Revolution II vs Chicago Fire II: Four Thoughts
Revolution II vs Chicago Fire II: Four Thoughts
Four thoughts following Revolution II's outing at home against Fire II.
While their winless streak extended to a tenth game, Saturday saw some positives for New England Revolution II when they fought back to secure a point following a 1-1 draw and secured the additional point with a 4-2 victory in the shootout. Here are four thoughts.
1 - A Rife of Reds
While Sage Kinner had to lay in the challenge on Christian Koffi to prevent Chicago from potentially finding a winner, seeing Revs II's tally of red cards extend to a league-leading six on the year pains me.
Revolution II has already broken the club record for red cards in a season, which was four during the 2022 season. They are close to becoming the most red-carded team in MLS NEXT Pro history. Only 2022 Orlando City B (8), 2023 New York Red Bulls II (7), 2023 Orlando City B (7), 2023 Inter Miami II (7), and 2023 Houston Dynamo 2 (6) have the same amount or more red cards than the 2024 Revolution II has.
With five games left in the season, let’s hope Revolution II can stay out of the referee’s book.
2 - Early Collapse
Things got off to a horrid start for Revolution II when a turnover in their defensive half led to Chicago getting the ball to Omari Glasgow, who rocketed a ball past JD Gunn and into the net to give Fire II a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the match.
Saturday’s third-minute goal marked the ninth time in 2024 that Revolution II has conceded in the opening 15 minutes. They have yet to win a match when conceding first, as they’ve gone 0-5-3.
Hopefully, the five remaining games will see Revs II start strong and keep their opposition off the board.
3 - Monstrous Misses
It’s been an unfortunate trend for this 2024 Revolution II side, creating chances but lacking the finesse to convert.
We saw plenty of it against Chicago. There were two instances where balls were slotted perfectly for Joshua Bolma and Malcolm Fry, but both chances ended with the ball being shanked high over the goal.
When talking with Richie Williams post-game, he openly admitted there were chances for Revolution II to add a plethora of goals, and this hasn’t been the first time he’s said that either. Hopefully, we’ll see Revs II capitalize more throughout the rest of the season.
4 - Gevork’s Hustle
I’ve seen it a lot throughout the 2024 season, but last night’s effort from Gevork Diarbian was impressive.
After spending the past four matches on the bench, Diarbian came out of the gates firing. His pace and grit on the left flank were truly an issue for Chicago.
His passing was nearly perfect, as he completed 31 of 32 attempts. He also created a staggering six chances, blocked two shots, and was a presence on both sides of the ball.
With some key pieces missing against Chicago, Gevork truly put Revolution II on his back.