New England Revolution vs Nashville SC: 3 Leagues Cup Thoughts
Leagues Cup mania is running wild over New England
The New England Revolution returned to the pitch on Tuesday to play the final march of the group stage of Leagues Cup and advanced to the Round of 32 after a 1-1 draw.
Porter’s starting XI featured Peyton Miller, Xavier Arreaga, Dave Romney, and Brandon Bye in the back line while Mark-Anthony Kaye and Matt Polster served as defensive midfielders.
Jack Panayotou and Esmir Bajraktarevic were on the wings while Ian Harkes was New England’s No. 10. Bobby Wood remained the lone striker up top.
But what do you need to know about Tuesday’s match? Here are three thoughts.
1 - Strong Start
New England couldn't have asked for a better start to the match as the Revolution were able to score within the first five minutes of the match.
Jack Panayotou received the ball on the wing after some quality ball movement and served up a perfect ball to a sliding Bobby Wood who scored in the third minute of the match.
Panayotou is on a great run of form and looks much more confident out on the pitch. Wood also looks energized now that he is healthy and received a run of starts.
While it will be tough once Carles Gil and Dylan Borrero are healthy, Panayotou has shown that he is deserving of more minutes. Wood will give way to Vrioni once healthy but Wood has shown that he is a capable backup and can make an impact when called upon.
New England has struggled in terms of depth this season but now they are looking like a much stronger team.
2 - Failing To Finish
For possibly the first time this season, this isn’t referring to Giacomo Vrioni or the Revolution attack. New England allowed Nashville to get back in the match thanks to a first-half stoppage-time goal where Nashville split the Revolution back line wide open.
If the Revolution we able to see out the half, the second half would have looked completely different. Nashville would have little reason to press forward and New England would have likely seen out the game with ease.
Instead, the match was much more stressful as Nashville pressed forward looking for a goal and were on the front foot for the majority of the second half.
Just one mistake can cost you a win. New England has seen that happen before, and if the Revolution want to fight into playoff contention; they need to limit mistakes and not let their foot off of the gas pedal.
3 - Impressive Ivacic
Aljaz Ivacic had another impressive performance in net for New England. He made some quality saves and ensured that the Revolution saw out the result.
Without Ivacic, New England would be in a much worse position than the club currently finds itself in. Ivacic has turned losses into draws and draws into wins with his shot-stopping ability.
Whether it be leaping in the air or making a kick save, Ivacic always finds a way to get in front of the ball. The goalkeeper also did a good job dealing with corners on Wednesday night.
With the draw, New England advances to the Round of 32 and will not have a ton of time to prepare as they play again on Friday.
In the current moment, I both want us to lose our next match so we can rest up and also make a surprise run and go far.
Looking at who we’d have to beat to get to the end, though, I think there’s next to no chance we actually get there. But I can dream
Not over yet… PK shootout!