"Every Game At This Point Is A Must Win": New England Looks to End Winless Streak

Just win baby

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

The New England Revolution have yet to lose a game at home but Saturday’s match against Charlotte FC is the most important home match of the season so far.

New England will enter Saturday’s contest on a month-long winning drought. This has occurred while the club has dealt with issues off the field including the resignation of Bruce Arena and Richie Williams’ brief stint as interim head coach.

Charlotte has some weapons in the attack but are far from a dangerous opponent. The Crowns are 7-12-10 on the season (3-7-4 on the road) and are on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff birth. Still, Charlotte’s front attack of Karol Swiderski and Enzo Copetti have combined for 13 goals and could cause problems for the back line.

But considering the difficulties of the last month, fans will be desperate for the Revolution to secure three points. It is quite cliche to declare a regular-season match a must-win affair (as I found out when talking to Clint Peay and Mark-Anthony Kaye who graciously answered my questions in Thursday’s media availability) but it seems like a make-or-break moment for New England’s 2023 campaign.

“I don’t think there hasn’t been a game in the last six weeks that we didn’t think we needed three points,” Peay stated. “We are at home, and we’ve been very good at home and want to continue to be very good at home. Our goal, as it is in every game, is to get three points. In particular, we think it’s important to do well at home and in this league because road points are difficult, so that’s our objective.”

But beyond the importance of Saturday’s match, the final five matches of the season will be crucial for New England. With an extremely tight Eastern Conference, losses can see teams drop down the table dramatically. In the battle for home-field advantage, every point counts.

For Kaye, every match is a must-win moving forward.

“We want to win every game. You have to win every game,” Kaye stated. “Some games have more things on the line. If you’re in a cup final, it’s going to feel different when you that that game compared to the third game of the season. For us, our mentality is that we want to win every game. It’s definitely important to go out and have a good performance and get the result we want at home because we owe it to our fans for coming out and supporting us. That gives us a boost. It’s always a challenge sometimes when you go to away stadiums to find that 12^th man, but when we’re at home, it’s going to be great. Every game at this point is a must-win. We go out there to get three points every day and that’s the goal.”

So while Saturday might be business as usual in terms of mindset, the Revs could begin to feel the pressure if they suffer their first loss at home this season. A playoff spot is secure but how far they last in the race for an MLS Cup remains to be seen. If New England wants to reassure fans that the club isn’t in peril after the last month, three points will be required against Charlotte.