New England Revolution vs NYCFC: 3 Leagues Cup Thoughts

Leagues Cup mania has come to an end

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

The New England Revolution returned to the pitch on Friday as they faced off against NYCFC in the Round of 32 and ended up getting knocked out in penalty kicks after drawing 1-1 in regular time (New York defeated the Revs 7-6 in penalty kicks).

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 Ema Boateng 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 Friday’s match? Here are three thoughts.

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1 - Bobby Lumber

Bobby Wood has returned his return to form by scoring his second goal in two matches. it appeared that he had scored a highlight-reel curler from distance but the offside flag took the goal away.

But in the 40th minute — five minutes after Rodriguez scored — Bye found space and whipped a cross in that found the head of Wood who headed it home to level the score.

With a chronic knee injury limiting his involvement at the beginning of the season, Wood has found his form and has hit a purple patch in front of net. He seems primed to compete with Giacomo Vrioni once the designated player is healthy.

And considering his health, Wood deserves praise for playing a complete 90 minutes after playing on Tuesday. The elder statesmen still has the ability to show his quality and make an impact in matches.

2 - Penalties

An unfortunate clattering of legs would change the course of the game. While initially not ruled to be a foul in the box, VAR would change that. Compared to Henry Kessler’s costly mistake against FC Dallas, it was more of a genuine mistake than a dumb error.

Santiago Rodriguez was the one to take the penalty kick and he did so in style as his panenka floated into the net. The forward deserves some praise for trusting himself to succeed on an attempt that can make you look stupid.

For a game that seemed destined for a 1-0 result, the penalty kick inserted some life into the match. Luckily New England was able to respond in quick fashion but the penalty played a crucial part in the match.

But a penalty call would further change the game in the second half as it appeared that New York had committed a handball in the box but after initially having a penalty kick awarded, VAR took it away from the Revs.

The decision was questionable as it didn’t appear clear and obvious that a hand ball hadn’t occurred but the decision was reversed anyway. New England will feel hard done but the Revs still had plenty of time to reverse the trajectory of the match.

Oh and then of course the match was decided by penalties. Unlike on Tuesday, New England was defeated with a Kaye shot ringing off the crossbar proving to be the nail in New England’s Leagues Cup coffin. it is a tough way to go out, especially considering the earlier calls that went against the Revolution.

3 - Possible Peyton Miller Injury

When a game goes to penalty kicks it is hard to complete a recap that goes out immediately at the sound of the final whistle but it worked out in this case as one of my thoughts is news that I would have missed.

As media was waiting in the mixed zone, Peyton Miller could be seen wearing a boot. With the amount of injuries New England is dealing with and the trade of DeJuan Jones, this potential injury couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Luckily for the Revolution, they have some time off. Miller very well could be healed by the time the match against Montreal arrives.

But Miller already dealt with injuries earlier in the season. If he was healthy, fans in New England would have seen just how talented he was earlier on in the season. Considering he already dealt with injury, it could take him longer than usual to recover from this potential injury.

Then again this is all speculation. All we can say for sure is that he was wearing a boot which isn’t the greatest of news.

New England’s next match isn’t until the end of August when the Revolution face CF Montreal. The club, its fans, and media now get a well deserved break as Caleb Porter’s crew will look to make a push for the playoffs towards the tail end of the 2024 campaign.