For the first time since mid-July, the New England Revolution will play an MLS home fixture at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday when they host the New York Red Bulls.
Over the previous weekend, the Revs snapped a two-match winning run in this competition, losing 1-0 to CF Montreal, while the Red Bulls' playoff hopes took a hit as they were beaten 2-0 by Inter Miami.
Match preview
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A team known for their goalscoring prowess were held in check in Montreal last Saturday as New England failed to register a shot on target.
It was only the third time all season that the third-highest-scoring side in the Eastern Conference had failed to find the back of the net over 90 minutes, extending their winless run away from home to seven successive matches in league play.
At Gillette Stadium, Bruce Arena's men have fared a lot better, one of only two sides, along with FC Cincinnati, who are unbeaten at home domestically in 2023.
New England have never been shut out at Gillette Stadium in MLS action this season, scoring multiple times in eight of their previous nine domestic matches played in Greater Boston.
That defeat to Montreal has made the battle for playoff positioning in the East much closer, with the Revs currently in a three-way tie for second alongside the Philadelphia Union and Orlando City, with the Columbus Crew and Atlanta United within one and two points of those three.
They have 10 matches remaining in the regular-season, but with 43 points thus far, the Revolution have already exceeded their total from 2022 (42) when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
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New York suffered another setback in their playoff push, failing to find the back of the net last weekend for the first time domestically since June 3 (3-0 loss versus Orlando City).
Troy Lesesne may have helped this team get back into the playoff race, earning points in his opening three matches as interim manager, but his side appear to have cooled off lately, losing three of their last four domestic affairs.
Three points is by no means an insurmountable deficit, but with six of their final nine fixtures being against sides currently above the playoff line, their 13-year postseason run, the longest current streak in MLS, is in serious jeopardy.
The bread and butter of this high-pressing side continues to be their strong defensive play, tied for the fourth-fewest goals conceded in the Eastern Conference (28), though they have given up five goals in their previous two league fixtures on the road.
A year ago, the Red Bulls were among the best road teams in MLS, winning nine games outside of Red Bull Arena, the second-most behind CF Montreal (11), but it has been a different story for this team in 2023, with New York capturing just one away match thus far (1-0 over Inter Miami), tied for the second-fewest this season behind only Toronto.
In recent years, the Red Bulls have had their way with New England, having won the last four meetings against them in all competitions, including in the Leagues Cup when they triumphed 4-2 on penalties in a match that ended 0-0 after 90 minutes.
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Team News
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Gustavo Bou will be questionable for New England on Wednesday due to a sore right leg, Maciel sat out of their previous encounter with a left Achilles issue, Henry Kessler was sidelined due to a right hamstring strain, Brandon Bye has a problem in his right knee and Dylan Borrero is out for the remainder of the campaign because of a left knee injury.
On Saturday, the club signed former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik to a contract which will run until the 2024 MLS campaign with an option for 2025 in the same week that all-star shot-stopper Djordje Petrovic joined Chelsea, while Earl Edwards Jr started in goal versus Montreal for the first time since June 17, Nacho Gil featured for the first time in the regular season and Mark-Anthony Kaye made his first league appearance for the Revs, playing the full 90 minutes.
Omar Gonzalez made his second successive start of the campaign last Saturday, registering a game-high six clearances, Tomas Chancalay debuted for New England, replacing Noel Buck in their encounter with Montreal, while Matt Polster made his first start at right back.
The Red Bulls' Dante Vanzeir will be questionable for this match with a sore thigh, Dylan Nealis and Lewis Morgan have hip problems, Steven Sserwadda is dealing with a knee injury and Serge Ngoma might miss another encounter because of a hamstring strain.
Frankie Amaya scored the last Red Bulls goal away from home in this competition, which proved to be a small consolation versus Real Salt Lake in a 3-1 defeat.
Amaya and Wikelman Carmona netted in their previous encounter versus New England in the regular season when they won 2-1, while Carlos Coronel picked up a clean sheet against the Revs in the Leagues Cup and stopped Giacomo Vrioni from 12 yards away, allowing John Tolkin the opportunity to win the match, which he took.
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Jones, Romney, Makoun, Spaulding; Polster, Harkes, Kaye; C. Gil; Vrioni, Wood
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Harper, Reyes, S. Nealis, Tolkin; Edelman; Carmona, Fernandez, Amaya, Luquinhas; Manoel
We say: New England Revolution 2-0 New York Red Bulls
Even against a well-disciplined defensive unit like the Red Bulls, we expect New England to have the bulk of the opportunities on Wednesday, and they rarely missed their chances when presented.
How to watch
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
