Revolution II Preview: 8/24 @ Philadelphia Union II
Revs II hit the road, looking to keep unbeaten streak alive.
New England Revolution II will look to continue its recent run of form when they travel to Chester. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s match.
Opponent: Philadelphia Union II
Date: Sunday, August 24th
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Venue: Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Sunday will be a hot one in Chester. Temps will start out in the low 80s and remain there throughout the evening. The chance for rain will gradually increase into the 50% range over the course of the evening as clouds hover. Remnants of Hurricane Erin will play a factor as wind gusts will sit at 22 miles per hour throughout the evening.
New England Revolution II:
The summer months have treated Revolution II incredibly well as they come into Sunday’s match with wins in five of their last seven outings since the start of July.
After starting August with a 1-0 loss to Carolina Core FC and a 2-2 draw and shootout victory over Columbus Crew 2, Revs II got back to their winning ways on August 15 when they found the net four times to secure a 4-2 victory over Eastern Conference front-runners New York Red Bulls II.
Revolution II’s recent run of form sees them enter Sunday’s match in fifth place in the East with 38 points on a 9-5-6 record with five shootout victories.
A big factor in Revolution II’s success in 2025 has been the offensive efforts of forward Liam Butts, who’s on the verge of making Revs II history. With nine goals in 18 appearances, finding the net against Union II would see him become the second player in club history to amass double-digit goals in a single season. Jordan Adebayo-Smith became the first to do so when he scored 12 goals in 2023.
Marcos Dias' efforts in the attack have also been pivotal to the success of this season. Through 20 appearances, the midfielder has eight goals and a team-leading seven assists.
Speaking of history, Dias will look to take one step closer to another club record. With 88 career appearances, Sunday could see him make number 89 and draw him closer to Colby Quiñones’ record of 92 appearances.
On top of stellar offense, the defense has also factored in 2025’s success. Revs II have the third-fewest goals conceded per match (1.3), third-most clean sheets (six), and rank in the middle of the pack in interceptions per match (15th - 9.4), successful tackles per match (17th - 11.1), and clearances per match (12th - 20.7).
Philadelphia Union II:
Ryan Richter’s first season at the helm of Union II has gone tremendously thus far as his side comes into Sunday’s match in third place in the East with 43 points on a 10-4-8 record with five shootout victories.
Despite their overall success, things haven’t gone well in recent weeks. After starting the month of August with a 1-0 win over Cincinnati, Philly has gone winless in their last three after suffering back-to-back 2-0 losses to Red Bulls II and Fire II. Philly started the week securing one point on Wednesday following a 2-2 draw and 8-7 shootout loss at home to Toronto FC II.
A big factor in Union II’s success this year has been its work on both sides of the ball. They rank seventh for goals per match with 2.1 and have the lowest goals conceded per match with 1.0. Union II also has the most clean sheets with eight. They also rank first in shots on target per match (6.9), third in big chances (67), second in touches in the opposition’s box (689), and first in corners (144).
Union II has the third-most goals in the East with 47 goals coming from 17 different scorers.
Revs II will have to keep an eye out for everyone on the pitch, but specifically must look out for forwards Edward Davis and Malik Jakupovic, and midfielder Cavan Sullivan.
Jakupovic leads the team’s Golden Boot race with six in 10 appearances. Davis has four goals along with a team-leading tally of five assists. Goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook is tied for the second-most clean sheets with five in nine appearances.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday will mark the 13th all-time meeting between New England and Philadelphia. Things have been pretty split as each side holds a 5-5-2 record against the other through the first 12 meetings.
The first came on May 27, 2022, when Meny Silva’s lone strike in the 34th minute gave New England a 1-0 win at home. Union II went on to dominate the final two meetings of 2022, securing a 5-1 win on August 21 and a 3-1 loss on September 18.
New England swept all four meetings in 2023, which included a 5-1, 4-3, and 3-0 victory. The October 1, 2023, meeting was the most historic one, as it marked Revolution II’s inaugural playoff match, with both sides meeting in the Conference Quarterfinal. A goal from Marcos Dias plus a second-half brace from Esmir Bajraktarević had New England rolling with a 3-0 lead. That was until a pair of late goals from Juan Castillo and Boubacar Diallo shrunk the deficit to one. Revs II thankfully held on to secure the 3-2 victory to keep their first playoff run alive.
2024 saw Philadelphia dominate, sweeping all three meetings that season as they
Sunday will mark the third meeting of 2025 as both sides will look to secure their first win against the other. March 9, 2025, saw both sides split points following a scoreless draw in regulation. Revs II walked away with the extra point following a 4-3 shootout victory. Both sides split points again on June 26 following a 2-2 draw. Union II took home the additional point following a 7-6 shootout victory.