FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The resurgent New England Revolution goes in search of a fourth straight win on Sunday night when a fellow Eastern Conference playoff contender, the Chicago Fire, comes to town in the midst of the Revolution’s three-game homestand.
The Revs (11-12-3, 36 pts.) have climbed into sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of a trio of chasers (Toronto, Columbus and Philadelphia). Chicago (5-6-14, 29 pts.) enters the weekend four points back of the playoff picture, but owns a game in hand on much of the pack.
Kickoff from Gillette Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on Sunday night, with Comcast SportsNet and 98.5 The Sports Hub covering the action.
Current Form: Revs keep rolling with comeback win over SKC; Chicago stays in the hunt
Lee Nguyen continued to strengthen his MVP credentials with another virtuoso performance on Wednesday night, scoring twice to help the Revs complete a come-from-behind, 3-1 win over defending champion Sporting Kansas City. Nguyen has six goals and two assists in the past six games, a stretch in which the Revs have gone 4-1-1.
WATCH: Revs make it a successful first start for Jermaine Jones with comeback win over SKC
While goals have been flowing for the Revs in recent weeks – 12 in the past six games, including back-to-back three-goal performances – it’s been the Revolution’s relentless defensive pressure which has provided the base for the club’s success at both ends of the field.
“The last two games in Toronto and then against Sporting Kansas City, I think we’ve done a good job pressuring on defense and turning that into goal production,” said Steve Neumann. “That’s something we’ve talked about in our game plans and talked about in our style of play is turning those turnovers into offensive production.”
The next test for the Revs will be a Chicago side which has lost just six games this season – fewest in the entire Eastern Conference. Quite incredibly the Fire also has the fewest wins in the East (five), a result of the club’s league-high 14 draws through 25 games.
One of those five wins, however, came in the Fire’s last outing, a 1-0 victory over an FC Dallas side previously unbeaten in 10 games. The goal scorer in that match was former Toronto FC forward Robert Earnshaw, signed by the Fire in mid-August.
“We’ve played against Earnshaw a couple times now when he was in Toronto,” said goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, who’s tied for second in MLS with seven shutouts. “(He’s a) very dangerous player, picks up great spots and you’ve always got to have an eye on him.”
Past Meetings: Revs and Fire set to square off for the third and final time this regular season
Sunday night’s contest will wrap up the three-game, regular-season series between the Revs and Fire, who’ve already met once apiece in Bridgeview and Foxborough.
Both previous meetings have been close-fought battles decided by clutch penalty stops in the late stages.
Shuttleworth rescued a point for the Revolution in the first clash at Toyota Park back in mid-April, saving Juan Luis Anangono’s stoppage-time penalty to preserve a 1-1 draw. Sean Johnson returned the favor in mid-July, denying Chris Tierney’s 85th-minute spot-kick to claim the full three points for Chicago in a 1-0 win.
WATCH: Shuttleworth’s stoppage-time penalty save earns Revs an important point in Bridgeview
WATCH: Johnson’s late heroics preserve Chicago’s 1-0 win at Gillette Stadium
“From what I’ve seen so far, any time we play Chicago is going to be a battle,” said Neumann. “They’ve got a great fighting spirit over there, just like we do, so we know they’re not going to come in here and back down in any way. We just have to keep bringing it day-in and day-out.”
Injury Report: Castillion arrives after receiving P1 Visa; Tierney upgraded to questionable
Revs head coach Jay Heaps will have another forward option at his disposal on Sunday night as Dutch striker Geoffrey Castillion is available for selection after receiving his P1 Visa. The 23-year-old product of Ajax’s famed youth academy arrived in Foxborough on Friday and was expected to train with his new teammates for the first time on Saturday. Whether he’ll actually be fit enough to feature by Sunday remains to be seen.
One player still unlikely to feature is Chris Tierney, although the versatile left back is close to a return after missing the past six games with a sprained left knee. Tierney’s been upgraded to questionable on the most recent injury report and Heaps is excited about the prospect of regaining the services of another veteran presence.
“Chris is coming along,” Heaps said. “He’s inching closer and we’re being smart, but we want to get him back as soon as we can.”
Chicago enters the weekend almost unscathed in the injury department. Last year’s MLS MVP Mike Magee (hip) is one of two Fire players listed as questionable, along with defender Steven Kinney (back).
Final Thoughts: Heaps says Sunday night’s clash will be “a hard-fought match, guaranteed”
“No question,” Heaps said when asked if he expects another hard-fought battle with Chicago. “We’re at the point now where every game matters. Every point is important and Chicago, they don’t lose. They don’t lose much at all and it’s going to be a hard-fought match, guaranteed.”
