MLS Regular Season | Match #17
New England Revolution at New York City FC
Sunday, October 11 | 4:30 p.m. ET
Yankee Stadium | Bronx, N.Y.
Watch: NBC Sports Boston
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese)
Revolution Pregame Live presented by Dan O’Brien Automotive Group (3:45 p.m.)
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CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
7th in Eastern Conference (5-4-7, 22 pts.)
Last Result | 1-0 loss vs. Toronto FC
New England’s four-game unbeaten run came to an end on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium, but not without controversy as Ayo Akinola appeared to foul Andrew Farrell in the buildup to his 29th-minute goal, which proved decisive in Toronto FC’s 1-0 win.
Adam Buksa’s missed second-half penalty added an extra sting to the loss, but the Revs will take confidence from their performance as they largely outplayed a TFC side now alone atop the Supporters’ Shield standings, and as they head back out on the road, where they’ve gone 3-1-0 since returning to play in mid-August.
New York City FC
5th in Eastern Conference (8-6-2, 26 pts.)
Last Result | 4-1 win vs. D.C. United
After playing five home games at Red Bull Arena – where they went 4-1-0 – NYCFC returned to Yankee Stadium midweek with a comprehensive 4-1 win over D.C. United. The hosts registered 31 shots in the game, the most by an MLS team in any single game this season, and matching the NYCFC club record.
It’s safe to say that NYCFC’s 0-4-0 start to the season is well in the rearview mirror as Ronny Deila’s side has gone 7-1-2 in its last 10 games, including three straight wins while outscoring opponents 11-3.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner
Facing an NYCFC team that has found its attacking groove in recent weeks – scoring 11 goals in their last three games – the Revs will lean on their resolute defense at Yankee Stadium. New England have conceded just 13 goals this season, tied for second-fewest in MLS, while shutting out their opponents on six occasions.
Matt Turner has been the backstop of that success, and the 26-year-old goalkeeper currently ranks second league-wide in goals against average (0.80) and saves percentage (80.4). He made four saves when the Revs battled NYCFC to a 0-0 draw three weeks ago at Gillette Stadium.
NYCFC forward Ismael Tajouri-Shradi
With last year’s leading scorer Héber out for the season (torn ACL), midfield maestro Maxi Moralez also sidelined by a knee injury, and Alexandru Mitriță recently sent on loan to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, more of the attacking responsibility falls on the shoulders of Ismael Tajouri-Shradi.
Tajouri-Shradi scored twice in NYCFC’s midweek win over D.C. United and although he has started just three times since July 20, he has racked up three goals and one assist in those appearances. Although Tajouri-Shradi has just 19 career MLS goals, he has registered five two-goal games, including one against the Revolution in a 2-2 draw back in March 2018.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
Gustavo Bou missed the Revolution’s midweek loss to Toronto FC with what Bruce Arena called “a minor injury,” and the Revolution’s leading goal scorer is listed as “not medically cleared” ahead of Sunday’s visit to NYC. Prior to Wednesday, Bou had appeared in all 15 of the Revs’ matches this season, starting 13.
Matt Polster, however, is no longer listed on the “not medically cleared” list as he recovers from the concussion that has kept him out of the last two games, while Alex Büttner returned from a hamstring injury to play 10 minutes off the bench against TFC.
NYCFC
The trio of Héber, Maxi Moralez and Alexandru Mitriță combined to total 34 goals and 27 assists last season, but none of them will be available on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. In recent weeks both Héber and Moralez have been lost to knee injuries, while Mitriță was sent on loan just this past week.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena
“We can do some things better tactically to get better shots and better chances. Obviously, some technical errors when you miss chances. You miss a penalty kick, you miss a penalty kick. We’re not the first team that’s ever missed a penalty kick. This guy [Gonzalo] Higuaín missed one last week in Miami. It happens. Out of run of play, we had a couple of decent chances the other day and we didn’t convert. It’s all part of it. Goal scoring is the hardest part of our sport arguably, and you need players under pressure that can finish off their chances. We’ve failed to do that over the last couple of games.”
New England Revolution center back Henry Kessler
“[There’s] not too much time left. We need to really take advantage of the games that we have left. As you said, there’s only seven of them in a condensed time so the games are going to be coming thick and fast. So we need to take advantage of every opportunity that we get and really start getting points.”
