Revolution II Preview: 8/24 @ Carolina Core FC
Revolution II Preview: 8/24 @ Carolina Core FC
Can Revolution II pick up their first road win of the 2024 season?
Richie Williams and New England Revolution II will look to pick up their first road result of the year when they hit the road yet again. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s match.
Date: Saturday, August 24th
Opponent: Carolina Core FC
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Truist Point Stadium, High Point, North Carolina
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Saturday looks to be a good one in the Tar Heel state as temperatures will sit at 75° come kickoff while slowly dropping to the low 70s throughout the match. The wind might play a factor, as gusts will peak at 16 miles per hour with little to no chance of rain.
New England Revolution II:
Revolution II’s woes continued on Sunday when they kicked off the road trip with a disappointing loss to Columbus Crew 2.
Things soured quickly when Cole Mrowka chested a cross down inside the box and drilled the ball past Max Weinstein to put Crew 2 up 1-0 just 11 minutes into the game.
Revs II wouldn’t let the early goal deter them, as they got things rolling minutes later. It started when Joshua Bolma broke down the left flank and lobbed a ball centrally to Marcos Dias, who leaped into the air and tapped the ball into the net to level the match in the 19th minute.
Things took a disastrous turn in the 79th minute. After driving along the goal line, Giorgio De Libera sent a ball forward that deflected off Patrick Leal and directed into the back of the net to give the Capybaras the game-winning goal.
Carolina Core:
Like Revs II, 2024 hasn’t gone well for Roy Lassiter and Carolina Core FC in their inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
They come into Saturday’s match in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points on a 6-10-4 record and three shootout victories.
After suffering three straight losses, Carolina got back in the win column on August 16th when they pulled off a massive 1-0 shutout victory over Eastern Conference frontrunners FC Cincinnati 2.
Midfielders Jacob Evans, Facundo Canete, and forward Joshua Rodriguez have been integral to Carolina's success in 2024. Evans and Rodriguez co-lead the team in goals with five, while Canete has three goals and five assists.
For once, Revs II finds themselves ahead of their opposition when it comes to key statistical figures. Carolina ranks dead-last in goals per match (1.2), 19th in possession per match (49%), is in a six-way tie for the least clean sheets with one, 28th for shots on target per match (3.9), dead-last in big chances created (31), 18th in accurate passes per match (356.9), 25th in touches in opponents box (412), and 13th in saves per match (3.3).
Hopefully, going against a statistically inferior opponent will lead to Revolution II securing its first road win since August 27th, 2023, and give the team a much-needed spark as they wrap up the 2024 season.
Previous Meetings:
Saturday will mark the second all-time meeting between New England and Carolina.
Revs II secured their first of four wins in 2024 in their inaugural meeting on March 31st. Homegrown Malcolm Fry wasted no time getting things going as he found the back of the net just two minutes in. Carolina’s David Polanco leveled the match in the 37th minute, but fellow Homegrown Jack Panayotou found the net to propel Revs II to a 2-1 victory.