FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (6-3-1-; 20 pts.; 3rd in East) will host Inter Miami 2 (3-6-1; 10 pts.; 9th in East) on Sunday evening at Gillette Stadium. New England’s second consecutive home contest kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET and streams live on MLSNEXTPRO.com.
Revolution II carry a three-game win streak into this weekend’s match, following a 2-0 win over Columbus Crew 2, the defending MLS NEXT Pro champion, on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium. Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith opened the scoring in the 34th minute by capitalizing on a Columbus 2 defensive error to give New England a 1-0 edge. Midfielder Ben Awashie doubled New England’s lead in the 67th minute, converting on defender Victor Souza’s assist for his first professional tally. Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano made three saves en route to Revolution II’s first clean sheet of the 2023 campaign.
“I thought the guys played incredibly brave with the ball, took care of it well, and I think that we were able to find some joy with breaking them down and eliminating their press, so that was positive, and very opportunistic on the first goal,” Revolution II coach Clint Peay said following Thursday’s 2-0 win. “I think as the game went on, we were defending a little bit more, but good defensively in a low block and transitioning out of that and we got the second goal. Great effort, great team effort. I thought everyone was disciplined in their roles and executed the job.”
New England’s attack continues to rank among the most in-form offenses in MLS NEXT Pro, as Revolution II holds its position among league leaders in several categories. Revolution II’s 26 goals scored through the first nine games of the season rank first in MLS NEXT Pro, while the team’s 16 assists are tied for second-most in the league. New England also ranks among league leaders in shots on target (T2nd- 58) and accurate shot percentage (6th- 44.6). During the team’s three-game win streak, New England has netted nine goals while outscoring opponents at a 9-5 clip. In Thursday’s win, Awashie became the ninth different goal scorer for Revolution II this season.
“Ben [Awashie] was good,” Peay said after Thursday’s match. “He took care of the ball, worked really hard defensively, and great goal. Kind of the right place, right time. I think for him, it's just a matter of duplicating that and being consistent with performances like that.”
Sunday’s match marks the first meeting between New England and Miami in 2023. Revolution II leads the all-time series between the two sides with a 4-2-0 all-time record vs. Miami dating back to 2020 when both teams competed in USL League One. At Gillette Stadium, New England has recorded points in four of five matches this season with a 3-1-1 home record.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST INTER MIAMI II:
- Revolution II adding to their league-leading 26 goals scored through nine matches this season.
- Revolution II also remaining among MLS NEXT Pro leaders in shots on target (T2nd- 58), assists (T2nd- 16), accurate shot percentage (6th- 44.6), and accurate pass percentage (T6th- 83.3).
- Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith holding his position among league leaders in shots on target (T6th- 12) and shots (T6th- 27).
- Defender Pierre Cayet continuing to rank among league leaders in interceptions (2nd- 26) and minutes played (T5th- 899). Cayet registered his 30th start with Revolution II during Thursday’s win.
- Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano building on his first professional clean sheet, a three-save performance in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Columbus Crew 2.
- Any Revolution Academy players making their professional debuts, adding to the 28 Academy products who have debuted with the team to date. On Thursday, forward Gianluca Armellino made his professional debut with a 30-minute performance off the bench.
- New England building on its 3-1-1 record at Gillette Stadium this season.
