Revolution Rally Twice to Salvage 3-3 Draw in Orlando

Two unlikely goal scorers in Alhassan Yusuf and Matt Polster found the back of the net for New England. Carles Gil kept his MVP form with a goal and assist.

Photo Courtesy: New England Revolution

The New England Revolution split points with Orlando City SC 3-3 Saturday evening on the road at Inter & Co Stadium, snapping a five-match winning streak in all competitions.

The Revs returned to what has become their regular starting XI after rotating the squad for a midweek victory over Rhode Island FC in US Open Cup play (Ivacic; Ceballos, Fofana, Beason, Feingold, Yusuf, Gil, Polster, Miller, Ganago, Campana).

Orlando also swapped out much of its lineup from Wednesday's convincing 5-0 win over Tampa Bay Rowdies in USOC action (Gallese; Freeman, Schlegel, Jansson, Brekalo, Pasalic, Gerbet, Araujo, Angulo, Ojeda, Muriel).

New England entered the match riding its best defensive start in club history, conceding an MLS-low seven goals through 10 games. On the other hand, Orlando had gone six games in all competitions and more than 500 minutes without allowing an opponent to score. However, the defensive narrative surrounding the game quickly changed.

After building momentum midway through the first half, the home team found the opener in the 24th minute.

Ivacic made an incredible save following an Orlando corner kick, and it seemed as though the chance had gone until Martin Ojeda picked up the ball on the right side of the 18-yard box. He cut into the penalty area and fired a rocket off the crossbar and into the back of the net.

Ojeda’s tally was the first the Revs had allowed in 409 minutes of MLS play, and it only took him nine minutes to double down on his club’s advantage. The Argentine was the beneficiary of an excellent forward ball from Joran Gerbet. Ojeda calmly cut between two Revolution defenders and sent a clinical finish into the bottom right corner. 2-0 Orlando City.

After being down two goals early, the Revolution refused to go home without a fight, and New England dominated the closing 15 minutes of the half.

Alhassan Yusuf cut City's lead in half with his first-ever goal in Major League Soccer. It came in the 38th minute after Ignatius Ganago sent a low curling ball into the area. Ilay Feingold cut the ball back to the top of the six-yard box into the path of Yusuf for an easy finish.

Another unlikely scorer found the back of the net for New England just before halftime, as Matt Polster leveled the score at two on a flick header at the front post. His finish was the product of a classic Carles Gil assist. 2-2. It was Gil’s seventh goal contribution of the season and Polster’s first goal since 2023.

It took the halftime whistle to quell a wide-open start to the match, but the break could only halt the flow of chances for so long.

A VAR check awarded City a penalty less than five minutes after the break. The foul occurred when Mamadou Fofana caught an Orlando player with a high boot while attempting to clear a corner kick. On the ensuing penalty, Ojeda completed his hat trick, sending Ivacic diving out of the way with a low strike right down the middle of the net.

A change in formation for the Revolution allowed them to find a second equalizer, as a slew of substitutions saw the team move from a 3-5-2 to a 4-5-1.

In the 82nd minute, Ignatius Ganago was clipped from behind, chasing a cross on a near-post run. The referee wasted no time pointing to the spot, and after a short review, the call on the field was confirmed. Carles Gil stepped up for the penalty and matched Ojeda, clipping the ball down the middle and tying the game at three.

Orlando had a winner denied in the 90th minute for a clear offside, and after 10 minutes of stoppage time, the match ended in a draw.

Next up for the Revolution is a reunion with Bruce Arena, as they return home to face the San Jose Earthquakes next weekend.