MLS Regular Season | Match #22
New England Revolution vs. Toronto FC
Saturday, July 30 | 8 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: WBZ, myRITV (Rhode Island)
- “Revolution Kickoff” pregame coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on WBZ
- Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst), Tamara Brown (sideline)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
10th in Eastern Conference (6-7-8, 26 pts.)
Last Result | 0-0 draw at Columbus Crew
Djordje Petrović made six saves and Henry Kessler put together an MLS Team of the Week performance as the Revs kept their fourth clean sheet of the season last weekend, grinding out a 0-0 draw with the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field. The hard-fought point snapped a brief two-game skid and kept the Revs within two points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference heading towards the final two months of the regular season.
Now the Revs will return to Foxborough for the first time since early July, and they’ll be looking to improve upon a seven-game home unbeaten run (3-0-4) that spans more than three months. Overall the Revs are 4-2-4 at Gillette Stadium this season.
Toronto FC
13th in Eastern Conference (6-12-4, 22 pts.)
Last Result | 1-1 draw at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (5-3 loss in PKs) | Canadian Championship
After a 13th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last year TFC has struggled once again in 2022, including a recent 0-4-1 stretch from late June to mid-July. Bob Bradley’s side has been rejuvenated, however, by the recent arrivals of Italian DPs Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, both of whom debuted with strong performances in last weekend’s breakout 4-0 win over Charlotte FC.
Insigne (88 minutes) and Bernardeschi (90 minutes) both played significant minutes midweek as TFC traveled to Vancouver for the Canadian Championship Final, falling in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw. Toronto’s struggles this year have been particularly stark on the road, as they’re one of just two teams (along with the Colorado Rapids) yet to win away from home (0-7-3).
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution center back Henry Kessler
It’s been something of a rollercoaster season for third-year center back Henry Kessler, who has managed just 10 starts while dealing with a series of hamstring injuries. Kessler was at his best last weekend in Columbus, however, earning MLS Team of the Week honors and putting together what head coach Bruce Arena called his “most consistent game” in helping the Revs keep an important clean sheet.
It’s unclear how much Toronto’s new pair of DPs will feature on Saturday following their midweek trip to Vancouver, but Kessler could be a key figure in trying to slow down a Toronto FC side that will be desperate for points heading towards the season’s stretch run.
Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley
The arrivals of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi make TFC a better side based on talent alone, but the duo may well increase the value of players around them, as well. Case in point, Michael Bradley’s MLS Player of the Week performance in last weekend’s win over Charlotte, as the Toronto captain scored twice to match his goal-scoring output from the previous two-and-a-half seasons combined.
Bradley has been a stalwart in TFC’s midfield this season, starting all 22 regular season games and playing all but 10 minutes thus far. The 34-year-old veteran also went 90 minutes in Tuesday night’s loss to Vancouver in the Canadian Championship.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
Gustavo Bou, who scored seven goals in eight games before suffering a minor leg injury that kept him out for last weekend’s draw in Columbus, seems likely to miss a second straight game on Saturday. Bou is listed as questionable, but sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said that the Argentine forward “will be ready to play next week” when asked about his availability on Thursday.
Dylan Borrero, meanwhile, does not appear on the availability report after he also missed the trip to Columbus, while forward Giacomo Vrioni could be in line for increased minutes after making a 23-minute debut appearance off the bench at Lower.com Field.
Rookie goalkeeper Jacob Jackson is the only player listed as out, dealing with a leg injury.
Toronto
Information not available.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena
“All the results are important, and especially now. So, I think we have 13 regular season games remaining and they are very important. Obviously, like any team, you want to qualify for the playoffs and you want to position yourselves in a good way. And we certainly have 13 games now that will tell it all, so they are all important. And starting with the game against Toronto, then the month of August will be very challenging, as will September. So, there's a lot ahead of us and we have to start getting results.”
New England Revolution defender Henry Kessler
“It's an important game for sure. I think both teams could use a win. We know that we want to get all three points at home. And it's been a couple games since we've brought home a win, so we definitely want to make sure that happens. So yes, it's a very important game and I'm sure it'll be very intense.”
