Revolution II Preview: 5/4 vs Chicago Fire II
Revs II return to Gillette Stadium on the heels of a dominant win in New Hampshire!
Richie Williams will look to secure back-to-back victories for the first time in his inaugural season when Revolution II returns to Foxboro. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s matinee!
Date: Saturday, May 4th
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Opponent: Chicago Fire II
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Weather: It looks to be a good one on Saturday as temps will hover in the high 50’s throughout the match with wind gusts remaining in the single digits!
New England Revolution II:
It was a good outing for head coach Richie Williams and Revolution II as they secured a dominant 3-1 victory over Inter Miami CF II in their Mark A. Ouellette Stadium opener thanks to a trio of goals from Jack Panayotou, Patrick Leal, and Gevork Diarbian.
Last Sunday’s win was crucial for Revs II after they failed to pick up a win during a three-game road trip. They enter Saturday’s match in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with eight points on a 2-3-1 record with one shootout win.
Saturday provides Brazilian forward Marcos Dias another opportunity to etch his name into the New England Revolution II history book. Dias enters the game with 17 goals over his 51 appearances with the club, a figure that sees him tied with Damian Rivera for most goals in club history. A goal against Fire II would see Dias ascend to 18 total goals and capture the record!
Williams will be without standout defender Victor Souza who will serve a one-game suspension after receiving a straight red card in the 79th minute in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Inter Miami.
Chicago Fire II:
It’s been a great start to the season for head coach Ludovic Taillandier and Fire II. They come into Saturday’s contest in third place in the Eastern Conference with 14 points on a 3-1-3 record with two shootout victories.
Fire II comes into the match riding a two-game winning streak, which has seen them secure a 2-1 win over Carolina Core FC and a 2-0 shutout victory over Atlanta United 2 in their most recent outing.
Chicago’s success in 2024 has been in large part thanks to midfielder Harold Osorio. The 20-year-old has netted an impressive six goals in five appearances, two of which came during Chicago’s current winning streak.
2024 has been aggressive for Chicago. Through their first six matches, Fire II has committed 98 fouls, which ranks fifth for most fouls conceded in MLS NEXT Pro.
Revolution II will have to be aware of the long ball against Chicago, as Fire II has 115 accurate long balls and an accurate long ball success rate of nearly 51%.
Previous Meetings:
Saturday marks the fifth all-time meeting between New England and Chicago. It’s been a pretty even series as both Revs II and Fire II have one win while the remaining two matches went to a shootout, where both sides possess one shootout victory.
June 26th, 2022: 4-3 loss
August 14th, 2022: 1-0 win
June 11th, 2023: 2-2 draw (4-3 shootout win)
July 30th, 2023: 1-1 draw (5-3 shootout loss)