FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution and Chicago Fire FC each took a point from the Revs’ home opener, as the two sides finished in a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Although New England conceded in the 70th minute to finish with honors even, a bright spot arrived in the 28th minute.
That was the moment Adam Buksa opened his MLS account with his first league goal, and he did so in style.
Defender Brandon Bye played a cross from the right wing, finding Buksa inside the box and positioning him to swiftly dodge a defender and ultimately convert a left-footed strike.
“He’s a big target and I've just got to feed him,” Bye said regarding the duo’s successful link up. “He took a great touch and I was happy to see him get on the score sheet.”
“I’m very happy to have scored that first goal,” said Buksa. “It’s a pity we didn’t win the game because that was our main goal today, but we have to accept the point and personally I’m happy to have scored a goal.”
Even head coach Bruce Arena praised the newcomer’s lethal finishing touch.
“It was a good goal,” said Arena. “He did a good job turning on the defender, (who's) right up his back, and a good finish.”
Buksa is adapting to the differences of MLS play. The 23-year-old previously played for Poland's top-flight side Pogón Szczecin, where he scored 22 goals in 52 appearances. With two MLS games under his belt, he’s beginning to understand the differences between the two leagues, and how to most successfully adjust his method of play.
“He’s adjusting to the league,” said Arena. “I think the way we play him is not necessarily the way he played with his club team in Poland. It’s a little bit different. Our team obviously plays differently, as well, so he’s making that adjustment [and] getting used to the league.”
Buksa echoed Arena’s sentiment that there are big differences between MLS and the Polish Ekstraklasa.
“This league is very aggressive,” said Buksa. “You have way more clear chances in front of the goal. The league in Poland is more tactical. You don’t have as many chances as here, so it’s fun to watch and fun to play because for a striker there’s nothing better than clear chances to score a goal, and my job is to do this.
“It’s much different compared to the league I played before in Poland, so I’m still learning, but I think it’s going better and better. I hope to keep scoring and it would help to win the first game of the season next week.”
As the Revs get further into their 2020 season, Buksa will get more familiar with the MLS style of play. With great progress throughout preseason and his first two MLS games, the striker will no doubt continue to find himself in lethal positions for goal-scoring opportunities.
