Revolution II Preview: 7/21 @ Chicago Fire II
Richie Williams and Revs II will look for their first road win of the season while simultaneously looking to overcome recent woes.
Richie WIlliams and New England Revolution II return to action following an extended break looking to claw out a result following an extremely rough stretch for the club. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s match.
Date: Sunday, July 21st
Opponent: Chicago Fire II
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Illinois
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Sunday looks to be a warm one in Illinois as temps will sit in the mid 80s come kickoff and remain in the 80s throughout the match. Wind might play a factor as gusts will max at 14 miles per hour throughout the afternoon. Despite some clouds, it looks to be a dry one at SeatGeek Stadium.
Revolution II:
The club has had plenty of time to think and re-evaluate following their unacceptable loss to a short-handed Huntsville side in their last outing.
Things have been incredibly rough for Revolution II as they come into Sunday’s match amidst a four-game losing streak that’s seen them be outscored ten to five in that span. Looking at the last 10 matches, things don’t get better as Revs II have gone 1-7-2, where they’ve been outscored 22-12 in that span.
Recent woes have tremendously impacted Revolution II’s placement in the standings as they find themselves in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 16 points on a 4-11-2 record with two shootout victories.
Injuries on the first team and at Revs II have prevented Richie Williams from putting out his best lineup. Marcos Dias has been away from Revolution II since June 30th, as he’s spent time with the first team via short-term loan agreements. Dias made his MLS debut on July 6th against the Seattle Sounders.
Additionally, standout defender Victor Souza has been out of action since June 1st with an undisclosed injury. Thankfully, Souza took to his Instagram story on July 11th to post a photo of himself on the pitch with “Back Soon” text. Hopefully, we’ll see Victor Souza make his anticipated return on Sunday.
During Revolution II’s extended break, Homegrown Malcolm Fry has gotten a look under Caleb Porter as the Groton, Massachusetts native appeared in the last two matches. With Giacomo Vrioni listed as out for the first team’s match against FC Dallas on Saturday, Fry will likely get another runout, which may impact his ability for Sunday’s Revs II match.
Hopefully, we’ll see some key figures return as the club looks to right the ship following a turbulent stretch.
Chicago Fire II:
2024 has been a generally good season for Ludovic Taillandier and Fire II as they enter Sunday’s match in third place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points on a 7-4-6 with five shootout victories.
Despite their record, it's been rough sledding for Taillandier and Chicago as of late, as they come into Sunday with a 1-2-2 record over their last five matches. Their last outing saw them suffer a 2-0 defeat at home to New York City FC II on July 14th.
Most of Fire II’s success in 2024 has come from the feet of midfielders Harold Osorio and David Poreba. Poreba currently leads MLS NEXT Pro’s Golden Boot race with 11 goals over 17 appearances, while Osorio sits within striking distance with nine goals over 12 appearances.
It will be an uphill battle for Revolution II as Chicago ranks amongst the top in several statistics entering Sunday. They sit in a two-way tie for sixth place in goals per match with 2.0, are in a seven-way tie for fifth place in total clean sheets with four, are in a two-way tie for seventh in shots on target per match with 5.2, rank third for most big chances generated with 50, rank first for most penalties awarded with 11, and rank third in touches in opponents box with 474. So yeah, Chicago is a dominant team that will require Revolution II to play at their best if they want to secure any point.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday marks the sixth all-time meeting between New England and Chicago, as Revs II holds a slight historical advantage.
Their first-ever meeting on June 26th, 2022, saw Revs II suffer their only loss to Fire II. Despite goals from Ryan Lima, Pierre Cayet, and Michel, Fire II’s offense was too powerful as they secured a 4-3 victory over New England.
August 14th, 2022, saw Revs II’s first win over Chicago as Pierre Cayet’s lone goal in the 52nd minute led to a 1-0 win. Neither side secured three points in the next two meetings. June 11th, 2023 saw Revs II secure two points following a 2-2 draw and a 4-3 shootout win, while July 30th, 2023, saw Fire II secure two points following a 1-1 draw and a 5-3 shootout win.
Their most recent meeting came on May 4th this year when late drama led Marcos Dias to step to the spot in stoppage time to bury a record-setting 18th goal to become Revolution II’s all-time leading goal scorer that propelled Revs II to a 3-2 win.