New England Weekly Review: July 8, 2024
Points dropped all around New England across the weekend.
New England clubs enjoyed a turn of events in the past few weeks, but this weekend saw all New England clubs drop points.
The Revolution looked dangerous despite the heavy rotation caused by injuries but lost 2-0 against the Seattle Sounders.
Rhode Island FC picked up a point in the dying minutes of stoppage time as Isaac Angking became the first Rhode Island native to score for Rhode Island FC at home in the club’s 3-3 draw with Indy Eleven.
Hartford Athletic lost 3-0 to Loudoun United FC which put them three points behind Rhode Island FC.
The New England Revolution II lost to the Philadelphia Union II as Cavan Sullivan marked the difference in the 2-1 loss.
Somewhere in a remote corner of every USMNT fan’s mind is the fact that Uruguay beat Berhalter’s side 1-0 to eliminate them in the group stage.
In the USL League 2, the Seacoast United Phantoms beat Vermont Green FC 2-1. Western Mass Pioneers beat Boston City FC 5-0 to secure their qualification for the playoffs.
Looking through this weekend’s results, here are some talking points:
Temperature Raising in USL League 2
As the USL League 2 season nears its end, the match between Seacoast United and Vermont Green defined the last two weeks of the season.
With Seacoast facing Pathfinder and Albany Rush in their last two games, this match placed them as favorites to finish in first place. Vermont plays the Boston Bolts and Western Mass Pioneers as they attempt to sneak into the playoffs.
After the game ended, Seacoast United and Boston College winger Marco dos Santos posted a clip of his game-winning goal onto Instagram with the caption “Social Media FC” and three broom emojis.
Such a post reflected the heated intensity of the game. Dos Santos’ jab seemed to mock the Green’s online presence. The Green holds one of the largest media presences of all USL League 2 clubs.
Vermont Green supporter group Green Mountain Bhoys responded via X by emphasizing that the club’s presence goes further than online as the club recorded a crowd of 2,500 for a USL League 2 game.
While missing out on the playoffs would disappoint the Green, the club’s growth in the last three years shows Vermont’s soccer potential. In three years, Vermont Green FC built strong ties with the community around Burlington, Vermont. Drawing crowds of 2,500 and amassing 20K followers on Instagram, the Green is heading in the right direction to jump into the professional part of the pyramid.
That’s not to say that Vermont is the only properly run club in the Northeast Division. Seacoast United, on the other hand, exemplifies proper talent development from a strong youth system. Their USL League 2 side features mostly collegiate players like dos Santos, Mitch Varely, and Taig Healy among others who played through the youth teams at Seacoast.
The Pioneers approach the game from a much more local perspective and uphold the Portuguese roots of the club. In the past years, the club has also grown to expand its youth system and its female affiliates.
All three clubs are rewarded for their different approaches and showcase the need to support local soccer in the United States. Not only are these clubs developing talent and growing close to their local areas, but they are also forming New England’s soccer identity.
While dos Santos’ Instagram story reflects a narrow perspective of a rivalry game, the formation of these rivalries shows how the division is growing.
Calling Vermont Green FC a social media club ignores the thousands of fans that attended its games this season.
Rhode Island’s Hometown Hero
In the offseason, Rhode Island FC looked to find hometown talent for its inaugural season. Despite missing out on Cranston native Damien Rivera, the club signed Kevin Vang, Nathan Silveira and Isaac Angking. In the last weeks, Angking returned from international duty with Puerto Rico and has been coming off the bench more frequently.
This weekend, Angking became the first Rhode Island native to score for the club in competitive play as he leveled the score in the 95th minute.
Jojea Kwizera bolted down the left wing and slid a pass in for Albert Dikwa. As Dikwa received the ball in the box, he whipped it towards the penalty spot. Angking arrived into the box late and smashed the ball into the roof of the goal.
While Rhode Island FC is finally finding good form, the secret has been the players coming off the bench and their ability to score from all over the pitch. This weekend center back Frank Nodarse scored off two corner kicks with similar routines.
Up against the third-placed team in the Eastern Conference, Rhode Island came back into the game twice. They currently sit in ninth place — just two points outside the playoffs.
The International Allegiance Dilemma
This week, Esmir Bajraktarevic missed out on the call-up for the Olympic team, and as reported by The Blazing Musket, he would not shy away from representing Bosnia.
That leaves DeJuan Jones and 16-year-old Peyton Miller as the only professional New England Revolution players around the USMNT set-up.
It also displays the latest trend among the Revs youth talents. Noel Buck plays for England at the U-20 level, Olger Escobar plays for Guatemala’s first team, and it’s been two years since Jack Panayotou played for the U.S. U-19 squad.
While several players within the younger age groups at the club feature for the national youth teams, there seems to be a disconnect between the first team and the national set-up.
The disconnect isn’t a matter of talent. Last year, Buck could have been playing for the U.S. U-20 squad at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Bajraktarevic could also have landed on the alternate list over Johan Gomez. Jones and former Revs goalkeeper Matt Turner are proofs of the talent within the system, but they are the only American Revs-affiliated players in Gregg Berhalter’s consideration.
Overall the Olympic squad looks decent with a solid midfield and a promising attack. The call-ups for Arlington, Massachusetts, native Miles Robinson as well as Walker Zimmerman should provide a steady backbone in defense.
For Bajraktarevic, playing for Bosnia might not be a terrible decision as the squad is not as strong as the USMNT and he would be an important player from the start.
I personally like seeing a little rivalry budding in USL League 2. A little banter is fun, in my opinion.