The New England Revolution saw their dreams of a second-place finish dashed on Saturday as it failed to find the back of the net against Orlando City SC.
New England needed its attack to show up on Saturday. It was looking to beat Inter Miami to second place and had an opportunity to get the second seed as Miami ended up drawing with Charlotte FC.
If you looked at the stat sheet, you would have thought that New England won the match. It dominated possession and had an absurd passing output.
But with each club only having one big chance, Orlando took advantage of its opportunity while New England did not.
Just as it seemed like both sides would exit the field after 45 minutes with no goals scored, Braian Ojeda blasted a ball at the top of the box past Matt Turner. It was less about poor defending and more just a pure moment of class from Ojeda.
Throughout the match, New England was able to gain some opportunities. Unfortunately, Dor Turgeman has been a ghost in the last two matches. All the positive momentum he had built has seemingly disappeared.
The striker had a great chance to score in the first half but was unable to take advantage of it. Turgeman was streaking towards goal with the goalkeeper to beat but he managed to fail to register a shot.
But it wasn't just Turgeman. New England struggled to enter the attacking box and when it did the Revs were wasteful.
“In general, I felt we had control of the game in the first half, and then that [Orlando goal] kind of decided the game at the end of the day," head coach Marko Mitrovic said after the game. "In the second half, they had some transitional moments, but we did some good things. We just couldn't find more clarity in the attacking third to create more goal-scoring situations. But listen, we can say that one detail changed the game, and where we are going now, after the regular season is done, there's going to be games [decided in] details. It's great for us to learn that we have to control every possible situation that we can.”
While New England failed to score, Ilay Feingold was a positive play in attack. He became a threat on rebounds off of corners launching shots towards goal.
Additionally, Feingold's vision was on display in the match. He was two-for-two on long passes and completed 78 of his 82 passing attempts.
“Ilay [Feingold] is a really good player," Matt Polster said after the match. "I think he’s very attack-minded, that can really help us. Tonight, I think he provided some really good service but we could’ve been a little more patient, like I said. But overall, I think he does provide that in the final third. When he’s on, he’s able to beat players one-on one and get into the spots where he makes it uncomfortable for the defense. When he’s feeling really good and he’s on the front foot, he’s able to break pressure for us, get into the final third and go one-v one to beat players.”
The outside back has been playing well since returning from injury. He is putting in quality performances and showing why he should be in the starting XI. Still, Mitrovic thinks that Feingold can reach another level.
With the likes of Carles Gil and Feingold, attackers are going to get the ball in opportune areas. It now falls on the forwards to make the most of the chances.
With a matchup against the Philadelphia Union in the first round of the playoffs, New England will need to be more clinical in the final third. Missed chances can be the difference between moving on or headed home.
