomas Chancalay played as wingers with Giacomo Vrioni playing as the lone striker up top.

After a lengthy spell without a goal, New England scored two minutes into the match with Polster slotting a Chancalay cross into the back of the net. But the lead wouldn’t last long as Orlando leveled the score in the 11th minute.

The scoreline would remain unchanged for the remaining 45 minutes but there was a subsituition of note. Vrioni was taken off in the 36th minute with Bobby Wood replacing him at striker. As is far too typical in MLS, detials are hard to come by in the preseason but you have to wonder if this change had anything to do with some sort of injury.

After half there was a massive change to the lineup with Ravas and Wood being the only players left from the first half. The back line was now Peyton Miller, Tiago Suarez, Jonathan Mensah, and Ryan Spaulding with Tommy McNamara and Ian Harkes serving as defensive midfielders. Jack Panayotou played as a No. 10 while Nacho Gil and Ema Boateng played on the wings.

In the 50th minute, Orlando would score off of a free kick to take the lead. 10 minutes later Ravas was taken off with Earl Edwards Jr. serving as his replacement. In the 62nd minute Orlando would add another goal and the scoreline would remain unchanged for the rest of the match.

One player who didn’t appear at all is Henry Kessler. Again there are little details coming from these matches or the club in general during preseason but considiring Kessler’s injury history, you have to wonder if his absence is due to picking up yet another knock.

New England has two more preaseason matches left on the docket before heading to Panema to face CA Independiente in Concacaf Champions Cup play.