Revolution II Preview: 9/17 @ Crown Legacy
Revs II close out the 2023 regular-season on the road as they look to extend their winning streak under the tutelage of their third coach of the season.
It’s hard to believe, but New England Revolution II will take the field for the final time in the regular season. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s regular-season finale!
Opponent: Crown Legacy FC
Venue: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex, Matthews, North Carolina
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass
Projected Weather: Inclement weather will roll through the area early Sunday, but it looks like it will disperse come kickoff. Temps will sit in the mid-70s and come kickoff as the wind stays in the single-digit range. There is a chance Sunday may be a wet outing with a 40% chance of rain throughout the match.
New England Revolution II:
As a result of turbulence within the first team’s ranks, Revolution II has seen a third coaching change in a matter of weeks. Clint Peay held the reigns of Revolution II until Major League Soccer launched an investigation into Bruce Arena. With Arena on administrative leave, Clint Peay rose to the first team as an assistant coach.
As Peay joined the first team, assistant coach Marcelo Santos took charge of the second-placed Revs II. That changed on Tuesday, September 12th, when turmoil led to assistant coach Clint Peay becoming the first team’s interim manager.
With Peay becoming interim head coach, interim head coach Marcelo Santos joined the first team as an assistant coach, which left Revolution II with a void.
The club clarified to me Saturday morning that no one has been promoted/named Revolution II’s interim head coach. I was also told that Revolution Academy staff will work as a collective unit to guide Revolution II through the remainder of the season.
With all of that out of the way, let’s look ahead to Sunday’s match!
Unfortunately for Revs II, their aspirations for first in the East ended last Sunday, but there is still a lot on the line ahead of Sunday’s contest.
Firstly, Rob Becerra and the players will look to extend Revolution II’s unbeaten streak to 13 games! Revs II have remained unbeaten since their 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati 2 on June 18th. Since then, Clint Peay and Marcelo Santos accumulated a 6-0-6 record with four shutout wins. Revs II have outscored their opposition 25-10 during their unbeaten run!
Secondly, certain Revs II players will look to secure their place as league-wide stat leaders.
Pierre Cayet will look to end the season as the leader in interceptions. The French defender currently leads MLS NEXT Pro in interceptions with 63. He sits two interceptions above second-placed Kofi Twumasi (Atlanta United 2), who has 61 on the year.
Cayet and rookie Victor Souza will look to be league leaders in minutes played. Cayet sits in third place with 2,339 minutes. Souza leads MLS NEXT Pro with 2,358 minutes. Sandwiched between Souza and Cayet is Austin FC II goalkeeper Damian Las, who has 2,340 minutes under his belt.
While he won’t finish as the league leader in goals, newcomer Jordan Adebayo-Smith will look to sit towards the top in scoring as he’ll look to add to his 12 previous tallies.
Finally, they’ll use the 90 minutes to get acclimated with Rob Becerra’s coaching style and any new tactics implemented as the club prepares for their first playoff appearance.
Crown Legacy:
What an inaugural season for José Tavares and Crown Legacy! The Charlotte FC developmental club clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Northeast Division title on September 10th as they secured a 1-1 draw and subsequent 4-2 shootout victory over New York Red Bulls II.
Crown Legacy’s success has come from the feet of Iuri Tavares and Patrick Agyemang. Tavares has netted a whopping 11 goals and three assists over 24 appearances. Agyemang has put ten balls into the back of the net while assisting on two goals over 11 appearances.
Their goalkeeping core has also led them to success. The six goalkeepers that have appeared for Crown Legacy in 2023 have guided the club to a 17-4-5 record with four shootout wins. They’ve only conceded 34 goals throughout 2023. Their 34 conceded goals is tied for third in lowest goals conceded.
Isaac Walker has been the standout in goal for Crown Legacy, as he’s appeared in 17 of their 26 matches. Walker has amassed 40 saves and four clean sheets over 1,530 minutes.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday will mark the second-ever meeting between New England and Crown Legacy.
Their first meeting came back on July 12th when Marcos Dias, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, and Peyton Miller combined to put three goals past Isaac Walker as Revolution II secured a 3-1 victory at home!