FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Thirty-three games down, one to go.
The New England Revolution (12-15-6, 42 pts.) will officially close out the 2017 season on Sunday evening when they’ll visit the Montreal Impact (11-16-6, 39 pts.) at Stade Saputo.
As part of league-wide Decision Day all 11 matches will kick off simultaneously at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday. Brad Feldman and Paul Mariner will have the Revs’ call on NBC Sports Boston and 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2, while Portuguese radio listeners can tune into WMVX 1570 AM Nossa Radio USA.
Those who’d like to watch alongside fellow Revolution supporters can head to the club’s official watch party at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Merrimack, N.H.
Current Form: Revs head north of the border aiming to erase winless road record
Diego Fagundez helped the Revs wrap up their home schedule in style last weekend, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over New York City FC. It was the Revolution’s 12th victory of the year at Gillette Stadium, establishing a new club record for home wins in a single season.
HIGHLIGHTS: Fagundez double lifts Revs to record-breaking win in home finale
Now the focus shifts to Sunday’s season finale in Montreal, where the Revs will look to avoid going winless on the road for an entire season for the first time in club history. While a victory would be mere consolation at this point in the campaign, it’s still being treated as a significant objective by the club.
READ: Revs ready to do “whatever it takes” in Montreal to finish 2017 with first road win
“For our heads, it’s very important,” said Antonio Delamea. “We’ve all been frustrated for the whole year, because we tried to do our best, but we always failed at doing it (on the road). We really want this win and we’ll do anything we can to reach it.”
Like the Revs, Montreal are playing Sunday’s season finale for pride with the postseason out of reach. The Impact enter Decision Day having lost four straight games and eight of their last nine, but they’ll find plenty of motivation as they bid adieu to their retiring captain, Patrice Bernier.
“There’s plenty to play for,” said Chris Tierney. “You want to finish as high as you can and any time you put the jersey on, you want to put in a good performance individually and collectively for the club.”
Past Meetings: Revs hoping recent success vs. Impact continues in Canada
The Revs have won their last three meetings with the Impact, including a 1-0 triumph at Gillette Stadium just seven weeks ago on the back of Lee Nguyen’s second-half goal.
New England have also won on three of their eight visits to Montreal, including their most recent trip in September of last year when Kelyn Rowe’s two-goal, one-assist performance led the way in a 3-1 victory. A little more than 13 months ago, that was the Revolution’s most recent win away from home.
Injury Report: With Rowe back in the mix, Revs finish 2017 with a fully healthy roster
Kelyn Rowe hasn’t officially made his return from the right knee sprain that sidelined him for almost two months, but the midfielder’s appearance on the bench last week against NYCFC was a sign that he’s fully recovered and ready to contribute in the season finale if necessary.
That means the Revolution’s entire 26-man roster should be healthy and available for the trip to Montreal.
Final Thoughts: Players aiming to “make the most of” the season’s final week
“I think we want to enjoy it,” Teal Bunbury said of the season finale. “I think we want to have fun. I think we want to go on the road and get a win, something we haven’t done all year.
“It’s one week left, and we’re trying to make the most out of it. We don’t know what it’s going to look like next season, so we have to enjoy this time that we have with each other and make the most of it.”
