Revolution II Preview: 5/8 at Chicago Fire II
Can Revs II end their five-game road trip on a positive note?
New England Revolution II will put their five-game road trip to bed on Sunday when they travel to The Prairie State looking to build off the excellent result gained in their last outing. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s match!
Opponent: Chicago Fire II
Date: Sunday, June 8th
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Illinois
Broadcast: mlsnextpro.com
Weather: Things could get tricky for Sunday’s match. A chance of thunder is expected come kickoff, but are expected to be over come 4 PM CT. Rain could also play a factor as the chance for precipitation will stand at 50 percent come kickoff and steadily tamper down throughout the afternoon.
New England Revolution II:
After a rough start to their five-game road trip that saw them go 0-2-1, May 31st’s trip to Queens saw fortune turn in Revs II’s favor.
Thanks to Malcolm Fry’s 89th-minute goal, Revolution II secured the 1-0 victory to mark the club’s first road win since August 27, 2023.
Last Saturday’s win saw Revs II enter Sunday’s match in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 18 points on a 4-3-3 record with three shootout victories.
Richie Williams will be without some key pieces as Liam Butts, JD Gunn, Donovan Parisian, and Academy prospect Grant Emerhi are away on international duty.
With Parisian coming back from international duty with the Armenian U-21s and JD Gunn with the Panama National Team, Sunday will likely see Max Weinstein return for a second-consecutive start in goal. Weinstein tallied four saves and a clean sheet in his 2025 debut last Saturday.
Sunday could be a historical day for forward Marcos Dias. A start against Fire II would increase his all-time tally to 69 starts, which would tie former defender Pierre Cayet for the most starts in club history.
A big factor in Revolution II’s success in 2025 has been the defense. Their 12 goals allowed is tied for the third-fewest in MLS NEXT Pro, while their 1.2 goals conceded per match ties for the fourth-fewest.
Goalkeeping efforts from the trio of Gunn, Parisian, and Weinstein have led Revolution II to pick up four clean sheets thus far. A figure that’s tied for the most across MLS NEXT Pro.
Chicago Fire II:
2025 has been a mixed year for Alex Boler and Fire II. They come into Sunday’s match in eighth place in the East with 16 points on a near-even 5-4-1 record with zero shootout victories.
While their overall record is rocky, Fire II has been on an incredible run as of late. Chicago comes into Sunday amidst a four-game unbeaten run that dates back to the start of May.
While going unbeaten in four straight is impressive on its own, Fire II’s goal-scoring ability is something Revs II has to be cautious of. Their ongoing winning streak has seen Fire II notch 14 of their 20 goals on the year, with Chicago finding the back of the net in two of the four matches.
Their second five-goal outing came in Chicago Fire II’s most recent outing when they secured a 5-0 shutout win at home over Crew 2.
Fire II’s recent scoring outburst has led them to average 2.0 goals per match, which ties for the seventh-most.
One aspect of Fire II's attack that Revolution II has to be aware of is their long balls. Fire II averages 28.0 accurate long balls per match, which is the eighth-most in MLS NEXT Pro.
Discipline has been an issue for this Chicago side. While they commit the third-fewest fouls per match with 10.5, Fire II’s two red cards tie for the third-most. They’ve also conceded four penalties, which ties for the second-most in MLS NEXT Pro.
Like Revolution II, Fire II will also be without some big names.
Midfielder Harold Osorio will be absent as he’s on international duty with El Salvador.
When talking with Men In Red’s Alex Calabrese about the Chicago Fire’s upcoming meeting with D.C. United, Gregg Berhalter indicated Fire II’s Vitaliy Hlyut and Jason Shokalook would be called up for the match.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday will mark the eighth all-time meeting between New England and Chicago. Neither side holds a historical advantage as both have a 2-2-3 record against the other.
Their inaugural meeting on June 26, 2022, saw Chicago walk away victorious following a 4-3 win.
Pierre Cayet’s lone strike on August 14, 2022, propelled Revs II to their first win over Chicago as New England secured the 1-0 shutout at home.
Both meetings in 2023 saw both sides split points following a 2-2 draw on June 11th and a 1-1 draw on July 30,
May 4, 2024’s meeting was historic for Revs IIOn top of securing a 3-2 win, Marcos Dias’ game-winning penalty in stoppage time saw the forward tally his 18th goal for Revs II to become the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.