FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After scoring his first goal and claiming his first assist in a New England Revolution jersey, forward Ignatius Ganago earned himself a starting spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday for the first time in his debut season. The Cameroonian helped the Revs secure a home win in Foxborough on Matchday 9, assisting the winner and scoring the insurance goal to help the Revs clinch a 2-0 victory over New York City FC.
Ganago produced one of his best attacking performances of 2025, putting two of his three shots on target, finding the net in the 48th minute, and assisting fellow striker Leo Campana’s goal in the 43rd minute. Ganago spent 83 minutes on the pitch against NYCFC, playing a major role in what he described as revenge – after New England had fallen to NYCFC earlier in the season at Yankee Stadium.
“Today, I scored a goal and I gave an assist, also. So, it’s a great day for me, for everybody, so I’m really happy for this,” the attacker said after Saturday’s match. “I’m really happy with the goal. The team won today, so we have to continue like this.”
Joining the Revolution on loan from FC Nantes in France’s Ligue 1, Ganago owns nearly 200 appearances in France’s top league. A native of Cameroon, he has also been capped 14 times with the Cameroonian National Team.
Brought onto the Revolution roster to generate goals, it took some settling in for Ganago before he got his chance. While he’s adjusted to playing in a new league, country, and for a new team, Ganago has also been finding his stride again after an ACL tear in November 2023 kept him off the pitch for much of 2023-24.
“It was many games for him without a goal,” said captain Carles Gil, who delivered the cross that assisted Ganago’s goal. “It’s never easy. [Ganago] also had a difficult injury, but he’s been working very hard since the beginning. He has continued to help the team. We’re very happy for him. We need him, so I think this will be an important moment for him after this goal. For sure, there’s more to come.”
Saturday’s lineup saw New England in a 3-4-1-2 formation, a second straight week in that setup after the Revs began the season in the more familiar 4-2-3-1. It’s a shift in tactics that Porter hoped would bring out more in the Revolution attack.
“It has pushed the wingbacks up higher, which means we're getting more width,” Porter explained. “The advantages that we're creating in that system, especially in the final third, I think you're seeing the benefits of it.”
For Ganago, playing as a second striker was just the shift he needed to succeed – securing his first goal contributions, earning his first appearance on the MLS Team of the Matchday’s best XI, and proving himself on this Revolution squad.
“It’s really good, because this is the way I really like to play. I like to play in front of the attack,” he said. “Today was really good with Leo [Campana]. We work every day in training together. Now we are getting to know each other better, so it's very good. And we have Carles [Gil], one of the best players in the league, who is just behind us [in the formation]. Sometimes it's easy to play with him, because Carles is a top player, and Leo also is a very good player. The chemistry is coming, and I think we will do better the next games, I think.”
