Leagues Cup 2024 | Round of 32
New England Revolution vs. New York City FC
Friday, August 9 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: FREE on Apple TV
English Talent: Chris Wittyngham (play-by-play), Lori Lindsey (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Alejandro Figueredo (play-by-play), Diego Tabares (analyst)
Listen: 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
15th in MLS Eastern Conference (7-14-2, 23 pts.)
Last Result | 1-1 draw vs. Nashville SC (5-4 win on penalties)
After their 1-0 win over Mazatlán F.C., the New England Revolution closed their Leagues Cup 2024 group stage with what proved to be a tighter affair against Nashville SC. Notwithstanding their favorable odds to advance to the knockout round, the Revs came out swinging in search of a win, getting off to a strong start with an early goal from Bobby Wood, but ultimately needing a penalty shootout to claim victory over the Boys in Gold.
The biggest issue facing the Revolution in recent weeks has been the sheer number of key players managing injuries, a dilemma that head coach Caleb Porter has called the worst of his managerial career. A number of depth players and Homegrown talents have stepped up in a big way in the meantime, though, and the reintroduction of winger Ema Boateng to the squad last week marked the first of what Porter hopes will be a growing number of returning players through the rest of this month of August, potentially bolstering New England should they advance further in Leagues Cup.
New York City FC
5th in MLS Eastern Conference (11-9-5, 38 pts.)
Last Result | 4-2 loss at FC Cincinnati
The good news for New York City FC is that they advanced to the Round of 32; the bad news is that they have not claimed a victory in regulation in their last six games. After claiming a penalty shootout win over Liga MX strugglers Querétaro to start Leagues Cup 2024, the Pigeons seemed to be turning things around against FC Cincinnati, one of the strongest teams in MLS play this year. Their 2-0 lead as late as the 78th minute was not enough, though, as the Orange and Blue made a dramatic late comeback to win 4-2 and take the top spot of their East 1 group.
The decline in form has been surprising for a team that had been performing so strongly in domestic play just a few months earlier. The Bronx Blues snagged shutout wins home and away over New England in April and May as part of a larger stretch of eight wins in nine matches, and Caleb Porter acknowledged Tuesday night that NYCFC would pose his team’s stiffest challenge yet in this edition of Leagues Cup.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič
Lifted up by Caleb Porter as “one of the best goalkeepers in the league” after Tuesday night’s faceoff with Nashville SC, New England’s Aljaž Ivačič has been living up to the title in recent weeks. Quickly shaking off a heavy loss to the Philadelphia Union in mid-July, the Revolution’s defense has allowed a mere two goals in their last three games, only one of which came from open play, and Ivačič has come up with a number of big saves during that time.
Against Nashville, the Slovenian shot-stopper oversaw 15 opposition corners without conceding, pulled out some spectacular saves in regulation to keep the Boys in Gold from getting ahead, and got a hand on Alex Muyl’s penalty to help earn his side a shootout win. Now that the Revs are in knockout territory, goalkeeping is going to be key to any further progress, and Ivačič will need to continue to deliver if the Revs are to punch a ticket to the Round of 16.
New York City FC midfielder Santiago Rodríguez
When one player wins their team’s first five Player of the Month awards of a season, you know they’re doing something right. The 24-year-old Young Designated Player has done just that, thriving for New York City this season; he paces his team in MLS play in both goals and assists (eight each) and notched another goal in the Pidgeons’ loss to FC Cincinnati to round out the group stage.
Rodríguez’s threat as both an attacker and a creator will give the New England defense a handful to deal with. His dynamic role as a left winger/attacking midfielder makes him threatening both in the channel and out wide, and Brandon Bye and the rest of the backline will need to be composed and alert to keep him locked down for 90 minutes on Friday.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter on qualifying for the Leagues Cup Round of 32:
“We are happy to advance. I thought the team did a great job of doing what we needed to get two results and put ourselves in the Round of 32. We know it gets tougher from here. Obviously, playing New York City [FC], a very talented team – in my view, one of the most talented teams in the league – it won’t be an easy game. Then obviously, we have two Mexican teams [Tigres UANL and CF Pachuca] looming if we advance in this game. So, it gets harder, but I have a lot of confidence in the group and I love the way they are fighting right now.”
Porter on the level of goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič:
“He's a really good goalkeeper. I think he's one of the best goalkeepers in the league. When I say that, I don't want to put pressure on him. I just believe in the kid a lot. I think he's super talented. I've had some really good goalkeepers over the years and he's up there for the best I've worked with. He's so good with his feet and he's so smart in his decision making, and then one of the best shot stoppers. Just purely as a shot stopper, he's one of the best I've seen. Look at the penalty that he [saved]. I mean, the ball is in the corner. So, I think it's just his talent, his athleticism, the way he can fly around, and then his ability with his feet. He's like a field player. So, those are the things that really stand out for me and he's just a great guy. Really, really great guy. Really good energy out of him. Works really hard. A good pro.”
Porter on facing NYCFC for the third time this season after two losses in MLS play:
“We are thin, they [New York City FC] are healthy. So, they are at full strength and they have got all their top guys. Like I said, they are really talented. Even guys that don’t always start would be starting for most teams in the league. They definitely want to play and they want to have the ball, and they are good. When they are confident and things are going their way, they are really hard to stop. We need to be mindful of that and come up with a plan where they are not in a rhythm. I think that’s really important. They like a rhythm. When you look at the Cincinnati game, case in point. They were in a rhythm, feeling good, they scored two goals, and they were killing Cincinnati. Then obviously, the game turned the other way. So, we have looked at that game a lot and we will try to do our best to come up with a plan where we can win the game.”
Revolution winger Ema Boateng on Jack Panayotou and his relationship with the Homegrown talent:
“Jack is a great guy. He has been working really hard. You can see how the last few months have turned out for him, going to Rhode Island [FC] and coming back. I think he's got a really strong character and he's working hard and taking advantage of the minutes. In training, sometimes he will ask me in some situations, because I don’t think the left wing is necessarily where he's very comfortable. So, he likes to ask questions and I'm there to help him. Sometimes it’s interesting, guys ask about, ‘Oh, the older players like mentoring the young guys,' but sometimes we also pick up a few things from them, too. So, he's a great guy, good to have in a squad.”
Boateng on the shift in mindset going into a knockout-stage match:
“It's just like you put it: win or go home. I think it's just executing your game plan. I think the first two games gives you an experience of okay, this is how everybody is playing in the tournament and then now, you are into a groove. It's good that we get a team that we're also very familiar with. We've already played them [New York City FC] twice this year. So, just looking at some of the stuff that we did wrong in the first two games and correct that and try to do better. It's just simple as that, win or go home, so fight. There's no guarantee of another game, so just fight and play hard.”
Boateng on the locker room veterans such as himself who have stepped up in recent weeks:
“They've done well. Bobby [Wood], he's a warrior. So is Tommy [McNamara]. Tommy has done really well for us in the last month and a half, stepping in with all the injuries. All those guys, Bobby too. I feel like when everybody is back and we have a healthy team, those are guys that we feel like could be trusted to give us valuable minutes, too. So, it's good. It’s good to have everybody. These injuries kind of opened the door for other guys to step up. Then for the most part, guys have done a pretty good job with that and hopefully, that continues throughout the end of the season.”
