The New England Revolution came into Saturday night’s game in desperate need of three points. Stuck in eleventh place in the standings, well below the playoff line, every game is a must-win.
Their opponent was Charlotte FC, the hottest team in the league. The Crown had won seven games in a row, a run that saw them climb back into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
At this point in the season, we all know how the Revolution are going to play. There were no surprises when Charlotte completely dominated the first 10 minutes of the game. The Revs could barely get on the ball, looking very much like the away team even though they were playing at Gillette.
Charlotte was able to score in the twelfth minute, a play orchestrated by Wilfried Zaha. Charlotte’s star player was able to put in a ball behind the Revolution’s backline, causing the Revs to scramble. The ball was headed across the box to a wide-open Brandt Bronico.
Somehow, Bronico was left unmarked even though Charlotte did not have overwhelming numbers in the box; the Revolution defenders were simply caught ball watching. Bronico took advantage and put the ball over the line to give The Crown a 1-0 lead.
The goal seemed to shake the Revolution awake. They started growing into the game and were able to respond with a goal of their own in the twenty-fourth minute.
Who else but Carles Gil started the play that led to the equalizer. He crossed in a ball from the midfield into the box, over the head of forward Leo Campana. The ball found winger Igantius Ganago, who was making a run to the far post. Ganago converted his chance, continuing his good run of form.
As the first half wore on, the game started to open up. The cagey style of play the Revolution prefer was left at the wayside. In its place was a track meet, an end-to-end scramble for both teams.
That scramble continued into the second half. Charlotte was playing tough, putting in some hard fouls on Carles Gil. Their midfielders started accumulating yellow cards and Heach Coach Dean Smith made some substitutions in the seventy-first minute to inject life into his team.
The Revolution, on the other hand, did not make their first substitution until the 84th minute, when winger Tómas Chancalay replaced fellow Argentine Luca Langoni.
You could tell the Revolution players were tired. There were signs their legs were heavy much earlier in the second half. They had chased the first twenty minutes of the game, and the open style of play after that point didn’t help. There has not been a ton of squad rotation for the Revs this season, barring those forced by injury and yellow card accumulation.
Head Coach Caleb Porter chose only to bring on Chancalay. No other attacking options were deemed worthy to help the cause. It was another situation where having a player like Maxi Urruti or Luis Diaz could have made the difference. The Revolution needed fresh legs down the stretch to push for the win they desperately needed.
Alas, it was Charlotte who found the next goal. The goal was the result of a free kick, after an unnecessary foul by Mamadou Fofana just outside the box. The free kick was taken by Charlotte’s captain Ashley Westwood and found the head of forward Idan Toklomati. Toklomati rose above Revolution defender Brayan Ceballos and thundered a header past Matt Turner in the 87th minute.
In a season defined by painful losses, this was a particularly demoralizing one.
The season is slipping away from the Revolution. The playoffs are all but out of reach at this point, though the team is not mathematically eliminated yet.
What a disappointing year.
Porter hemmed and hawwed that he needed "his guys"™️ and then signed 16 players and has released two of them and seems to have no idea how to use his bench. Then we sign a guy who won't see the pitch until after we're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
I love this team, I love our players, but I genuinely think the only saving grace for this season would be to lose every single game and get Porter and Onalfo out of Foxboro as fast as possible.
And play the damn kids already! Look at what Seattle just did to Miami in the leagues cup final with a bunch of homegrowns!
The substitutions are horrendous this year. Porter never makes a sub until at least the 72nd minute (unless it’s based on an injury).
It’s a shame because Porter burning players out. They can’t hold a lead because they are playing at a pace they can’t sustain. They are toast by the 60th minute and look exhausted, sometimes limping.
Tomas being on the bench that long was a waste of talent. He’s a good player and deserves better.