SAN JOSE, Calif. – A grueling stretch of six games in 19 days – capped by a two-game road trip – will wrap up on Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium, where the New England Revolution will visit the San Jose Earthquakes.
Kickoff between the Revs (6-4-5, 23 pts.) and Earthquakes (2-9-3, 9 pts.) is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Boston will televise the match and stream the action live on their web site and mobile app, while the radio call will be available on 98.5 The Sports Hub (English) and 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese).
Revolution Postgame Live will begin immediately after the final whistle on NBC Sports Boston.
Current Form: Revs’ unbeaten run hits four; Earthquakes winless in five
Teal Bunbury’s 82nd-minute equalizer – his ninth goal in the last 12 games – earned the Revs a hard-fought point on Saturday night at Toyota Park as they kicked off this two-game trip with a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire. It was the third straight game that the Revs conceded the first goal only to battle their way back for a positive result, and it was the fourth straight game that Bunbury has found the back of the net.
HIGHLIGHTS: Bunbury matches a career high with his ninth goal to spur Revs
That draw in Chicago extended the Revs’ unbeaten run in league play to four games (1-0-3), and now they’ll be eager to make it five without a loss before heading into a 17-day break during the group stage of the FIFA World Cup.
“It’s massive,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said of going into the break on a good run of form. “We kind of did this earlier in the season when we played Colorado at home and we got that goal at the end of the game from Chris (Tierney) and we had a week off.
“It just left everybody with a good taste and good vibes, and so hopefully we can do that again so those couple days off we’ll be able to really recharge.”
This will also be the Earthquakes’ final game before a 10-day break, but they’ll be looking to snap a four-game losing streak and a five-game winless run to boost the mood ahead of some time off.
The most heartbreaking of San Jose’s losses came on Saturday night when they conceded in the 90th and 97th minutes to fall to LAFC, 4-3, but Revolution head coach Brad Friedel knows that Mikael Stahre’s team can’t be judged solely on their record in 2018.
“Their record doesn’t suggest how they’re playing,” said Friedel. “They don’t lose many games by more than a goal … They’re always in games. If anyone watched the game against LAFC, they were up 3-2 until the dying minutes of the game.
“It will not be easy at all, so it’s going to be that much more important that we disregard where we’re at in the table, disregard where they’re at in the table.”
Past Meetings: Revs and Earthquakes have played to back-to-back scoreless draws
New England haven’t been beaten by San Jose in more than six years – not since the 2012 season opener, Jay Heaps’ first game in charge of the Revolution – and the Revs carry a five-game unbeaten run in the series (3-0-2) into Wednesday night’s meeting at Avaya Stadium.
The last two meetings haven’t exactly featured fireworks, however, as the Revs and Earthquakes played to 0-0 draws at both Gillette Stadium last April and at Avaya Stadium in August 2016.
While the Revolution have struggled in San Jose historically, they’re 1-0-1 on their last two visits, including a dramatic 2-1 win at the beginning of the 2014 season.
Injury Report: Dielna (yellow card accumulation) to serve one-game suspension
There will be at least one change to the Revolution lineup on Wednesday night as captain Claude Dielna will serve a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.
Dielna has started at left back in the Revs’ last two matches – and he’s made nine more starts at center back – but he’ll need to be replaced for the midweek visit to Avaya Stadium.
Left back Gabriel Somi was not in the match-day squad this past weekend in Chicago but he is on the two-game trip with the Revolution, and it’s likely he’ll replace Dielna in the 18 on Wednesday night.
Final Thoughts: Revs “have to be focused” in last test before World Cup break
“It’s always dangerous,” Krisztián Németh said of facing the Earthquakes. “I saw the game (against LAFC). They have really good players. They have some good, quality players who can give us a surprise. We have to be focused and prepared for this game. I think if we show our qualities, we’re going to win the game.”
