FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (October 9, 2023) – New England Revolution II (No. 2) will host Columbus Crew 2 (No. 3) in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs on Saturday, October 14. The match kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium and streams live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Tickets for Saturday night’s Eastern Conference Final will go on sale tomorrow, October 10.
Revolution II advanced to the conference final after defeating No. 4 New York Red Bulls II, 2-1, at Gillette Stadium last weekend. Groton, Mass. native Malcolm Fry opened the scoring for New England, while Boston College graduate Victor Souza, the Revolution’s second-round pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, sealed the victory with a second-half header to extend Revolution II’s first postseason run. Homegrown Player Jack Panayotou, a Cambridge, Mass. native, continues to make an impact in key moments, as the midfielder recorded the game-winning assist on Souza’s tally. Panayotou, currently in his first season on New England’s MLS roster, owns five goals and three assists with Revolution II in 2023.
Fry’s goal in Friday’s victory marks the 26th goal scored by a Revolution Academy product in 2023. Revolution II’s roster continues to feature top local talent with Panayotou, Peyton Miller (Unionville, Conn.), Colby Quiñones (Bedford, N.H.), Olger Escobar (Malden, Mass.), and Brandonn Bueno (Framingham, Mass.) all in the matchday squad for the conference semifinal. Revolution II owns a 10-1-5 record at Gillette Stadium this season and including playoffs, boasts 16 total wins in 2023.
New England is set to host Crew 2 after the defending MLS NEXT Pro Cup Champions knocked out No. 1 Crown Legacy FC, 1-0, in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round on Sunday night. Revolution II last met Columbus on May 25, earning a 2-0 win at Gillette Stadium. Jordan Adebayo-Smith, New England’s leading goal scorer, and midfielder Ben Awashie each tallied in the match, while goalkeeper Nico Campuzano made three saves in Revolution II’s first clean sheet victory of the season.
General admission tickets for Saturday’s match go on sale tomorrow, October 10, for $10. For the 2023 season, Season Members received three (3) complimentary Revs II “flex tickets” for each season seat on their account. To allocate these Revolution II flex tickets to specific home playoff games at Gillette Stadium, Season Members can log into Account Manager. Season Members can also purchase additional discounted Revs II home playoff individual game tickets for $7 each at the Season Member rate via Account Manager and clicking the “Buy Revs II Tickets” button in the header.
ABOUT MLS NEXT PRO
Launched in 2022 by Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that completes the pro player pathway. MLS NEXT Pro continues to grow the game through innovation and diversity, bringing professional soccer to new communities and creating global opportunities both on and off the field. MLS NEXT Pro enters its second season in 2023 with 27 teams, all affiliated with MLS clubs. Seven are new to MLS NEXT Pro in 2023: Atlanta United 2, Austin FC II, Crown Legacy FC (Charlotte FC), Huntsville City FC (Nashville SC), LA Galaxy II, Los Angeles Football Club 2 and New York Red Bulls II. Additional MLS-affiliated and independent clubs will join in the years ahead, including Carolina Core FC in 2024 and Cleveland in 2025. The majority of MLS NEXT Pro matches in 2023 will be available to watch live and on-demand on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app as part of the groundbreaking partnership between Apple and MLS. For more information about MLS NEXT Pro, visit mlsnextpro.com.
