FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Carles Gil started all 35 of the New England Revolution’s league matches last season (playoffs included), missing just eight minutes of action in his debut campaign en route to MLS Newcomer of the Year honors, but he seems unlikely to repeat that feat in 2020.
Gil has spent the majority of preseason recovering from a foot injury, and although it’s a minor ailment that won’t keep him sidelined for an extended period, he’s expected to miss Saturday’s season opener against the Montreal Impact, according to head coach Bruce Arena.
Arena noted that Gil worked out indoors at the Revolution Training Center on Wednesday afternoon, and said the 27-year-old playmaker – who burst onto the scene with 10 goals and 14 assists last year – is expected to progress to outdoor training later this week.
Gustavo Bou took up more of a playmaking role in Gil’s absence this preseason, and Arena said he’s confident that Bou can help fill that gap in the interim.
“(Carles) is an outstanding player and we can’t wait to have him back on the field,” Arena said. “Gustavo Bou can play in a lot of positions on the field quite well. He’ll pick up the slack until Carles is ready.”
Gil is one of several Revolution players who battled injury this preseason, including Alexander Büttner, Luis Caicedo, Antonio Delamea, Michael Mancienne, and Seth Sinovic. The trio of Caicedo, Mancienne, and Sinovic recovered to see preseason action, while Büttner – who played 45 minutes in an informal scrimmage last week – and Delamea have both since returned to full training.
