MLS Regular Season | Match #3
New England Revolution vs. Atlanta United FC
Saturday, May 1 | 7 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: TV38, myRITV (Rhode Island)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), WBIX 1260 Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
Revolution Pregame Live (6:15 p.m. ET)
- Facebook, YouTube, revolutionsoccer.net
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
T-1st in Eastern Conference (1-0-1, 4 pts.)
Last Result | 1-0 win vs. D.C. United
The Revs welcomed fans back to Foxborough with a gutsy win last weekend, battling their way to a 1-0 victory over D.C. United in a match that featured 39 fouls and seven yellow cards. Particularly promising was the Revolution’s defensive performance, limiting the visitors to a single shot on target en route to registering their first clean sheet of the 2021 campaign.
Combined with their season-opening draw in Chicago the Revs have picked up four points from their first two matches – the first time they’ve done that since 2011 – placing them in an early three-way tie atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Atlanta United FC
T-1st in Eastern Conference (1-0-1, 4 pts.)
Last Result | 3-0 loss vs. Philadelphia Union (CCL Quarterfinals)
Atlanta is under new leadership with Gabriel Heinze at the helm, and the former Argentine international appears to have the Five Stripes on the rise after 2020 saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in club history. They join the Revs atop the Eastern Conference with four points from two matches, including a comprehensive 3-1 win over Chicago Fire FC in their home opener last weekend.
There was a bump in the road midweek as Atlanta suffered a 3-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Union in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal, but the score line didn’t tell the entire story as United were dominant for large stretches, only denied by the heroics of Philly goalkeeper Andre Blake.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution midfielder Matt Polster
Wilfrid Kaptoum earned widespread praise following his debut start in last weekend’s win over D.C., but so, too, did his central midfield partner Matt Polster. Operating in a slightly deeper role, Polster completed 78 percent of his passes, won a team-high 78 percent of his duels, and drew four fouls in a 90-minute showing.
Polster could have a particularly important role to play on Saturday against Atlanta, which features a strong midfield trio in Ezequiel Barco, Santiago Sosa, and Emerson Hyndman.
Atlanta United midfielder Ezequiel Barco
Now in his fourth season with the Five Stripes, 22-year-old playmaker Ezequiel Barco appears poised to take the reins of Atlanta’s dynamic attack. The Argentine was sharp in 88 minutes against Chicago, registering four shots, drawing seven fouls, and opening the scoring with a wonder strike from 25 yards.
Barco also has history against the Revs, scoring the only brace of his MLS career in a 2-0 win over New England the last time Atlanta visited Foxborough in April 2019.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
DeJuan Jones returns from the one-game suspension that kept him out of last weekend’s win over D.C. United, giving Bruce Arena a choice to make at left back after Christian Mafla played 54 minutes in his Revs debut against D.C., spelled by veteran A.J. DeLaGarza to help complete the shutout.
Mafla, who was limited by an injury in preseason, is still short of full fitness, noting that his current fitness level is in the 75-80 percent range when asked on Thursday afternoon.
“The [D.C.] game was a good indicator to us that he needs a lot more physical work before he can be a full-time player. He’s aware of that,” Arena said of Mafla, who he hopes will be full strength within the next month. “We’re working with him on a daily basis to improve his fitness. He missed some of the preseason because of an injury, and it’s going to take a little bit of time for him to catch up with the rest of the group.”
Arnór Traustason also made his Revolution debut against D.C., starting on the left wing and playing 81 minutes less than one week after first joining his new teammates on the training ground.
“He’s a very active midfield player, likes to play on the left, can come inside, can play behind backlines, can play between the lines, so he’s pretty active,” Arena said of Traustason. “Hopefully he continues to grow with our team over the next couple games. We’re real happy to have him. We think he’s a great addition.”
Just two players appear on the Revolution’s availability report ahead of the weekend: center back Collin Verfurth, listed as out, and central midfielder Luis Caicedo, listed as questionable.
Atlanta United
Saturday will be Atlanta’s third game in an eight-day stretch – and they’ll play again next Tuesday in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal against Philadelphia – but Heinze has said he’ll continue to use his best available XI for all competitions.
That group won’t include Mo Adams, Alec Kann, or Machop Chol – all listed as out for Saturday’s visit to Foxborough – while defender Brooks Lennon and forward Lisandro Lopez are both listed as questionable after starting both of Atlanta’s first two matches this season.
Josef Martinez, meanwhile, went the full 90 minutes in this past Tuesday’s CCL meeting with the Union, marking his first start since suffering a torn ACL in the 2020 season opener last February.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena
“I think knowing that (Atlanta) started the season off well in the league and this is a conference game, as well, so I expect them to be fully prepared to come into Gillette Stadium and really get after us. They’re a quick, pressing team, they have good attacking players, and I think they’re going to throw everything they have at us to try to get three points.”
New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner
“We’re expecting the strongest Atlanta United. We’re expecting them to want to come out and try to score goals. They had a lot of opportunities in their last game [against Philadelphia] and Andre Blake played amazingly in the first half and the second half. Philly soaked in a lot of pressure and were able to get their goals. Credit to Philly for that game but I know Atlanta has a lot of players that are probably pretty disappointed with how that went, and on such a big stage, so they’ll be looking to right the ship this weekend and come out flying. Their coach is really animated so he’ll have them fired up for the game, and we just have to make sure we start the game strong like we did in both halves against D.C. United and we should be alright.”
