MLS Regular Season | Match #2
New England Revolution vs. Toronto FC
Sunday, March 3 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: _MLS Season Pass_ on Apple TV
English Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play), Miguel Gallardo (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Moises Linares (play-by-play), Pablo Marino (analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 (English), SiriusXM FC 157 (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
15th in Eastern Conference (0-1-0, 0 pts.)
Last Result (MLS) | 3-1 loss at D.C. United
Last Result (Concacaf Champions Cup) | 3-0 win vs. CA Independiente
New England’s busy start to 2024 is about to get even busier following their 4-0 aggregate win over CA Independiente in Round One of Concacaf Champions Cup, setting up a Round of 16 showdown with Costa Rican powerhouse LD Alajuelense. With the home leg scheduled for Wednesday (March 6) and the return leg set for the following Thursday (March 14), the Revs will have played eight games in 26 days to start the season for an average of one game every 3.25 days.
Sunday afternoon’s MLS home opener will present an opportunity for the Revs to bounce back from last weekend’s frustrating 3-1 loss to D.C. United, which featured an otherworldly goal from Carles Gil but also an early red card for Giacomo Vrioni. They’ll relish the chance to play at Gillette Stadium, where they went 12-1-4 last year to establish a new mark for best home record in club history.
Toronto FC
12th in Eastern Conference (0-0-1, 1 pt.)
Last Result (MLS) | 0-0 draw at FC Cincinnati
John Herdman, who made history by leading both the Canada men’s and women’s national teams to FIFA World Cup appearances, has taken on the task of turning around a Toronto FC side that finished at the bottom of the MLS standings last year with a league-low 26 goals scored and 59 goals against, second-most in MLS. TFC, winners of both the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup in 2017, has missed the playoffs each of the past three seasons.
Last weekend provided an early sign of hope for Toronto, as the visitors went into TQL Stadium and took a point off the defending Supporters’ Shield champions FC Cincinnati, grinding out a 0-0 draw. Herdman will be particularly pleased with that performance away from home, after TFC went 0-13-4 on their travels last year.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution forward Tomás Chancalay
The Revs will be missing at least one key piece of their attack on Sunday afternoon with forward Giacomo Vrioni suspended after being sent off early last weekend at Audi Field. Fellow forward Bobby Wood, meanwhile, has been dealing with soreness in his knee, and Carles Gil came off at halftime of Thursday night’s win over CA Independiente with what head coach Caleb Porter called tightness in his Achilles.
That could mean more of the attacking onus falling on Tomás Chancalay, who scored the Revolution’s second goal on Thursday night and who now has two goals in his first three appearances this season. Chancalay has thrived in his limited appearances at Gillette Stadium since arriving last summer, scoring four goals in seven games in all competitions in Foxborough.
Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson
There’s no doubt TFC will push for more out of star attacking players like Lorenzo Insigne (four goals, five assists) and Federico Bernardeschi (five goals, four assists) in 2024, while they’ll also receive a spark from the return of Canadian right back Richie Laryea, who returns to Toronto for a third stint after spending parts of 2023 on loan to both Toronto and Vancouver Whitecaps FC from English club Nottingham Forest.
The star on opening weekend, however, was veteran goalkeeper Sean Johnson, now in his 16th MLS season and his second with Toronto FC. Johnson was called upon to make six saves in a shutout effort at Cincinnati, and he could be critical to TFC’s hopes again on Sunday as the Revs look to make a strong first impression in front of their home crowd.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter on playing in front of the club’s supporters:
“I think it's very important that the team, the players, and the coaches have a connection with the supporters, right? I mean, I'm not going to be on social media reading everything they say, I don't have social media. I don't have time to do that, but I do care about the supporters, and I do want them to believe in in our team, and our players, and us as coaches. And it's a results-based business. It's a bottom-line business. At the end of the day, we're going to be judged on results, whether or not we deliver, but I also think you can pay respect to the supporters. It's very important that there's a mutual respect. And sometimes I'll make mistakes, and at the end of the day, I usually own them and I know them. I'm not perfect, but I just want them to understand that we respect them, and that we do play for them. The supporters are the soul of the club, and they're the lifeblood, and they're everything to us. So ultimately, it's important after the game that we respect them, before the game that they understand that we are we are playing for them, and there's no club without them.”
Porter on the challenges Toronto FC will present:
“I think they have more belief. They’re more organized. I think they’ve bought in to what to what the coach [John Herdman] is doing. They obviously had a good result in the first game [0-0 vs. FC Cincinnati last weekend], so that'll give them more confidence, so those are things I see. They still have quality as well. Even though they lost a lot of games last year, and it unraveled for them at the end. It was a lot of change, a lot of transition. It was difficult year for them. Even though they lost a lot of games, they have a lot of quality. [Lorenzo] Insgine, [Federico] Bernardeschi, there's good players, [Jonathan] Osorio. So, they spent money on that roster too, so you get a coach in that organizes them, gets them bought in. They have talent.”
Revolution defender Henry Kessler on returning from injury to debut on Thursday:
“I feel good, yeah. So, a little injury and it’s unfortunate that I missed the first two games of the season, but I feel good now. It was good to get 45 [minutes on Thursday]. I’m excited to play the first MLS game of the season for me this weekend. I’m looking forward to it. I feel good and I’m ready to go.
“Last year was longer. This one was short, less severe, minor, if you will. I feel like I’m always impatient, just in life really but also with the injuries. But it’s easier when it’s only going to be a few weeks compared to a few months.”
Kessler on playing in front of the home supporters:
“The crowd is great. The fort is always packed, so we’re looking forward to seeing our fans. It definitely motivates us. Even this past Thursday, it was like freezing cold and we still had fans out there so that’s great. It definitely brings more energy for us.”
