FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It didn’t take long for Leo Campana to make his presence felt after returning from a hamstring injury. Sidelined for three games, the striker made his first appearance since March 8 off the bench against Atlanta United before returning to the starting lineup in this past Saturday’s home win over New York City FC. Making his first home appearance since going down injured, Campana was hungrier than ever – scoring his first goal in a Revs jersey. Fittingly, it came in front of the home crowd.
“It was amazing. The environment was really good, there were a lot of fans. Hopefully we can keep it up like that through the whole season,” said Campana. “It was a great game, especially because we won. We got the three points against a difficult team, but now we start thinking about Charlotte. It’s going to be a difficult game away, so we’re training really hard to take the three points.”
With the 2-0 win over NYCFC, the Revolution have now won three of their last four games, and Campana helped secure crucial points as they move toward a three-game road stint. Taking on Charlotte FC – who sit at the top of the East – at their home stadium on Saturday, Campana’s return to health has come at an important time for New England.
“He got about 65 minutes I think it was, so we’ll be in the same situation. Hopefully we can push him even further, but obviously you see his quality. He’s dynamic, he’s technical, so you can play through him and combine with him. He can stretch, He’s good in the air,” explained head coach Caleb Porter. “It’s the reason we signed him. He needs rhythm, he needs to play, he needs chemistry with (Ignatius) Ganago. But the other thing I love about him is his work rate defensively. Our press starts with the front two and Carles (Gil).”
Charlotte boasts a perfect home record so far this season, with five wins, 13 goals scored, and only two goals against at Bank of America Stadium. With such a resolute defense, the Revs will need a strong push in the attack to break down The Crown.
Another victory, Porter said, won’t come without confidence and grit – something he reminded Campana he was capable of prior to Saturday’s match against NYCFC. Porter noted that he sat down with both Campana and Ganago in the week ahead of the match to show them a montage of their goals.
“In Leo's case, I showed him all his goals in MLS. Just went through about three minutes of goals and reminded him of his quality,” Porter said.
Apparently, it was just the inspiration Campana needed.
“I say thanks to him, because sometimes we need to see in a video what we’re capable of,” said Campana. “When I was with Inter [Miami] I scored a lot of goals. A lot of good goals also, and he just remembered what I am capable of. So, I thanked him after the game because I felt good and confident.”
Now, with that first goal under his belt, it’s a boost of confidence that the Ecuadorian hopes will empower him to continue doing what he was brought here for: to score goals.
“I want to score every game. That’s what I’m here for and hopefully I can keep doing it,” said Campana. “I think this past game I had a lot of shots, a lot of opportunities, and hopefully we can keep doing it because, it’s as I say, what I’m here for – it’s to score."
