MLS Regular Season | Match #31
New England Revolution at Houston Dynamo FC
Wednesday, October 2 | 8:30 p.m. ET
Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, TX
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English Talent: Mark Followill (Play-by-Play), Warren Barton (Analyst)
Spanish Talent: Jesus Acosta (Play-by-Play), Carlos Suarez (Analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English) 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
14th in Eastern Conference (9-17-4, 31 pts.)
Last Result | 1-0 win vs. Nashville SC
The dream is still alive, if only just. The New England Revolution brought their five-game winless skid (0-3-2) to a halt on Saturday night, taking all three points at home against Nashville SC on the back of a shutout performance from Aljaž Ivačič and a late headed goal from Brandon Bye assisted by newcomers Luca Langoni and Alhassan Yusuf. The Revs now sit in 14th in the East, six points shy of Philadelphia in 9th while still holding a crucial game in hand.
Chances were at a premium for the Revs on Saturday, with Bye’s goal the only shot on target for New England on the night. Aggressive defense and patient build-up were the gameplan for the Revs, and it’s likely that the team will need to adopt a similar plan of attack against a Houston team notorious for its high possession stats and stingy defense.
Houston Dynamo FC
6th in Western Conference (13-9-9, 48 pts.)
Last Result | 1-0 loss at Seattle Sounders FC
Having already clinched a top-nine spot in the Western Conference, Houston Dynamo FC are now playing for position, with both homefield advantage and a wild card play-in game no more than three points away on either side of them in the table. The Dynamo didn’t do themselves any favors this past weekend, though, falling 1-0 in Seattle to snap a five-game undefeated run (3-0-2) over which they scored eight goals while only conceding two.
Wednesday’s faceoff with Houston will evoke painful memories for longtime Revs fans, but fortunately New England’s record against the Dynamo has been stronger in recent years, with the Revs owning a 7-1-1 record over the teams’ last nine meetings. Additionally, El Naranja have hardly made Shell Energy Stadium a fortress this season, having won three fewer games at home (5) than they have on the road (8).
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution midfielder Carles Gil
At this crucial juncture of the season where every game is life-or-death, the Revolution squad will be looking to their captain Carles Gil to deliver for them, whether by scoring himself or creating chances for others to do so. Assistant coach Pablo Moreira highlighted after Saturday’s win over Nashville how Gil’s level of talent can draw defenders onto him even when he doesn’t have the ball, so whether he’s getting on the scoresheet or not, the Spaniard will have the potential to make a serious impact on Wednesday night’s game.
By the numbers, though, Gil has been New England’s most prolific attacker this season, pacing the squad with 16 goal involvements (6g/10a), although he’s failed to add to that total since CF Montréal came to Gillette Stadium a few weeks ago. Importantly, Gil’s all-time regular season assists tally still sits at 73, level with Steve Ralston for the club record, and if there was ever a time to claim the title outright, this midweek trip to Texas with the season on the line would be quite the time to do it.
Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark
The Dynamo have conceded just 34 goals this season, tied with Seattle and Charlotte for second-fewest in the league (behind Columbus), and that record is owed in large part to the work of goalkeeper Steve Clark. The veteran shot-stopper boasts a stunning 1.04 goals against average this campaign and has not conceded multiple goals since August’s Leagues Cup meeting with Liga MX side Toluca; the last time he shipped more than one goal in MLS came on the road against Vancouver all the way back in July.
Clark was between the sticks the last time the Revs made the trip to Houston, only getting beaten from the spot by Carles Gil in a 3-1 win for the Dynamo. If New England is to get the kind of result they so desperately need on Wednesday night, they will need to severely test Clark in a way that few teams have been able to do this year.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revs head coach Caleb Porter on the Revolution’s performance vs Nashville SC:
“I said at the beginning of the week that we need to be a team that is always, at a minimum, tough to play against and getting back to just the basics of being a good team defensively … I thought we executed that side of the ball really well. The plan going into the game was to keep it tight, to be a little bit more conservative, and to pick our moments in transition and with the ball to create chances. We didn't create a ton of chances, but the opponent didn't either. Fortunately, we were able to find the goal. I thought we had two, but in the end one was enough, and oftentimes that is the case. For me, a 1-0 win is a beautiful win, because while we only scored one goal we had a good defensive performance. And that was really what we worked on the entire week and what we talked about prior to the game, was making sure from here on out that we are a strong team defensively, that we have a good mentality, and that we keep ourselves in the game because sometimes it takes 70 minutes or 80 minutes to score the goal. I thought we were very steady overall. Obviously, we can create a little bit more in the attack, but when you open up to create more in the attack, you give up more. So, I think the balance was pretty good on the day. If there was one thing, for me, I would have liked, it was just a few more chances in transition.”
Porter on the team’s mindset going into Wednesday’s match in Houston:
“Again, I think it is similar. Can we, can we keep it tight? Can we be organized defensively? There will be some similarities in what we look to do, but we will also have to think a little bit about some rotation. We do want to keep some continuity, but we will also inject some life, some energy, and some fresh legs into the game as well in certain spots. But they [Houston] are a team that wants the ball. They have a lot of the ball. A very technical team and pretty clever. I like the way they play. [Houston Head Coach] Ben [Olsen] has done a good job. Ben is a friend of mine, known him a lot of years, and he has done a nice job with the group. It will be a tough game. The only good thing, maybe, if there is a good thing going on the road to Houston, is it's later in the year and it's not as hot, so probably the best time to go to Houston is now, and not in the heat of the summer.”
Porter on the Revs building on Saturday night’s result:
“I think in the end, it was a fair result for us. Now we file it away, we put it behind us, and we have to keep the dream alive. We have got four games to go, and we still have hope. There is still a light there at the end of the tunnel. We are just going to keep taking it one game at a time, and we'll see where we can take this thing.”
Porter on Luca Langoni’s continued progression in the squad and assist on Saturday night:
“I think he [Langoni] looked like himself in the game. We want him to be a stretching right winger that gets behind and that gets crosses in. We feel like he will get a lot of assists, similar to the assist he got in the game [vs. Nashville]. He also was pretty aggressive 1-v-1 when he got the ball wide, and you saw Brandon [Bye] play inside a little bit. We worked on that where Luca pulls out wide, there is not space to overlap, so it is important now that he works the half space, and at times, gets in the box. Whether it's a service from the left or whether it's a service from the right, can he get in the box at times? He is good in the air, so that was great to see. Also, I thought we had the set piece goal as well, but in the end we were probably also fortunate with the one we gave up.”
Porter on how Alhassan Yusuf has settled in with the team:
“Again, good. I think the players we have added, people are seeing that we will get better with every player we add. We are very thorough in our scouting and our evaluation of these guys, and we know what we want. You see with [Alhassan] Yusuf, he is a box-to-box mid. Like I said, he is very rangy and covers a ton of ground, wins balls, good in possession as well, and helps our team really control games both sides of the ball. He is a very well-rounded player, and for Luca [Langoni] and him both to be fitting in so quickly as international players is a really good sign, because a lot of times it takes longer. They are only going to get better and they are only going to get more comfortable. Those two guys, they have been great additions along with the other players we added in the other windows.”
Revs midfielder Alhassan Yusuf on how the team felt to close out Saturday night’s game:
“We had a really good game in the first half. Then in the locker room we were discussing how we were going to bring the goal. When you keep going and the goal comes toward the end, it’s kind of a relief. Especially at this situation that we’re at in the league, toward the end of the season. These are really important points for the team.”
Yusuf on playing alongside Matt Polster:
“It was good, playing alongside this kind of player who reads the game and understands. Especially for me, I like to move around. [Polster] is always there, covering my back. It’s really good to play with him.”
Yusuf on playing alongside Carles Gil:
“With [Gil’s] quality, he’s the kind of player that you have to read where he is and to adapt. He can create magic every minute, so you have to give him the ball and then just move around. It’s that easy.”
