Noel Buck Showcases Offensive Skills Versus Inter Miami

Bruce Arena: "He’s a good player. He’s got a good future.”

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution (David Silverman)

Fans got a nice look at Noel Buck’s offensive capabilities during the New England Revolution’s 2-1 loss to Inter Miami CF this past weekend.

The 18-year-old midfielder has largely played in the middle this year, serving as a protector of the backline. Here, he regularly makes big tackles and interceptions.

On Saturday, Buck started on the right wing, which put him closer to goal.

The Homegrown adjusted well, showing an ability to create for himself and others. His best pass came when he used the outside of his foot to send in Bobby Wood. Soon after, he had a goal called back when the referee ruled that an offside Latif Blessing affected the goalkeeper.

“He’s a good player,” head coach Bruce Arena said after the game. “He’s a good finisher, as is evident with the goal he scored tonight. He’s a good player. He’s got a good future.”

Buck eventually moved back to his more central role. During his 90 minute performance, he was 42/48 on accurate passes, 2/3 on successful dribbles, and 4/5 on accurate long balls.

Regardless of where he was playing, Buck showed quality on the ball. One example of this was when he expertly used his body to keep possession.

Later, he showed his strength when winning a tackle.

In his second year with the Revolution, Buck has established himself as an important asset to the team regardless of where he lines up.

“He was really good,” Dave Romney noted. “He’s got a good soccer IQ and you can kind of play him anywhere. He makes good decisions and he's got quality to kind of be a standard six and just kind of control the game or even make a couple of nice plays in the attacking half of the field. Tonight, he showed us the talent he has in the attacking of the field that he was closer to goal.”