FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Just 90 minutes plus stoppage time remain in the New England Revolution’s 2018 campaign as they’ll host the Montreal Impact in the season finale on Sunday evening at Gillette Stadium.
While the Revs (9-13-11, 38 pts.) were eliminated from postseason contention two weeks ago, Montreal’s fate will be determined on Decision Day as the Impact (14-15-4, 46 pts.) need a win and a Columbus Crew SC loss or draw to climb into the Eastern Conference’s sixth and final playoff spot.
All 11 games scheduled for Decision Day will get underway at 4:30 p.m. ET, with the Revs-Impact match being televised by NBC Sports Boston and streamed live on NBCSportsBoston.com and their mobile app. English radio listeners can catch the call on 98.5 The Sports Hub, while 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA will have the Portuguese call.
Elizabeth Pehota and Jeff Lemieux – joined by special guest Taylor Twellman – will break down the starting lineups and storylines on Revolution Pregame LIVE, streaming on the Revs’ official Facebook page at 4 p.m. ET, while Revolution Postgame Live will begin immediately after the final whistle on NBC Sports Boston.
Matt McCarthy and former Revolution midfielder Clyde Simms will handle postgame duties on 98.5 The Sports Hub, taking calls for 30 minutes after the final whistle.
Sunday evening will serve as the Revolution’s fourth annual Concussion Awareness Night as they’ll once again partner with Twellman’s foundation, “ThinkTaylor,” whose mission is to create social change in the world of traumatic brain injuries. Fans are encouraged to sport the color orange in addition to your Revs gear on Sunday, and join in during a special orange-themed display in the 20th minute.
New England’s finale will also serve as Fan Appreciation Night, with several activations throughout Gillette Stadium, Patriot Place and FanZone to honor fans for their support throughout the season. More details HERE.
Current Form: Revs aim to “finish on a high note” as Impact fight for final playoff spot
While the Revs know that their 2018 campaign will come to an end on Sunday evening, they still have plenty to play for as they close out the season at Gillette Stadium.
Last week’s 4-1 loss at Real Salt Lake left a bitter taste for Revolution players and coaches and head coach Brad Friedel said he’s looking for a major response from his group on Sunday, as their performance this weekend will carry them into a lengthy offseason.
“Players are still playing for their positions next year and playing for contracts next year,” Friedel said. “Performances, especially like that first half against Real Salt Lake, won’t help their chances.
“It’s important that they have a good week of training … They have to be good all week, and they have to be good on Sunday evening.”
There’s also an opportunity for the Revs to play spoiler to Montreal’s playoff hopes, and while players said that does provide an extra dose of motivation, their primary objective on Sunday is to put together a performance that gives their loyal supporters something to hold on to ahead of the 2019 season.
READ: Revs aim to end disappointing 2018 season “on a high note” for the fans
“I’m not sure they even understand how much it means to us players when we’re out there on the field and we hear them cheer our names and urge us on to win games,” said Juan Agudelo. “We need that (again) next year.”
Montreal, meanwhile, have gone 4-1-1 in their last six games to climb within two points of Crew SC for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Impact’s postseason path is relatively simple – win on Sunday and hope for Columbus to lose or draw at home against Minnesota United. Anything else and they’ll fall just short.
Potential league MVP candidate Ignacio Piatti leads the charge for Montreal with 16 goals and 13 assists, but Saphir Taider (seven goals, eight assists) and Alejandro Silva (five goals, 11 assists) have also been consistent threats for the Canadian side.
Past Meetings: Sunday’s showdown to serve as rubber match in the 2018 series
New England and Montreal will be meeting for the third time this season on Sunday evening, and both teams have rolled to comfortable wins at home in the first two matches. The Revs took advantage of an early red card to blow past the 10-man Impact, 4-0, on April 6 at Gillette Stadium, but Montreal returned the favor with a 4-2 win over the Revolution on May 5 at Stade Saputo.
Piatti factored into all four goals (one goal, three assists) in Montreal’s win, while three of Wilfried Zahibo’s four goals this season have come in those two meetings against the Impact, all from set pieces.
The Impact’s win in that most recent meeting snapped the Revs’ five-game winning streak in the series, a stretch which includes victories in the last two season finales: 2016 at Gillette Stadium and 2017 at Stade Saputo.
Injury Report: Farrell “progressing” after missing three games with hamstring strain
Right back Andrew Farrell has missed all three of New England’s games in the month of October while recovering from a hamstring injury, but the veteran defender has been making steady progress in recent weeks, and Friedel didn’t rule out a potential return for Sunday’s finale.
“He’s now progressing his rehabilitation,” Friedel said. “We’ll have to wait and see if he can be fit for the weekend. If he can, then great. If he can’t, then you guys will find out on Sunday.”
TRAINING REPORT: Elizabeth Pehota covers the major storylines ahead of Sunday’s finale
Farrell has been rehabbing alongside fellow defender Chris Tierney, who was lost for the season to a torn ACL back in late May, but who continues to make headway as he strengthens his knee.
“Really good pro, Chris, so if anyone can come back stronger than they went into an ACL (injury), it’s him,” said Friedel. “We’ll just have to see how the recovery presents itself, and what kind of fitness he’s in come January.”
Final Thoughts: “They have something to play for, so we have something to play for”
“There’s always a role,” Zach Herivaux said of potentially playing spoiler to Montreal’s playoff hopes on Sunday. “You don’t want to give them three points and just let them walk away with an easy win. They have something to play for, so we have something to play for with our fans. We’ve got to give a good performance, and we know we can take all three points, so we have to do that.”
