Recap | Petrović saves penalty to keep sixth clean sheet, Revs and Fire battle to 0-0 draw

8_31_22 Petrovic penalty save

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (8-9-11; 35 pts.) played to a 0-0 draw with Chicago Fire FC (8-13-7; 31 pts.) on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium. Goalkeeper Djordje Petrović made two saves on the night, including his league-leading third penalty kick save of the season, while Homegrown midfielder Noel Buck logged 80 minutes in his first MLS start.

After a video review awarded a penalty kick to Chicago for a handball in the 19th minute, Fire FC midfielder Chris Mueller stepped to the spot to take the attempt. Petrović guessed correctly to make the stop, improving his record to three saves on nine penalties faced in just 15 MLS appearances. The 22-year-old goalkeeper now has six clean sheets this season.

Soon after Petrović denied the penalty, the Revolution seemingly took the lead as Tommy McNamara buried a low shot from the back post in the 25th minute. However, the ball went out of play during the buildup and the night’s second video review disallowed the goal.

New England managed five shots on goal on the night but were held scoreless for the sixth time this season. Designated Player Gustavo Bou returned for his first start, and second appearance, since July 16. Bou registered a team-high three shots, with one on target. Wednesday also marked the 150th MLS regular season appearance for Matt Polster.

The Revolution conclude the three-game homestand on Sunday, September 4, hosting New York City FC for an 8:00 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium. The contest airs locally on WSBK-TV38, myRITV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and WBIX 1260 AM Nossa Radio. Following Sunday’s match, the Revolution will hold postgame fireworks display for fans.

MATCH NOTES

  • New England collected points for the 10th time in their last 11 home games, with a 4-1-6 record at Gillette Stadium since April 16.
  • The Revolution stretched their unbeaten streak against Chicago to seven games (3-0-4) dating back to August 24, 2019.
  • New England has recorded shutouts in two of the last three home games. 
  • Djordje Petrović made two saves on the night, including his league-leading third penalty save of the season, and recorded his sixth career clean sheet in only 15 starts. 
  • Homegrown Player Noel Buck, 17 years old from Arlington, Mass., suited up for his first MLS start tonight. The 2021 Revolution Academy Player of the Year logged a career-high 80 minutes in his fourth MLS appearance.
  • Matt Polster collected his 150th MLS appearance tonight, 82 of which came with Chicago in his first four professional seasons from 2015-18. 
  • Forward Gustavo Bou returned to the starting lineup for the first time since July 16, playing 90 minutes. He registered three shots and two chances created.
  • DeJuan Jones recorded a career-high 111 touches on the night and completed 93 percent of his passes. 
  • Andrew Farrell made his 298th regular season appearance, now two games away from becoming the first Revolution player to reach the 300 mark.
  • Bruce Arena made three changes to his starting lineup from Sunday’s match against the LA Galaxy. Forward Gustavo Bou started in place of Justin Rennicks, who appeared off the bench. Midfielders Maciel and Noel Buck started in place of Christian Makoun and Emmanuel Boateng, respectively.

GAME CAPSULE
New England Revolution 0, Chicago Fire FC 0
August 31, 2022 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Referee: Marcos DeOliveira
Assistant Referees: Jose Da Silva (AR1), Gjovalin Bori (AR2)
Fourth Official: Adam Kilpatrick
Video Assistant Referee: Daniel Radford
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jonathan Johnson
Weather: 75 degrees and clear
Attendance: 13,325

Scoring Summary: 
None

Misconduct Summary: 
NE – Henry Kessler (Yellow Card – Handball) 21’
CHI – Federico Navarro (Yellow Card – Tactical Foul) 30’
CHI – Mauricio Pineda (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 76’

New England Revolution: Djordje Petrović; DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Maciel (Emmanuel Boateng 72’), Matt Polster, Tommy McNamara (Damian Rivera 72’); Carles Gil ©, Noel Buck (Justin Rennicks 80’); Gustavo Bou.

Substitutes Not Used: Earl Edwards Jr., Esmir Bajraktarević, Jon Bell, A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, Christian Makoun.

Chicago Fire FC: Gabriel Slonina; Boris Sekulić, Carlos Terán, Andre Reynolds II (Mauricio Pineda 59’), Jonathan Bornstein; Federico Navarro, Miguel Navarro; Fabian Herbers, Brian Gutiérrez (Xherdan Shaqiri 80’), Chris Mueller (Jhon Espinoza 71’); Jhon Durán.

Substitutes Not Used: Spencer Richey, Kacper Przybyłko, Kendall Burks, Victor Bezerra, Alex Monis, Stanislav Ivanov.

Full statistics available HERE.