Revolution II vs FC Cincinnati 2: Three Thoughts
Revolution II vs FC Cincinnati 2: Three Thoughts
Three thoughts following Revolution II's return to Gillette Stadium.
After nearly two months of losses, New England Revolution II’s fortune changed Wednesday morning when they hosted MLS NEXT Pro’s best team, FC Cincinnati 2. After a hard-fought 90 minutes, neither side found the go-ahead goal as things ended in a scoreless.
Revs II only secured one point after suffering a 6-5 loss in the shootout. Here are three thoughts following Wednesday’s encouraging result.
1 -Toe-to-toe
Coming into the match, I expected it to be a bloodbath, but after 90 minutes, I was pleased with the performance. With the odds stacked against them, Revolution II put their head down and worked to limit Cincinnati.
Despite the stats sheet heavily leaning in FC Cincinnati 2’s favor, Revs II’s defense stood their ground to keep the Eastern Conference front runners off the score sheet. Cincy ended the match with 58% possession, took 16 shots with two on target, created two chances, completed 429 passes, and had nine corner kicks, but still couldn’t find the back of the net.
Considering the results of the last two months, a strong performance against a strong side like Cincinnati appears to have given Revs II a little confidence that hopefully continues throughout the remaining seven matches.
2 - Welcome Back, Weinstein!
Wednesday saw goalkeeper Max Weinstein make his first appearance since June 1st. While he wasn’t tested much from Cincinnati’s offense, the 20-year-old had a decent outing. He came up big to save both of Cincy’s big chances while ending the day completing 11 of 17 passes, completing four of ten long balls, and punching the ball away twice while getting 26 touches on the ball.
After eight games, it was nice to see Weinstein back on the pitch. With J.D. Gunn and the first team advancing to the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup competition, I would love to see Max Weinstein get more reps.
3 - Close but no cigar
While avoiding a seventh-straight loss is always a good thing, I’m a little disappointed as chances for them to find a goal or two, but they fell short.
Despite taking 16 shots, only two found their way on target, but Hunter Morse saved them.
On top of the numerous chances they missed, there were numerous instances when Alex Monis or Joshua Bolma worked on the wings only to have no support in the box for their well-placed crosses.
The quantity is most certainly there, but there wasn't much quality. Through the remaining seven matches, I’d like to see Revs II take a little more time on offense to ensure they’re putting up the best quality chances.
Revolution II find themselves in another extended break as they return to action on August 18th when they hit the road to face two-time MLS NEXT Pro cup finalists Columbus Crew 2 at 6:00 pm ET.
It was nice to see Max Weinstein between the pipes. He had a decent game considering he hasn't played in over two months.