FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Another two-game week begins on Wednesday night when the New England Revolution will make their first-ever visit to Orlando City Stadium to battle Orlando City SC.
Kickoff between the Revs (11-14-5, 38 pts.) and Orlando (9-13-8, 35 pts.) is set for 7:30 p.m., with Brad Feldman and Paul Mariner bringing fans the English call on CSN New England and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Portuguese radio listeners can tune into the action on WMVX 1570 AM Nossa Radio USA.
Revolution Pregame Live with Gabriella DiGiovanni and Jeff Lemieux will hit the road for the first time, streaming live from Orlando City Stadium on the Revs’ official Facebook page at 7 p.m. Revolution Postgame Live will begin immediately after the final whistle on CSN New England.
Those who’d like to watch the game alongside fellow Revolution supporters can head to the club’s official watch party at Tropical Café in Framingham (85 Hollis St., Framingham, MA 01702).
Current Form: Revs aiming to replicate togetherness they showed vs. TFC on the road
New England found the perfect response to the emotion of last week with a dramatic win over league-leading Toronto FC on Saturday night, getting late goals from Lee Nguyen and Kei Kamara in a 2-1 victory. It made for a winning start under interim head coach Tom Soehn, who took the reins early last week when the club parted ways with Jay Heaps after almost six years at the helm.
HIGHLIGHTS: Nguyen, Kamara strike late to give Revs another win over league leaders
The win was the Revolution’s sixth straight at Gillette Stadium and their league-best 11th of the year at home, matching the club record for home wins in a season set previously in 1997 and 2014. But now – of course – the Revs must harness that energy as they head south in search of that elusive first road win.
“You’ve got to manage the highs and lows – and obviously it was a really big high – but coming into the locker room [on Monday], all you can preach is that that becomes the norm,” said Soehn. “On the road, it’s even harder. If we can bring that kind of emotion and that kind of camaraderie on the field in Orlando, I like our chances.”
Orlando will be returning home after a Sunday night visit to Portland, where Jason Kreis’ side suffered a 3-0 loss to the Timbers and lost a pair of players (Jonathan Spector and PC) to red cards. The setback dropped Orlando’s record to 3-12-8 since late April, having started the season with six wins from their first seven games.
Past Meetings: Late charge helped Revs blow past Orlando earlier this month
Three goals in the final 15 minutes helped the Revs roll past Orlando City, 4-0, just three weeks ago at Gillette Stadium, highlighted by Kamara’s first MLS hat trick and Lee Nguyen’s historic four-assist performance.
Late drama continues to be the hallmark of this series, as more than half the goals (13 of 23) have been scored after the 70th minute, while seven have been scored in the 89th minute or later.
Nguyen has played a massive role in that drama, as he’s racked up a whopping nine assists in just six career appearances against Orlando City.
This will be just the Revs’ fourth trip to Orlando, where they’re 0-1-2 with a pair of 2-2 draws.
Injury Report: Németh returns from suspension; Rowe continues to inch closer
Krisztián Németh will once again be available for selection on Wednesday night after serving a one-game suspension last weekend, giving the Revs an additional weapon in the attacking third.
Kelyn Rowe, meanwhile, continues to progress towards a return having missed the past six games with that right knee sprain suffered back in late August, but the Revs are taking a cautious approach with his recovery.
“Recovering from a knee (injury), you want to be careful,” said Soehn. “He’s been training, running, but also understand that we’re going to ease him back in. We don’t want to rush him and do something that costs him more time.”
Final Thoughts: Bunbury says Revs are “going to need everybody” to end road hex
“It’s the biggest thing, to be able to stick together as a group, especially on the road,” said Teal Bunbury. “That’s when you need that the most; to be able to motivate guys, to pump guys up, to stay positive, and know that we’re all in it together.
“We’re going to need everybody – people who are starting, people who are coming off the bench – to be motivated, to want to work for each other and to do whatever it takes to get three points.”
