FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In recent years the New England Revolution have made Gillette Stadium one of the most difficult venues in Major League Soccer for visiting teams, going a combined 41-12-15 in Foxborough between 2014 and 2017.
New England’s home dominance reached its peak last year as the Revolution’s 12-2-3 record at Gillette Stadium was third-best in MLS, while their 12 wins were the most in a single season in club history.
That form continued through the first half of the current season as the Revs went 6-2-2 through their first 10 games in Foxborough, but they’ve hit a rare rough patch through the past three months. Their last win in front of the home fans came on June 30 (a 3-2 triumph over D.C. United), as they’ve gone 0-2-3 in their last five games at Gillette Stadium.
It’s a fact that will be on the players’ minds when they return to their home ground on Saturday night to host Orlando City SC (7:30 p.m., GET TICKETS), one of only two remaining home games in the 2018 regular season.
“We have a home game, so we just have to go out there and make sure that we’re performing,” said Diego Fagundez. “We want to make our fans happy, and I know it’s not the greatest moment right now, but I think with a win, we can definitely get this team together and make sure we can end the season well.
“We definitely owe [our fans] the win on Saturday. We just have to go out there and make sure that everybody gives their best, and when we have our chances to score, make sure that we’re scoring goals so then they’re celebrating and we’re happy.”
There are several reasons that New England need a win on Saturday night, not the least of which is the fact that their playoff lives depend on it – anything less than three points against Orlando City will officially eliminate the Revs from postseason contention.
But regardless of those circumstances, earning a long-awaited win for the home fans is near the top of the Revolution’s priority list, as they aim for a return to the form that made Foxborough one of the most difficult road trips for MLS teams in recent years.
“We love playing here,” said Jalil Anibaba, in his first year with the Revs. “We love putting our best foot forward in front of our home fans. It doesn’t really get better than that, so hopefully we can give them what they’ve been looking for.”
