BRADENTON, Fla. – Just four days after a preseason victory over Austin FC, the New England Revolution took home another win down in Florida against St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday afternoon. With an assist from newcomer Leo Campana, Alhassan Yusuf put the ball in the back of the net in the 18th minute, sealing a 1-0 final score.
Saturday's match was the first full 90-minute game of the preseason, with the Revolution playing two different squads for each 45-minute half. Head coach Caleb Porter was pleased with the attacking chances that his side created – not to mention a second straight clean sheet – but he also knows that there's still a lot of work ahead this preseason. New England will hit the ground running once again following a four-day break for players and staff.
“It’s a long preseason, it’s a long season overall, so it’s important to work and then mentally reset a little bit,” said Porter. “Then we’ll come back here and get back to work again, and we need to work even harder. We have three weeks when we get back until our first game and we have a long way to go. We’re just scratching the surface of the team we can be, so we have to continue to take steps every single day.”
Chemistry continues to build between newcomers, returnees
Chemistry has been a major topic of conversation for the Revolution this preseason as they continue to integrate so many new players. With a clean sheet and plenty of creativity from the front line, it’s apparent that the group is starting to gel together.
“You can see the guys that have been here, they’re comfortable and they know what is expected. They can now take the lead in terms of driving our culture,” said Porter. “Even the new guys, they look very comfortable for two weeks in. Two weeks in, I thought the execution on both sides of the ball was really good. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do, so we’re nowhere near where we need to be, but we’re much further along than we were last year, there’s no doubt. The chemistry of the group, the way they’re fighting for each other. Those are little things, but that really has to be our superpower this year.”
For midfielder Jackson Yueill, Saturday's match showed that players were beginning to understand each other’s styles of play a lot better, making for cleaner passes and a more aggressive attack.
“I think definitely your instincts start to kind of kick in a little bit more. You're able to understand certain players’ movements, the timing of the pass, the weight of the pass. Also, how the coach wants us to interact and move off of each other,” Yueill explained. “But I think just day to day, it keeps getting better and better. Today I thought it was working really well for us.”
Yusuf scores game winner off effective counter-press
Alhassan Yusuf put the Revs ahead midway through the first half, Leo Campana and Matt Polster combining to force a turnover high up the pitch before Campana slid a pass across the top of the box for Yusuf to finish. The 24-year-old midfielder, who joined the Revolution late last season, was happy to put the team in front.
“I think overall it was a good game. Especially [because] I scored, I’m happy about it,” said Yusuf. “Then the performance of the team; we’re still in the building process, and we’re seeing the results, so I think it’s good.”
Yusuf explained that success really comes down to having strong players around you to support your best efforts.
“It’s about quality," he said. "When you see quality, you just click really quick. It’s about getting a good player around you and then you just play together so it clicks.”
Players, staff to take mini break before returning to Florida
After two weeks of preseason training, players and staff have been given a four-day break to reunite with family and rest up before the road to the 2025 season continues back in Bradenton, Florida.
For Jackson Yueill, it’s an important time to relax before the team puts in more hard work ahead of the season.
“I think these first two weeks have been really good. I think the team has been progressing really well. Getting two wins under our belt is a good start for everyone,” said Yueill. “I think with little time to rest and relax these four days and then we come back ready to work again and push for the beginning of the season.”
As the Revs continue their preseason training, they await the arrival of Ignatius Ganago and look forward to getting newly-arrived Mamadou Fofana and Allan Oyirwoth some more time on the pitch.
“Hopefully we get Ganago here soon. He’s going to be a big player here for us,” explained Porter. “I think our attack will actually come to life even more when he gets here, and Fofana will give us a little bit more in the buildup.”
