FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A new challenge awaits the New England Revolution on Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium, where they’ll meet expansion side New York City FC for the first time.
The Revolution (0-1-0, 0 pts.) and NYCFC (0-0-1, 1 pt.) will kick off MLS Soccer Sunday’s national coverage at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Locally fans can tune into the radio call on 98.5 The Sports Hub (English) and WVMX 1570 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese).
Current Form: Revs aim to bounce back after slow start in Seattle; NYCFC set for home debut
Head coach Jay Heaps and his Revolution squad refused to make excuses following last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC, despite missing midfield maestros Jermaine Jones and Lee Nguyen on the road against the defending Supporters’ Shield champion.
READ: Revs back to work as they aim to rebound in NYC – “It’s a chance to put it right”
Instead, New England will extract what lessons they can from the season opener and move on, forgetting about the one game in the rearview mirror while looking ahead to the 33 contests still remaining on the schedule.
“I think the first [25] minutes up until the (first) goal we were pretty comfortable in the game. Then they got the penalty and it kind of changed from there,” said Andy Dorman. “Obviously that side of it is disappointing. But it was the first game of the season. We’ve just got to learn from it and move on quickly.”
New York City FC began their inaugural MLS season on the road against fellow expansion side Orlando City SC in front of more than 62,000 fans at the Citrus Bowl. Mix Diskerud scored the first goal in NYCFC history midway through the second half, but Kaka’s deflected free kick in the dying stages left the teams level at 1-1.
READ: Revs staying focused ahead of NYCFC’s first-ever home game
Heaps and his staff have done extensive scouting of Jason Kreis’ new side, but there will always be an element of unpredictability so early in the season.
“We’ve gone further back and watched preseason games; we knew they were going to be one of our early opponents. We have an understanding of their roster,” said Heaps. “But it’s like any team early in the year – you’re not exactly sure what they’re going to do and it’s something we have to prepare our guys for.”
Past Meetings: Revs and New York City FC set for inaugural showdown at Yankee Stadium
It’s been three years since the Revolution last faced an expansion team, when the Montreal Impact entered MLS back in 2012. That year the Revs went 1-2-0 against the Impact, dropping the first two meetings before claiming victory in the regular-season finale.
All-time the Revs are 11-11-6 against expansion teams in their inaugural seasons, including a pair of draws with the Houston Dynamo in 2006, when the club was considered an expansion side after relocating from San Jose.
Injury Report: Bunbury and Jones sidelined; Nguyen on the verge of return
The right shoulder injury which forced Teal Bunbury off the field for the final 10 minutes of last weekend’s loss to Seattle Sounders FC will also keep the hard-working attacker out for Sunday’s game at Yankee Stadium. Bunbury was diagnosed with a right shoulder sprain and the ailment has prevented him from training all week.
Also sidelined is Jermaine Jones, who continues to recover from sports hernia surgery with the U.S. National Team medical staff in California. Jones remains on the original 4-6 week timetable announced in mid-February.
There is good news for Lee Nguyen, who was a full participant in training this week and showed no lingering effects of the groin injury which prevented him from playing last weekend at CenturyLink Field.
Charlie Davies also appears fully fit; the dynamic forward was part of the game-day squad in Seattle but didn’t see the field as he was still recovering from calf tightness which kept him out of the preseason finale.
New York City FC appears to have come through their inaugural game unscathed – defender George John appears to be their only absence as he recovers from knee surgery.
Final Thoughts: Dangerous NYCFC side presents plenty of challenges for New England
“We watched some of the game they played against Orlando,” Andrew Farrell said of NYCFC. “It’s a great team. They have two great forwards, similar to Seattle; two guys who can score and move the ball well.
“It’s another tough task for the defense, and this week we’ve got to step up and take care of business.”
