Revolution II Preview: 3/24 @ Philadelphia Union II
Revolution II Preview: 3/24 @ Philadelphia Union II
Catch up on everything you need to know before Sunday's season opener!
New England Revolution II begin their 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season this week. After a long offseason full of changes, can Revs II emulate the successes experienced during their 2023 campaign? Matchday one might shed some light on the answer.
Here’s everything you need to know before New England Revolution II kicks off its fifth season.
Date: Sunday, March 24th
Opponent: Philadelphia Union II
Venue: Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Things look clear on Sunday in Chester as the temperature will sit in the low 50s come kickoff and throughout the game. The wind may play a factor, as gusts range from 10 to 15 miles per hour.
New England Revolution II
The Richie Williams Era begins for Revolution II on Sunday as the club’s second-ever head coach takes the sideline for his first competitive game in charge since taking the job on January 17th.
Revolution II comes into its 2024 debut on the heels of an extensive preseason that saw them play five matches in Florida and Foxboro, where they went 2-1-1, along with an unknown result against Rhode Island FC.
While many MLS NEXT Pro sides got their 2024 seasons started on Matchday One, Revolution II had an early bye week. Despite the bye, Richie Williams and Revs II took it as an opportunity to further prepare for the season, as they faced USL Championship side Hartford Athletic in a scrimmage. The result of the scrimmage against Hartford was not released.
Philadelphia Union II
Head coach Marlon LeBlanc and Union II began their 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign on Matchday One as they faced Toronto FC II.
Things started in the 41st minute when Julian Altobelli sent a ball forward into the box, where Jesus Batiz ran onto the loose ball and slotted it past Andrew Rick to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.
David Vazquez got Union II’s offense rolling in the 54th minute as he lobbed a corner kick into the box. Francis Westerfielfd broke away from his defender and leaped into the air. Westerfield headed the ball past Abraham Rodriguez to level the game.
It didn’t take long for Union II to find the back of the net again as a terrible clearance by Rodriguez led to Edward Davis gaining possession of the ball atop the box. Davis drove forward as Rodriguez came off his line. Davis evaded Rodriguez and found a clear path to the goal as Davis tapped the ball into the empty goal to give Union the 2-1 lead and eventual lead.
Union II will find themselves without two players on Sunday as Niel Pierre and David Vazquez were called up to the United States U-19 team ahead of a pair of international friendlies.
All-Time Record
Sunday’s opener marks the eighth meeting between Philadelphia and New England. Revolution II has done historically well when facing Union II, as they hold a 5-2-0 record in their previous seven meetings.
Their first meeting came on May 27, 2022, when Meny Silva’s lone goal in the 34th minute led to Revs II securing a 1-0 victory. August 21, 2022, was a different story as Union II walked away with all three points following a dominant 5-1 victory as Colby Quiñones’ 87th-minute goal prevented the shutout for Revs II.
September 28, 2022, saw another dominant victory for Philadelphia as they walked away with a 3-1 win. Ryan Lima’s 79th-minute goal avoided the shutout for Revs II. But Revolution II opened their 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a dominant 5-1 victory thanks to goals from Damian Rivera, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malcolm Fry, and Brandonn Bueno.
August 27, 2023, saw Revolution II keep a clean sheet as a goal from Josh Bolma and Marcos Dias’ brace led to a 3-0 victory. Their most recent meeting marked Revolution II’s inaugural playoff match, as both sides met in the 2023 Conference Quarterfinal.
Marcos Dias got things started for Revs II in the 26th minute as he slotted a penalty kick past Andrew Rick to put Revs II up 1-0. A brace from Esmir Bajraktarević had Revs II rolling as his two goals led to Revolution II taking a 3-0 lead in the 64th minute. Despite two quick goals from Juan Castillo and Boubacar Diallo, Revs II held on to secure a 3-2 victory and a spot in the Conference Semifinal.