MLS Regular Season | Match #22
New England Revolution vs. FC Cincinnati
Saturday, August 21 | 8 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: WBZ, myRITV
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), WBIX 1260 Nossa Radio (Portuguese)|
Revolution Kickoff (7:30 p.m. ET)
- Pregame coverage on WBZ
Revolution Pregame Live (7 p.m. ET)
- Facebook, YouTube, revolutionsoccer.net
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
1st in Eastern Conference (14-3-4, 46 pts.)
Last Result | 3-2 win vs. D.C. United
Just as they have all season the Revs found another way to win on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium, sparked by a trio of halftime substitutes in a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over D.C. United. Emmanuel Boateng, Tajon Buchanan, and Adam Buksa came off the bench to ignite a second-half surge, as the Revs scored three times after the break to push their league-best home record to 8-1-1.
Unbeaten in eight (7-0-1) the Revs have stretched their lead atop the Eastern Conference standings to a staggering 14 points, while they enter the weekend with a seven-point edge in the Supporters’ Shield race. They’ve outscored opponents 18-7 while taking 22 of 24 possible points in the past month.
FC Cincinnati
13th in Eastern Conference (3-7-8, 17 pts.)
Last Result | 0-0 draw vs. CF Montréal
Jaap Stam’s side have been something of an enigma since the beginning of July, going winless in their last nine games but with seven draws during that stretch (0-2-7). They’ve struggled to score with just 18 goals through 18 games, but they’ve tightened things up defensively with just one goal against in their last four matches.
As part of their current run FCC have played to four straight stalemates, including three 0-0 results. Most recently they battled to a scoreless draw with CF Montréal on Wednesday night at TQL Stadium, where they’re 0-3-5 since opening their new home. Cincinnati have, however, been better on the road, going 3-4-3 on their travels.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution forward Gustavo Bou
Gustavo Bou once again played an influential role in Wednesday night’s win over D.C. United, although this time not by getting on the scoresheet. Tracking back to win possession and kickstart a counterattack in the 53rd minute, Bou played the ball wide to Emmanuel Boateng, who then crossed for Tajon Buchanan to volley home.
Bou’s guile and ability to score from anywhere could be particularly critical on Saturday night against an FC Cincinnati team that has conceded just one goal in their last four games, as the Revs may well need a moment of magic to crack the visitors’ resolute defense.
FC Cincinnati center back Geoff Cameron
Since arriving in mid-May to shore up FCC’s leaky defense, center back Geoff Cameron has been a mainstay on the club’s backline. The Attleboro, Mass., native has started 14 of Cincinnati’s 15 games since landing in Ohio, helping his new club keep five clean sheets during that stretch.
All told FC Cincinnati have conceded one or zero goals in 10 of Cameron’s 14 appearances, a marked improvement for a side that allowed 10 goals in their three matches before his debut.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
Arnór Traustason has appeared in all 20 matches since debuting with the Revolution in April, but that run will come to an end on Saturday night as the midfielder is suspended following his midweek red card. Traustason picked up his fifth assist of the season on Wednesday night, good for second-most on the team.
Carles Gil – who still leads the Revs and MLS with 15 assists – and Luis Caicedo, meanwhile, both remain sidelined by injuries.
FC Cincinnati
The visitors will also be missing a player because of suspension on Saturday night as Allan Cruz will be unavailable because of caution accumulation. Cruz has appeared in 12 games this season with one goal.
Three others are listed as out because of injuries – Zico Bailey, Calvin Harris, and Maikel van der Werff – while Joseph-Claude Gyau is questionable.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena
“They have, in their last (four) games, they have conceded I think one goal if I'm not mistaken. And they've scored very few, so it's going to be, one would anticipate, a low-scoring game by the way they're playing and the results they're getting. So, I guess the challenge for us is simply: Can we get a goal on them early and put them under a little bit of pressure?”
New England Revolution defender A.J. DeLaGarza
“I think this is the quickest turnaround I've ever had since college where you play Friday and Sunday, or something like that. So, it's very quick. But again, that depth is very important. If guys are called on tomorrow, they're going to have to step up and get the job done. If we can get out of here with another nine-point week, that puts us in a really good position going into that final push at the end of the season. We're all ready and we know what we need to do from the start, and that's start games better, to be quite honest. So, we need guys out there that can do that.”
