MLS Regular Season | Match #27
New England Revolution at Orlando City SC
Saturday, September 14 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Inter&Co Stadium | Orlando, FL
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English Talent: Christian Miles (play-by-play), Danny Higginbotham (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Sergio Ruiz (play-by-play), Walter Roque (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
12th in Eastern Conference (8-15-3, 27 pts.)
Last Result | 2-2 draw vs. St. Louis CITY SC
Five points. That’s all that separates the New England Revolution from 9th-placed D.C. United and a spot in the MLS playoffs. And with one more game to play than most of the teams around them, and two more than United and a few others, five points is a gap that head coach Caleb Porter feels can still be closed in these coming weeks.
Last Saturday’s result at home against St. Louis was certainly not the one Porter or his players were hoping for, though it’s no secret that the circumstances surrounding that result were unique to say the least. That said, the coach has made clear that the sole focus is on what he and the squad can control, namely their performances on the field. And in that regard, signs are still positive, particularly now that a number of key starters have made their way back into the lineup.
Remember, this is still the same Revs team that cleaned Montréal’s clock on the road just a couple weeks ago, not to mention that they took a 1-0 lead into halftime without Carles Gil last time they played the Lions. New England will be hoping to replicate those performances this Saturday night in Orlando.
Orlando City SC
7th in Eastern Conference (10-10-7, 37 pts.)
Last Result | 3-0 win vs Nashville SC
Leagues Cup 2024 slotted in at a difficult time for Orlando City SC. The Lions were rolling in the league, losing only once in eight games (5-1-2) stretching from the middle of June through to the competition break. But their tournament run came to an early close in the Round of 32, falling on penalties to Liga MX side Cruz Azul. They returned from the break with a painful 3-0 away loss to a 10-man Sporting Kansas City.
Sure, Orlando then responded with a comfortable win over Nashville, going so far as to match the 3-0 scoreline from their win in the reverse fixture just before Leagues Cup. But Nashville has hardly been at the peak of their powers over the last couple months, and the Lions have only had another week off since that victory. What’s more, they even own a marginally worse record at Inter&Co Stadium than they do on the road this season.
Make no mistake, this Orlando side does lead New England by 10 points in the Eastern Conference standings and has managed to take three points away from the Revs already this campaign. Just know that they may currently be standing on shakier ground than might otherwise be apparent.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution Striker Giacomo Vrioni
New England’s frontman Giacomo Vrioni was on a roll before picking up an injury, notching six goals in six games through June and July, the last of which came against Orlando at Gillette Stadium. And the Albanian international picked up right where he left off when he returned to the squad, netting against CF Montréal from off the bench in New England’s rout of the Canadian club.
Importantly, Vrioni also has the pieces around him to succeed in front of goal. Carles Gil is back in the squad and chasing an assist record, both wings have just about as much talent and depth as the team could hope for, and even defender Peyton Miller bombing down the outside is more than capable of creating dangerous chances. Vrioni will be itching to get back on the scoresheet this weekend, and he’ll have more than a few teammates trying to help him make that happen.
Orlando winger Iván Angulo
Consistency is key when it comes to success, and in a very literal way there has been no one more consistent for Orlando City SC this season than Iván Angulo. The Columbian winger has started all 27 of the Lions’ MLS matches this season, leading the team in minutes played, and has racked up a respectable 11 goal involvements (4g/7a) along the way.
Of course, names like Facundo Torres or Duncan McGuire might spring to mind more readily than Angulo when it comes to Orlando’s roster. But in a team with as deep and versatile a roster as Orlando City SC, it shouldn’t go unnoticed when a single player has been healthy, disciplined, and productive enough to earn a spot in the first XI every single week.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Head coach Caleb Porter on moving forward after last weekend’s 2-2 draw with St. Louis:
“Obviously, it didn’t go our way, the game. We have a good team. We have to throw ourselves into Orlando and put all our energy into that. Everything is, right now, focused on that match and our preparation. We put the last match [against St. Louis CITY SC] behind us. In some ways I think our guys will have even more of a chip on their shoulder, kind of an ‘Us versus everybody’ mentality. It is clear we are not going to get any help, so we need to make our own luck and we need to control the controllables. We need to take care of what we can control, which is to prepare and, obviously, make sure we find a way to win no matter what happens with anyone in the match.”
Porter on the team’s fight on Saturday to come back and take a halftime lead after conceding:
“Yeah, it was a good response. I thought we played really well. We scored two really good goals. I thought we played aggressively. A lot of times, you get your nose in front the second half, it becomes kind of a slower game. I thought we were buckling down to get the result. We probably could have kept the ball a little better. We went in transition a little too much, got in some one-v-ones, and that has all been addressed and talked about with the team. People need to understand, and certainly our coaching staff, we recognize that we are plugging in guys that are new, and we are plugging back in guys that have been out for quite some time, four or five weeks. So, we are just getting that continuity and that chemistry and that cohesion back, and that that takes some time. That clarity on how we're going to defend, how we're going to attack, and just what it looks like in our game model – that is why training matters. People think you can just throw a ball out, but you need training to dial everything in. We will be better every week and every game with the group. We had a good session yesterday on defending and today on the attack. It's just getting that understanding back. I thought at times in the second half, it looked a little too much like street ball. We needed to have a better shape on both sides of ball, and with a better shape, you just have more control.”
Porter on the team’s defending and the options they have at center back:
“I thought he [Tim Parker] had a good game. I thought him and Dave [Romney] did well for their first time playing together. Obviously, we have Xavi [Arreaga] coming back today. He has been a key player for us, but I think Tim really did what we thought he would do. It's why he has been a good pro in this league and done very well at every club he has been in. He is just a really steady guy. He is a good defender. He is good in the air. He is very smart, and he is pretty simple; he doesn't make a ton of mistakes. I thought it was a very good shift for him, and Dave as well. I don't blame them for the two goals. I thought both goals were kind of weird goals. Obviously, the first one, I think it was a 0.02 expected goals. It was like one of the most lucky goals you will ever see. It went to the only place that Aljaž [Ivačič] couldn't save it on a random flick that somehow ends up in the upper corner. We did address the play, though. We lost our mark. We tried to switch marks, we shouldn't have, so that has been addressed. Then the second goal, it came from the right channel where we would have had our right winger. For sure, we didn't track the runs out of midfield, but I didn't think the central defenders had anything to do with either goal.”
Revolution defender Tim Parker on making his club debut in front of the home crowd:
“It was great. It was special for me to make a home debut as well instead of doing it on the road. I always enjoy playing in front of the home fans for the first time. They kind of braved the storm a little bit, I would say there was a little bit of monsoon in that second half that they braved through. They did push us in order to get the second goal that we needed.”
Parker on the competition for starting places within the squad:
“Any opportunity to play on the weekend and in match days is going to be your time to show that you deserve to stay there. For everyone that gets opportunities, like I said, we have three games next week – Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday – and it is going to be an opportunity for guys that will be able to get minutes. It is what you are able to do with those minutes that will count and hopefully, [we will] ride those hot hands into the playoffs.”
Revolution midfielder Ian Harkes on the challenges of playing on the road in Orlando:
“It is very tough to go down there and play well. We are going to have to be smart. We know they [Orlando City SC] are very dangerous, they showed that last time they came up to Gillette Stadium. Being away from home is going to be a different beast, but we are smart, we are going to know how to prepare, and we are going in there looking to take all three points. We are not looking to sit back and concede.”
Harkes on maximizing points on the road in the midst of a playoff push:
“It is all about mentality. I think, on the road, it is all about being smart and managing the game. We did that in the stretch before when we went away to Cincinnati and went away to a lot of different places and got points. We know we are capable and we have to show up with that same mentality starting this week.”
