ORLANDO, Fla. — The New England Revolution concluded the 2023 preseason slate with a 2-1 win against Orlando City SC on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium. Designated Player Giacomo Vrioni opened New England’s scoring, converting a header on Emmanuel Boateng’s assist in the 70th minute. The Revolution took a 2-1 lead in the 82nd minute via an Orlando own goal as Brandon Bye found Vrioni’s run in the box to create the winning goal.
Forward Bobby Wood made his first start of the preseason and played 45 minutes before he was spelled by Vrioni at halftime. Homegrown Player Jack Panayotou started in the midfield and was replaced by fellow Revolution Academy product Noel Buck at the midway mark. A total of five Revolution players logged the full 90 minutes in the final tune-up before the regular season opener: Henry Kessler, Dave Romney, Brandon Bye, Carles Gil, and goalkeeper Djordje Petrović. Petrović submitted several impressive saves on the match to help earn the win, including a double stop in the 64th minute.
Match Notes:
- Forward Giacomo Vrioni, beginning his first full season with the Revolution, netted New England’s opening goal with a headed finish on midfielder Emmanuel Boateng’s cross in the 70th minute. Vrioni appeared in the match as a halftime substitute while Boateng, on trial with New England, recorded a 27-minute performance.
- Five Revolution players posted full 90-minute outings in defenders Henry Kessler, Dave Romney, and Brandon Bye, goalkeeper Djordje Petrović, and midfielder Carles Gil.
- Homegrown Players Jack Panayotou and Damian Rivera both started the match for New England, each registering 45-minute outings. Panayotou, who joined the first team as New England’s 10th Homegrown Player signing in club history over the offseason after one semester at Georgetown University, started three of the team’s five preseason contests.
- Fellow Homegrown Players Justin Rennicks and Noel Buck also appeared in the contest with 45-minute performances off the bench.
- Forward Bobby Wood made his first start of preseason after seeing his first 30 minutes in a Revolution shirt on Tuesday. Wood, who missed the latter portion of 2022 with an injury, posted a 45-minute shift on Saturday.
New England returns home to Foxborough this week to prepare for the 2023 MLS regular season opener on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Charlotte FC (7:30 p.m. ET). All matches during the “MLS is Back” opening weekend will be available to watch for free on the Apple TV app. Every Revolution, MLS, and Leagues Cup match is available on MLS Season Pass – all in one place, with no blackouts.
MLS Season Pass is available now through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, and on the web at tv.apple.com. Fans can now subscribe to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app for $14.99 per month during the season or $99 per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 per month and $79 per season. As an exclusive benefit of their full-season membership, New England Revolution Season Members receive one MLS Season Pass subscription with each account. Visit Revolutionsoccer.net or call 1-877-GET-REVS to learn more about becoming a Season Member.
GAME CAPSULE
New England Revolution 2, Orlando City SC 1
February 18, 2023 – Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
Weather: 64 degrees and partly cloudy
Scoring Summary:
ORL – 17’
NE – Giacomo Vrioni (Emmanuel Boateng) 70’
NE – Own Goal 82’
New England Revolution (1st Half): Djordje Petrović; DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster, Jack Panayotou; Dylan Borrero, Carles Gil ©, Damian Rivera; Bobby Wood
New England Revolution (2nd Half): Djordje Petrović; Christian Makoun, Dave Romney, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster (Noble Okello T 78’), Noel Buck; Dylan Borrero (Justin Rennicks 63’), Carles Gil ©, Damian Rivera (Emmanuel Boateng T 63’); Giacomo Vrioni
