Revolution Get Result in Nashville
A positive but fortunate start to the season
The New England Revolution kicked off their 2025 MLS regular season against Nashville SC at a chilly GEODIS Park on Saturday night. The match in the Music City marked the start of their 30th campaign in Major League Soccer. Club broadcasters Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies were on the radio call on 98.5 The Sports Hub, their sixth season together in the booth.
After a positive preseason, the Revs were eager to get off on the right foot. The lineup from Head Coach Caleb Porter was the same we saw in preseason, with one exception at left back due to the injuries of Will Sands and Peyton Miller.
Porter selected Aljaž Ivačič, Brandon Bye, Brayan Ceballos, Mamadou Fofana, Ilay Feingold, Jackson Yueill, Alhassan Yusuf, Luca Langoni, Ignatius Ganago, and Leo Campana. The available subs were Alex Bono, Wyatt Omsberg, Tanner Beason, Andrew Farrell, Noel Buck, Eric Klein, Jack Panayotou, Luis Diaz, and Maxi Urruti.
One of my first impressions of the game was that Brayan Ceballos is good. Really good.
Ceballos was responsible for defending Nashville SC’s best player and former league MVP, Hany Mukhtar. There were a couple of moments early in the game when Ceballos had excellent positioning and timing, slowing Mukhtar down on the counter and stepping in to win the ball.
Despite the fine work of Ceballos, the Revs misplayed multiple passes in midfield. Charlie Davies noted that the players remained positive despite the turnovers, encouraging each other to keep playing. There was a positivity on the field that was a refreshing change of demeanor from 2024.
The Revolution were able to survive the first 15 minutes of the game, with Fofana and Ceballos playing well together in the center of defense. Ganago looked dangerous in the attack, flowing across the field and taking on Nashville’s defenders. There was a nice sequence from captain Carles Gil to Ganago to Yusuf, whose shot went over the crossbar. Nashville responded to the Revs’ attack, forcing a big save from Ivačič in the 19th minute on a Sam Surridge header.
The Revs did a good job keeping their shape defensively, condensing their lines and not getting stretched. Both teams had their chances, but the first half ended 0-0.
New England started the second half well, pressing high for the first ten minutes. They had some sustained attacking pressure, though they were not able to convert that positive play into a goal. Charlie Davies commented that the Revs needed to play quicker and between the lines to make the game more difficult for Nashville’s defenders.
Nashville eventually started to settle in and create their own chances as the half progressed. There was a possible penalty shout when Mukhtar went down in the box in the 55th minute, but no penalty was called. Nashville almost found the breakthrough goal with Surridge scoring on a header in the 67th minute, but it was ruled offside.
The lone Revolution substitution came in the 77th minute when Luis Diaz made his debut replacing Luca Langoni. Langoni put in a good shift, making some positive runs, pressing well, and sending in a couple of dangerous crosses.
Ivačič was forced to make a big save in the 78th minute when Surridge put another header on goal. Surridge had a couple of prime chances in the game, and a striker in better form would have buried at least one of them.
The Revs had an unfortunate turnover in the defensive end that almost resulted in a Mukhtar goal in the 83rd minute. Mukhtar did not seem to be in his top form Saturday night. If he had been, his shot would have been on goal, if not in the back of the net. Mukhtar missed another great chance from a Brandon Bye turnover, his shot sailing over the crossbar in the 84th minute.
The Revolution’s poor stretch continued when a bad touch by Fofana led to an opportunity for Surridge that was blocked for a Nashville corner. The Revs were lucky not to be down a goal or two.
Despite giving up those chances, the Revs continued to fight. They almost found the game winner, with Fofana scoring a goal in the 89th minute that was ruled offside. After the three added minutes for extra time, the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
It was a tough game, with the Revs not generating many goal-scoring opportunities. New England was lucky that Nashville could not convert their chances. A more clinical Mukhtar or Surridge would have seen Nashville score at least a goal, if not more.
The Revs continue to make critical turnovers in the defensive end that need to be cleaned up moving forward. They also need to find a way to create more chances on goal.
One of Nashville’s strengths was clearly their center backs. Despite that strength, the Revs repeatedly delivered high crosses for center back Walker Zimmerman to clear out of the box. It would have been great to see the Revs play low crosses that were harder for Nashville to defend.
It would have also been nice to see the Revs play quicker, to get Gil more involved and play dangerous line-breaking passes. Nashville was able to keep the game in front of them, rarely threatened by runs or passes between their lines. If the Revs could have made Nashville’s defenders move, maybe they could have created more space and chances on goal.
Nevertheless, a result on the road is a positive start to the season. Next up is the home opener against the Columbus Crew. A much tougher opponent than Nashville, the Revs will look to get their first win of the season in front of their home fans.
Good review.
Sad to say, Revs were lucky to get a tie. On visuals and expected goals they lost. To a pretty average team.
Meanwhile Arena's San Jose ('24 worst record) with five 2024 Revs players, crushed RSL 4-0.
Hmm.
I could see quality in the Rev's players, and the newcomers. What I didn't see was enough synergy. The whole was less than the sum of the parts. And that's on Caleb Porter.