CARSON, Calif. – It’s only fitting that Bruce Arena’s first official match as head coach of the New England Revolution will be at Dignity Health Sports Park, where he coached the LA Galaxy from 2008 to 2016.
Arena – who was named the Revs’ sporting director and head coach on May 14 but left coaching duties to interim Mike Lapper in recent weeks while making the transition – will be on the sidelines for the first time on Sunday night, having begun his coaching duties on the training ground earlier this week.
Matchday Guide | Everything you need to know ahead of Revs’ visit to LA Galaxy
Kickoff between the Revs (3-8-4, 13 pts.) and Galaxy (9-5-1, 28 pts.) is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with English coverage on NBC Sports Boston and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Portuguese radio listeners can catch the call on 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA.
Revolution Postgame Live begins immediately after the final whistle on NBC Sports Boston, while 98.5 The Sports Hub will have 30 minutes of postgame coverage while taking calls from listeners.
Current Form: Defensive resolve has Revs unbeaten in three; Galaxy back on track
Lapper officially relinquishes head coaching duties with an unbeaten record of 1-0-2, having led the Revs’ recent turnaround with a focus on defensive shape that helped New England concede just two goals in the past three games – that after conceding 18 in the previous four.
That run includes last weekend’s 1-1 draw with D.C. United at Gillette Stadium, where the Revs looked likely to take the full three points despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the second half, until a late Wayne Rooney penalty – awarded via Video Review – left the teams to share the points.
Highlights | Agudelo’s third goal in six games helps shorthanded Revs earn a point
Still, it’s been that newfound defensive resolve that has buoyed the Revolution’s belief as the season approaches the midway point, and it’s an attitude that’s permeated the entire roster in recent weeks.
“That’s first and foremost, to be solid defensively,” said center back Jalil Anibaba. “We made a commitment to ourselves to make sure that we shored that up, and it’s not a goalkeeper thing, it’s not necessarily just a backline thing, or a defensive midfielder thing – it’s the whole team.
“I thought everybody’s done a great job to zero in on that as of late, and we’re looking to even get a little bit better there.”
New England’s task on Sunday night will be to slow down an LA Galaxy side that currently sits second in the MLS Supporters’ Shield standings, behind only league-leading LAFC. The Galaxy – now led by former Columbus Crew SC midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto – started the season 7-1-1 before slumping into a four-game losing streak, but they’ve since recovered with back-to-back road wins over Orlando City and Sporting Kansas City.
In recent weeks it’s been the Galaxy’s defensive performances that have earned them points – they’ve conceded just once in the past three games – but they’re also boosted by the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, back from a two-game suspension with a goal and assist in LA’s midweek win over SKC.
Ibrahimovic has scored 10 of the Galaxy’s 21 goals this year – adding three assists – but the Revs know that Sunday night’s opponent is about a lot more than just one player.
“They’re going to be good,” said defender Andrew Farrell. “It’s a different team with Zlatan on there and he’s coming back from suspension, so we’re going to watch some tape and see how they do, but (they’re) a great team and they’re really good at home, so it’s going to be a fun matchup.”
Past Meetings: Revs and Galaxy have a recent history of high-scoring encounters
While these have been two of Major League Soccer’s best defensive sides in recent weeks, history says we should expect the goals to flow on Sunday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.
A total of 37 goals have been scored in the last seven regular-season meetings between the Revs and Galaxy, an incredible average of 5.29 goals per game. All seven of those matches have featured at minimum four goals, with the Revs outscoring the Galaxy 19-18 during that span.
Watch | All 37 goals from the past seven meetings between Revs and Galaxy
The most recent meeting was a five-goal thriller last July at Gillette Stadium, although it ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Revs, who led valiantly despite playing with 10 men for most of the match, only to concede a pair of stoppage-time goals in a 3-2 loss.
There is plenty of playoff history between these sides, as well – they’ve met in three MLS Cup finals, all won by the Galaxy, all in extra time. The most recent of those matchups was in 2014 at Dignity Health Sports Park, where the Galaxy – led by Bruce Arena – lifted the trophy once again.
Injury Report: Another change coming at goalkeeper with Turner suspended
New England will need to make another change at the goalkeeper position this week as Matt Turner is suspended for the visit to LA, sent off in the second half of last weekend’s draw with D.C. United.
The good news for the Revs is that both Brad Knighton (four starts) and Cody Cropper (seven starts) have seen significant time this season, so the team will be more than comfortable with whichever goalkeeper steps into the starting role on Sunday night.
“It’s obviously not ideal the way Matt went out of the game, but it’s something that we deal with as a group,” said Knighton, who replaced Turner last weekend. “Bruce is going to decide who’s going to play on the weekend, and we go from there.
“Collectively, as a group, as a goalkeeping union or as a team, we’re going to stick together and build around this team, and hopefully get the results going.”
In addition to Turner the Revs will also be without Justin Rennicks (U.S. National Team, FIFA Under-20 World Cup) and Zach Herivaux (Haiti, Concacaf Gold Cup), both on international duty, while Michael Mancienne has missed the last four games while dealing with the effects of plantar fasciitis.
Final Thoughts: Arena says it’s vital to “go slowly in the process” of coaching transition
“Give them a couple things to think about, but at the same time, not screw them up,” Arena said of his objectives during week one of training. “That’s the biggest concern – I can confuse them, give them maybe a little bit too much information. So (I need to) go slowly in the process.
“And I need to, one, put a name to every face here, which still I have not accomplished yet, and then two, understand each player’s strengths and weaknesses, and thirdly, piece them together the right way to give us a chance to be successful.”
