New England Revolution 1 - FC Cincinnati 2: 3 Thoughts
With the entire MLS journalism world rooting them on, the Revs failed to secure three points on Sunday afternoon
The New England Revolution returned to MLS play on Sunday as they faced FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium.
Caleb Porter played a pretty strong XI as Dave Romney, DeJuan Jones, Nick Lima and Henry Kessler made up the back line. Ian Harkes and Mark-Anthony Kaye served as defensive midfielders while Carles Gil played in his typical No. 10 role.
Tomas Chancalay and Esmir Bajraktarevic were on the wings with Giacomo Vrioni at striker. Henrich Ravas took his usual p[lace between the sticks.
Entering Saturday’s match, New England had an eight-game unbeaten streak against Cincy.
But what do you need to know about the Revolution’s latest loss in MLS? Here are three thoughts.
1 - Too Many Turnovers
Once again New England was missing the final piece. They would start to get on the attack and an errant pass would stop it in its tracks.
This hasn’t been a new development for the Revolution this season. Whether it be finishing or pass accuracy, New England needs to be much more clinical.
Poor finishing was once again on display with the most noticeable miss being Chancalay’s missed chip towards the end of the second half. The designated player needs to put that chance away, instead he hit the crossbar.
Whether it be better decision-making, adjusting to the new turf, or simply refining basic skills, the Revs have to be better. If they are going to start winning games they have to have a killer instinct out on the pitch.
2 - Ravas Crumbles
The 2024 season has been a mixed bag for Ravas. While he has made some impressive saves and racked up a few clean sheets, he has also allowed eight goals in three MLS matches.
But the goalkeeper had an impressive showing in the first half. He made some key saves and looked much more confident in between the sticks.
Then the second half happened.
Ravas completely folded (as well as the team). It appeared that immediately he allowed a goal but it was ruled offside. If the goal had stood, it would have been a weak one as he got a hand on the shot but it still ended up in the net.
The eventual first goal was another disaster as Ravas was caught completely out of position. While the official made a bold call awarding a goal when it appeared Ravas made a goal line stop, it would have been an easy save if he wasn’t caught in no mans land.
With his performance so far this season, fans will be questioning if Ravas was the right selection to be New England’s new starting goalkeeper this offseason.
3 - No. 10 Makes The Difference
As players were warming up at halftime, a sense of dread seemed to descend onto Gillette Stadium. When Lucho Acosta came on to begin the second half, the match was flipped on its head.
Similar to New England, FC Cincinnati also played in the Concacaf Champions Cup mid-week. While they are out of the tournament unlike the Revs, FCC is still dealing with the effects of playing at altitude down in Mexico and just overall wear and tear from playing in so many matches early on.
Acosta was able to cruise through the midfield and bust the attack wide open for Cincy. His footwork was sublime and he added a beautiful free kick goal to his 2024 resume. It was a perfect display of what an MVP-caliber player can do.
New England was unable to stop Acosta and it cost the squad. Now they remain winless in MLS play.
Really poor performance at home. No excuses this time. Season seems doomed already and it's only been 4 games.
Those 10 minutes to start the second half were brutal. The Revs could not get the ball even to midfield, let alone past it, without turning it over to FCC. 🤦