Revolution II 0 - FC Cincinnati 2 1: Three Thoughts
Three thoughts following Revolution II's return to Gillette.
New England Revolution II’s return home didn’t go to plan on Sunday as they suffered a 1-0 loss to then-last-placed FC Cincinnati 2.
Here are three thoughts.
1 - Honoring Olivia
The New England Revolution organization reminded us there are things bigger than sports this weekend as the club hosted and honored the Olivia Knighton Foundation. A foundation founded by former Revolution goalkeeper and current Revolution II goalkeeping coach Brad Knighton to honor the legacy of his daughter, Olivia.
Saturday’s first-team match against FC Cincinnati saw players don the organization's t-shirt upon arrival at Gillette. The Revs also took a moment to acknowledge the life of Olivia Knighton, as well as the ongoing work of the Olivia Knighton Foundation, before kickoff.
Sunday saw the honor continue as Revolution II coach Richie Williams wore the foundation’s t-shirt along the touchline during their match against FC Cincinnati 2.
Following Sunday’s match, Williams took time during his post-match interview to talk about what it meant to honor her legacy and the impact of the foundation.
“We want to continue to honor and not forget about her,” he said. “She’s a big part of a lot of people’s lives, so it’s always nice that we can honor her, support the foundation, and support her family.”
2 - Finishing Failures
Despite having numerous chances to get themselves into the game, Revolution II’s inability to finish cost them big time in Sunday’s loss.
While putting seven of 19 shots on target was bad, it wasn’t the only reason their offense struggled. There were times when a mixture of hesitation plus good defense from Cincinnati led to some golden opportunities going to waste.
Richie Willaims said it best following the loss.
“You’re not going to be able to win a soccer game if you can't score a goal.”
At 17 goals, Revolution II is tied for the sixth-fewest goals scored in 2025.
While they’re tied for the 18th in big chances created with 26, they rank ninth for most big chances missed with 17.
Long story short, Revs II has done a decent job generating chances throughout 2025 but struggles to capitalize on them.
There’s still plenty of season left and they only trail first-place New York Red Bulls II by 10 points, but the team needs to start generating offense quickly if they want to make the playoffs.
3.- Unwavering Weinstein
With JD Gunn and Donovan Parisian on international duty, Richie Willams has turned to youngster Max Weinstein over the past three matches.
The 21-year-old has stood his ground in net during his recent spell of appearances.
His four saves on May 31 led Revs II to snap an incredibly long winless streak on the road as they secured the 1-0 win over NYCFC II.
Despite the 2-2 scoreline, Weinstein made three big saves to ensure Revs II walked away with the point. He came up big in the shootout as he saved Peter Soudan’s penalty in the fifth round and led Revs II to take home the additional point.
Weinstein wasn’t called upon much on Sunday as Cincinnati’s lone shot on target was their 40th-minute goal that Weinstein had little to no chance of saving.
I wish it didn’t take 10 games into the season to see Weinstein make his 2025 debut, but I think he’s done a good job in net. I hope this spell of games will lead to more rotation between the three keepers.