Sunday marked a first for MLS NEXT Pro as both New England-based clubs faced off in the first-ever regional rivalry between New England Revolution II and CT United FC.
While both sides gave it their all, New England walked away with the points and bragging rights after goals from Jayden Da and Malcolm Fry led Revs II to a 2-0 shutout victory. Here are three thoughts.
1 - Da Delivers
After coming up short in the first three matches, Da finally put his early-season struggles to bed in the 18th minute when he got on the end of a long ball forward from Damario McIntosh, advanced toward goal, and slotted the ball past Anthony Ramos to give New England the lead.
Da has done an incredible job this year in getting himself in the perfect position to execute, but has come up short. With the goal finally under his belt, hopefully, this unlocks a new level of confidence in the forward, which allows him to continue being a consistent threat to opposing defenses.
2 - Hard Fought Affair
There’s no doubt CT United was New England’s toughest opponent thus far. The expansion side brought a sense of physicality and drive for the ball that New England’s other opponents lacked.
Revolution II loves to have possession of the ball, and it's something they thrived with in the first few games. CT United was not going to let that happen as they outpossessed New England 52 percent to 48 percent come the final whistle.
It was also an extremely physical outing between both sides, as there were a staggering 31 fouls and 32 tackles.
