The Blazing Musket attended the New England Revolution’s training session on Tuesday, Jul. 11, 2023. Here are some notes from the trip.
Injury Update
Nacho Gil and Noel Buck were training off to the side during Tuesday’s lively session. Nacho is working his way back from a knee injury while Buck is recovering from a minor leg injury.
The Blazing Musket is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Maciel was spotted at Revs II practice, a promising sign after the midfielder underwent successful surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon in early October 2022. Maciel is expected to spend some time with the second team, which could include playing in games.
Finally, Tommy McNamara was a full participant in practice and could be nearing a return to play.
Giacomo Vrioni Receives Praise from Kevin Hitchcock
This could be a big week for Giacomo Vrioni as the Revs are in the middle of playing three games in eight days. The congested schedule might provide the striker an opportunity to add to his four starts on the season.
Goalkeeper coach Kevin Hitchcock, who sometimes works with Vrioni after practice, believes in the potential of the Designated Player.
“He’s a very talented boy,” Hitchcock said. “The more minutes he gets in games, he’s going to prove that he’s going to be very, sort of, similar to Adam Buksa. Adam Buksa was a very similar player. He did his time on the sub’s bench for a while, but once he got in the team, he kept scoring goals and Vrioni will do exactly the same.”
Revs Players Cheering on DeJuan Jones and Matt Turner
The USMNT advanced to the semifinals of the Gold Cup after defeating Canada in penalties on Sunday.
Current Revs left back DeJuan Jones recorded an assist when he offered a left-footed cross to Brandon Vazquez. Jones has gotten a lot of positive praise for his play, including from his club teammates.
“Of course, we all knew up here how special of a player [Jones] is, so it’s nice to see him doing that on the national team stage and I couldn’t be happier for him,” Ryan Spaulding said.
Former Revs goalkeeper Matt Turner had a standout performance of his own, saving two penalties during the shootout. The Arsenal netminder has now saved 14 of 29 penalties that he’s faced as a professional.
“Just seeing how [Turner’s] career has progressed, it’s special to see,” Spaulding said. “He’s an amazing guy, so I’m just super happy for him.”
The Blazing Musket is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
