Revolution II vs Chattanooga FC: Three Thoughts
Revolution II vs Chattanooga FC: Three Thoughts
Three thoughts following Revolution II's latest outing
New England Revolution II’s winless run extended to 13 matches on Saturday when they welcomed MLS NEXT Pro newcomers Chattanooga FC to Gillette Stadium.
A rocky start led to the opposition finding the net early as Min-Jae Kwak put Chattanooga up 1-0 in the 18th minute. Despite the start, Revs II stayed locked in and it eventually paid off in first-half stoppage time when Liam Butts netted his third goal of the season to level things. Neither side found the go-ahead goal in the second half as things ended in a 1-1 draw. Despite JD Gunn making three crucial saves in the shootout, Chattanooga walked away with the additional point following a 5-4 shootout victory. Here are three thoughts.
1 - Brick Wall
In recent history, the story has been Revolution II generating phenomenal chances and failing to finish them accurately. While they only netted one goal on the day, they would have had more if it wasn’t for the efforts of Chattanooga keeper Jean Antoine.
Revolution II generated some spectacular scoring opportunities, but Antoine was there to get a hand to seven of the eight Revs II put on target.
Antoine stood on his head throughout the match, and it truly helped Chattanooga as Revs II would have secured an additional goal or two and the win without his efforts.
2 - Pain in the Butts
While Antoine was stellar all night, Revs II finally broke through in first-half stoppage time. After getting the ball in the midfield, Alex Monis tapped the ball into a pocket of space. Butts turned on the jets and ran onto the ball before attempting to slot it between the legs of Antoine. Antoine tried to make the save, but it rolled past him and into the net to level the match.
The stoppage time goal marked the former Penn State forward’s third goal of the 2024 season. Butts’ debut season has not gone the way many expected. It got off to an unfortunate start when an injury kept him out for the first nine games.
After recovering, Butts made his Revs II debut on May 26, where he netted his first professional goal in the 80th minute in Revolution II’s come-from-behind 3-3 draw and shootout victory over NYCFC II.
Butts went on to clock 33 minutes in June 2nd’s loss to Chattanooga before another injury kept him off the field for five matches. Butts then appeared in four matches where he notched another goal before another injury sidelined him for three games.
It’s unfortunate that injuries have plagued Butts this early into his professional career because he’s been impactful when playing as he’s netted three goals over nine appearances. Hopefully, we will see Butts return healthy in 2025.
3 - Winless Woes
For the 13th consecutive match, Revolution II failed to secure three points, as they secured one point following a 1-1 draw and shootout loss. The ongoing winless streak has seen Revs II go 0-9-4 where they’ve been outscored 24-14.
It’s simple, you’re not going to be successful if you have stretches like Revs II have had. In MLS NEXT Pro’s three-year history, only two other teams have had a longer winless run in a single season, and that was the 2022 Real Monarchs and 2023 Vancouver Whitecaps 2. If Revs II fail to secure a win in their final two games, they’ll set the record for the most consecutive games without a win during a single season with 15.
They weren’t spectacular before this streak started, but this 13-game winless streak is a big reason Revs II is closing in on the Wooden Spoon title. As of Sunday morning, Revs II sits one point behind Colorado Rapids 2 and four points behind Minnesota United 2 and Huntsville. That gap could easily widen as all three clubs in Revs II vicinity play later in the day.
With two games left and their current form, the Wooden Spoon seems destined to fall to Revolution II. Considering Revolution II was one win away from making the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final, it's gutting to see how the 2024 season has gone.