Revolution II Preview: 9/18 vs New York City FC II
Revs II start a two-game road trip in Manhattan.
After a good run of games at home, Richie Williams and New England Revolution II hit the road looking to inch their way up the Eastern Conference table ahead of the playoffs. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Thursday’s match.
Opponent: New York City FC II
Date: Thursday, September 18th
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Icahn Stadium, Manhattan, New York
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Thursday’s match looks to be a decent evening in New York. Temps will start at 76° before falling to the low 70s throughout the evening. There is a slight chance of rain around 7, but it dissipates as the night progresses.
New England Revolution II:
Last Friday was a day to remember for the organization. Goals from Damorney Hutchinson and Gevork Diarbian led Revs II to a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC II. A result that saw the club secure its second-ever playoff berth. It also saw Marcos Dias notch his 11th assist of the season and become the MLS NEXT Pro single-season assist record holder.
New England comes into Thursday’s meeting in third place in the East with 48 points on a 12-5-7 record with five shootout victories. Revs II trails first-placed New York Red Bulls II by six points, meaning it’s vital for Revolution II to pick up points if they want to achieve their goal of finishing the year atop the Eastern Conference table.
Looking at the stats, it’s clear to see why Revs II finds itself high up the table. Their 1.9 goals tie for the ninth-most, while their 1.3 goals conceded per match tie for the fourth-fewest. Their seven clean sheets tie for the third most in MLS NEXT Pro.
While thriving as a team, some players also find themselves high in several stat categories. With his nine goals and record 11 assists, Marcos Dias is the leading point producer in the league with 20.
Liam Butts' 11 goals see his goals per game average sit at 0.77, which ties for eighth-most. Damorney Hutchinson averages 1.8 shots on target per match, which ties for the sixth-most.
With 77, Marcos Dias leads the league in chances created. He also leads the league in big chances created with 16. Gevork Diarbian’s elusiveness in the box has led him to drawing three penalties, which is the second-most in the league. Donovan Parisian’s efforts in goal have seen him tally four clean sheets, which ties for the seventh-most.
Thursday could be another historical day for Dias. With 92 career appearances, getting on the field against NYCFC II would see the midfielder become Revolution II’s all-time appearance leader and surpass Colby Quiñones’ record.
With 11 goals on the year, Liam Butts finds himself one away from tying Jordan Adebayo-Smith’s single-season record of 12. A goal against NYCFC II would also raise his career tally to 17, which would tie Damian Rivera for the second-most goals in club history.
New York City FC II:
2025 has been a rocky season for Matt Pilkington and NYCFC II. They enter Thursday’s match on the outside looking in at ninth place. With 35 points on a 9-10-6 record with two shootout wins, they trail eighth-placed Carolina Core by one point.
While their record on the year has been shaky, NYCFC II has played well at home, with six of their nine wins coming on home turf. Their most recent meeting was a wild affair, in which they held off Chicago Fire II to secure a 5-4 victory on the road.
First teamer Seymour Reid is a player New England has to keep an eye on. The 17-year-old forward leads the club with 11 goals and one assist over 14 appearances.
Forwards Sebastiano Musu and Julien Lacher are another pair of players to watch. The duo each have six goals and six assists on the year.
Previous Meetings:
Thursday will mark the 11th all-time meeting between New England and New York City. Revolution II holds the slight advantage with a 4-3-3 record in the first 10 meetings.
March 27, 2022, saw a brace from Damian Rivera lead the inaugural match between both sides to a 2-2 draw. New England secured the additional point following a 4-3 shootout win. John Denis’ four-goal performance in the first half saw NYCFC II secure all three points with a 4-0 victory on July 10, 2022. Neither side found the back of the net in September 10, 2022’s meeting, but New York City picked up the extra point following a 4-2 shootout victory.
Esmir Bajraktarević’s 89th-minute strike sealed the deal on April 2, 2023, as Revs II secured a 2-1 victory. Despite a brace from Marcos Dias, Revs II suffered a 4-2 defeat on May 6, 2023. Malcolm Fry’s lone strike in the 57th minute was the deciding factor as Revs II took all three points from June 14, 2023’s meeting.
April 14, 2024’s meeting was historic for all the wrong reasons. New York City found the back of the net six times to pick up a 6-2 win over New England. It marked and is still the most goals Revs II have conceded in a game. May 26, 2024, saw both sides split points following a 3-3 draw in regulation. Revs II walked away with the extra point following a 4-3 shootout victory.
Thursday will mark the third meeting of the 2025 season. A series that’s seen New England pick up wins in the first two meetings. Allan Oyirwoth’s first goal in New England led New England to securing a 2-1 victory on April 26. Malcolm Fry’s lone strike in the 89th minute led to a 1-0 win on May 31st.