Recap: Revolution II 0 (5) - FC Cincinnati 2 0 (6)
Revolution II hold their ground in regular time, but held to one point with a shootout loss.
After seeing their losing streak extend to six games following a 3-2 loss on the road to Atlanta United 2 on Saturday, it was a quick turnaround for Richie Williams and New England Revolution II as they hosted FC Cincinnati 2, who held the best record in MLS NEXT Pro entering Wednesday’s match.
There was one change to the lineup from Saturday as Max Weinstein made his first start in goal for Revs II since June 1st. Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, Tiago Suarez, Giovanni Calderón, and Colby Quiñones formed the back line. Patrick Leal, Eric Klein, and Marcos Dias formed the midfield three behind the attacking trio of Joshua Bolma, Liam Butts, and Alex Monis.
Calderón became the first player to enter the book as he received a yellow card in the 5th minute after fouling Stefan Chirila to prevent a counterattack opportunity. Things got worse in the 14th minute when Calderón went down following what appeared to be a blow to the head during a collision with a Cincinnati player. After a few minutes of on-field treatment, Calderón’s day came to an end as Luka Borovic came on to replace him in the 17th minute.
A good run of play almost paid dividends in the 41st minute. After maneuvering through a handful of defenders, Leal darted up the right flank before sending a pass upfield to Dias. After a few touches, Dias cut the ball to Bolma on the left and he proceeded to wind up a good shot that deflected off a Cincinnati defender and out for a corner kick.
Weinstein came up huge to keep Cincinnati off the board in the 50th minute when he stretched out to deflect the ball out for a corner.
Three changes came in the 70th minute as Gevork Diarbian, Hesron Barry, and Javaun Mussenden came on for Monis, Al-Hasnawi, and Butts. The change marked 16-year-old Javaun Mussenden’s professional debut.
Diarbian’s lone effort in the 79th minute nearly won it for Revs II. After receiving the ball on the left side, Diarbian darted up the field with his defender struggling to keep up. Once entering the final third, Diarbian cut centrally and attempted to curl a shot far post that Hunter Morse saved.
Despite playing a full 90 minutes, neither side gained an advantage as things remained scoreless at full time as we went to a penalty shootout.
Hunter Morse came up huge for Cincinnati in round six when he stretched to save Borovic’s shot. Yeiner Valoyes secured the shootout winner when he sent a right-footed shot to the top right corner.
A disappointing result for Revs II, but going toe-to-toe against one of MLS NEXT Pro’s best teams is a sign of improvement for this Revs II squad.
They’ll look to build upon it when they hit the road on August 18th to face two-time MLS NEXT Pro Cup finalists Columbus Crew 2 at 6:00 pm ET.