FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Another weekend of MLS action kicks off on Friday night when the New England Revolution will host the Montreal Impact in an Eastern Conference clash at Gillette Stadium.
Kickoff between the Revs (2-1-1, 7 pts.) and Impact (2-2-0, 6 pts.) is set for 7:30 p.m. Brad Feldman, Paul Mariner and Naoko Funayama will have the call on myTV38, 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2, and SiriusXM FC, as well as streaming live on revolutionsoccer.net for viewers in the Boston market. Portuguese radio listeners, meanwhile, can catch the call on WMVX 1570 AM Nossa Radio USA.
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Elizabeth Pehota and Jeff Lemieux will break down the starting lineups and storylines on Revolution Pregame LIVE, streaming on the Revs’ official Facebook page at 7 p.m., while Revolution Postgame Live will begin immediately after the final whistle on myTV38.
Current Form: Revs unbeaten in three after big road win; Impact on the rise
Cristian Penilla continued to turn heads around MLS with another standout performance (one goal, one assist) last weekend at BBVA Compass Stadium, where the Revs used a deadly counterattack to bag a massive 2-0 road win over the Houston Dynamo.
HIGHLIGHTS: Penilla, Turner, Bunbury shine as Revs down 10-man Dynamo
The victory stretched the Revs’ unbeaten run to three games (2-0-1) as they’ve taken seven points from a possible nine in the past month, and now they’ll aim to continue building early-season momentum as they’ll play seven of their next 10 games within the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium.
“It’s always a better training week when you’ve had a good result and a good performance under your belt,” said head coach Brad Friedel. “But the thing about this is you have to throw those away now and move on to the next one.
“We have two home games in front of us (against Montreal and FC Dallas), and we’ll be looking to try to get maximum points. If we get that, then the confidence can still build.”
Montreal also have a bit of momentum heading into Friday night as the Impact have rebounded from a frustrating start – a pair of losses to open the season – with back-to-back wins over last year’s MLS Cup finalists, Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC, including a road win at CenturyLink Field last weekend.
Both of those victories have been by 1-0 score lines as head coach Remi Garde has the Impact playing a stingy brand of defense in his first year in charge.
“I know Remi a little bit from his time in Europe,” said Friedel, who expects Montreal to play with five across the back. “He’ll have the team structured in a very resilient manner and they’ll be difficult to break down.
“It’ll be a hard game, there’s no doubt about it. They have a very good player in (Ignacio) Piatti, so we’ll have to be at the top of our game to beat them.”
Past Meetings: Revs go in search of a fifth straight win against the Impact
It’s still a relatively brief history between the Revolution and Impact – only dating back to Montreal’s expansion season of 2012 – but it’s been a series of streaks in recent years.
Since the Impact won three straight meetings from late 2015 to early 2016 it’s been the Revs who’ve taken control, winning the last four matchups, including last year’s dramatic season finale when Kelyn Rowe rifled home a late winner with virtually the last kick of the game.
HIGHLIGHTS: Rowe’s dramatic late goal lifts Revs to victory at Stade Saputo
All told, home-field advantage hasn’t meant much in the series as the Revs are 3-3-1 against the Impact at home, and 4-4-1 north of the border.
Injury Report: Németh gives Revs “another element” as he returns from int’l duty
Krisztián Németh, who missed the 2-2 draw with New York City FC while on international duty and the 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo while recovering from his travels, will be back in the mix for Friday night’s meeting with the Impact.
Németh returned to full training early this week and now aims to break his way into the match-day squad.
READ: Back from international duty, Németh rejoins battle for playing time
Isaac Angking, meanwhile, continues to recover from the non-soccer related medical emergency that has sidelined him since preseason.
Final Thoughts: “We just have to keep this vibe going and keep it rolling”
“I think coach (Friedel) has definitely brought this team together,” said Diego Fagundez, who leads the Revs with two goals through four games. “The way he wants us to play, the energy, everything about the locker room has definitely changed.
“I think it’s better for us. I think it’s definitely showing in the games. We just have to keep doing it, keep having fun. At the end of the day, when we’re winning games, everybody is happy. So we just have to keep this vibe going and keep it rolling.”
