FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution go in search of back-to-back wins for the first time since early May on Saturday night, when they’ll visit the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park.
Kickoff between the Revs (7-9-6, 27 pts.) and Fire (5-11-3, 18 pts.) is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, with coverage in English on both Comcast SportsNet and 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on WMVX 1570 AM.
To catch the action alongside fellow Revs fans, head to the official watch party at The Banshee in Boston.
Current Form: Revs snap skid with gritty home win; Fire advance to Open Cup semis
A breathtaking team goal and a first shutout since mid-June were enough for the Revs to snap their five-game losing streak last weekend, riding Lee Nguyen’s early strike to a 1-0 victory over New York City FC.
WATCH: Nguyen’s third goal of the season lifts Revs to slump-busting win
The result secured three vital points for New England, who are smack in the middle of the Eastern Conference logjam, but the performance still left room for improvement according to head coach Jay Heaps and his players.
“I think we all know we need to continue to improve,” said Chris Tierney, who’ll head straight from Chicago to Colorado to participate in his first All-Star game on Wednesday. “It was a decent performance. I think we played okay. But I think we know there’s still another gear.”
New England will need to hit that next gear if they hope to translate last weekend’s home success to the road – the Revs have lost their last six games away from Gillette Stadium.
Chicago, meanwhile, sits at the bottom of the MLS standings with a league-low 18 points, having registered just two wins in their 13 league matches. Part of the Fire’s issue has been finishing; they’ve scored just 20 goals – fewest in the East – despite creating the fourth-most chances in the league according to Opta.
“They’re dangerous,” said Heaps. “They’ve got players that can hurt you. They’ve got a lot of different options in the attack and you can see they’re a difficult team.”
That’s been evident in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as the Fire have reached the semifinal round of the prestigious competition, most recently with a 3-1 win over Orlando City SC on Wednesday night.
Past Meetings: Fagundez wonder goal lifted Revs over Fire in season’s first meeting
Diego Fagundez scored a Goal of the Year candidate – supplemented by a Charlie Davies insurance strike just two minutes later – as the Revs registered a 2-0 win over the Fire on June 13 at Gillette Stadium.
WATCH: Fagundez marks 100th appearance with a vicious volley in Revs’ victory
While the Revolution have won the last two meetings in Foxborough, they’ve struggled historically in Bridgeview, winning just once in their last 10 trips (1-7-2) to Toyota Park.
The Revs did, however, secure a point on their most recent visit to Chicago when Bobby Shuttleworth saved a stoppage-time penalty kick to rescue a 1-1 draw last April.
Injury Report: Jones to travel with Revs to Chicago; Alston, Shuttleworth both questionable
Speaking with the media for the first time since undergoing bilateral sports hernia surgery six weeks ago, Jermaine Jones revealed on Thursday morning that he will travel with the Revolution this weekend.
When Jones will actually be available for selection remains to be seen, but the veteran midfielder has returned to training and believes he’ll be contributing on the field sooner rather than later.
READ: Jones nearing return, will travel with the Revs to Chicago this weekend
Defender Kevin Alston has also resumed training after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury – Heaps says “he’s close” to a return – while the club is following the proper protocol with Shuttleworth after the goalkeeper was sidelined by a concussion last week.
READ: Shuttleworth back in training as he recovers from concussion suffered last week
“[Wednesday] was his first training session fully back,” Heaps said. “We’re going to see a little bit more [on Thursday].”
Final Thoughts: Tierney says Revs need to be better in order to win away from home
“They have a lot of weapons offensively,” Tierney said of the Fire. “They’ve been on a tough run, but at the same time, they’re a very, very dangerous team, especially at home.
“We know that we’re going to have to perform better than we did this past weekend to get another win, and that’s what we’re looking to do.”
