Revs II 2 - Fire II 3: Three Thoughts
Three thoughts after Revolution II's losing streak extended to a club-record five games.
New England Revolution II’s woes continued on Sunday when a chaotic first half led to them suffering a 3-2 loss on the road against Chicago Fire II. Here’s three thoughts.
1 - Missing Expectations
Throughout the season, head coach Richie WIlliams has pointed towards his squad’s lack of consistency. Something evident during the last ten matches as Revs II amassed a 1-8-1 record with a -10 goal differential.
Following their loss to Philadelphia Union II on July 6th, I asked Williams what was needed to turn the 2024 season around. Williams simply stated improvement.
“Individually, we need to get better,” he said. “As a team, we need to get better.”
Two games and two losses later, it seems that Revs II have fallen short of the goal set by the gaffer.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s responsible for Revolution II’s recent woes, but with only ten games left, they need to get back on track and do so quickly if they want to scrape anything from the 2024 season.
2 - Bueno’s Arrival
Despite the deflating defeat, Sunday’s loss did see one bright spot as Brandonn Bueno came into the match in the 76th minute to make his 2024 debut.
Despite only playing 14 minutes, Bueno made the most of them as he ended the night completing five of six passes with two of them into the attacking third, completed one long ball pass, and got six touches on the ball.
I’m not entirely sure why it took 19 matches to get a glimpse of him, but I’m certainly glad we finally got to see him, and I hope we see more of him throughout the remainder of the season.
3 - Injuries Galore
Just like its big brother, Revolution II has been through injury hell this season as a good portion of their roster has experienced some sort of injury this season.
Coming into the match, Revs II were without Hesron Barry, Victor Souza, and Luka Borovic. Things got worse just before halftime when Maciel came up limping and was forced to exit in the 44th minute.
Maciel wasn’t the only Revs II injury bitten by the injury bug. Almost 2,000 miles south, Olger Escobar and Guatemala took the field inside the Sergio León Chávez Stadium in Irapuato, Mexico to face Panama in Concacaf U20 Championship group stage action.
After getting the start, things were looking good. That was until the 34th minute when Escobar had to exit the match following an apparent injury. According to Ciudad Deportiva, Escobar “insisted on playing, but could not stand”.
With 10 games left, let’s hope Revolution II can get back to full fitness while avoiding any major injuries.
Good to see Brandonn Bueno finally get some minutes on the pitch instead of being a bench warmer hope to see more or him.
Hope Olger Escobar's injury isn't serious and he returns to the lineup soon.