MLS Regular Season | Match #29
New England Revolution at Charlotte FC
Saturday, September 21 | 4 p.m. ET
Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, N.C.
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English Talent: Neil Sika (play-by-play), Lloyd Sam (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Moises Linares (play-by-play), Pablo Marino (analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (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 (8-16-4, 28 pts.)
Last Result | 2-2 draw vs. CF Montréal
It’s well and truly the business end of the MLS season now, and that means the New England Revolution have a busy schedule to get through, particularly with games in hand to make up. Wednesday night’s 2-2 home draw with CF Montréal was disappointing, but the Revs will have no time to dwell on it, travelling down to North Carolina to face Charlotte FC on Saturday.
That midweek tie did keep New England at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, but also kept them in playoff contention, with only five points separating the Revolution from the Philadelphia Union in that crucial 9th-place spot. Head coach Caleb Porter said postgame that “every game’s a must-win now,” and his squad will need to hold on to that mentality against the team over whom they earned their first win of the season back in April.
Charlotte FC
7th in Eastern Conference (10-11-8, 38 pts.)
Last Result | 2-0 loss at Orlando City SC
It was a blazing summer for Charlotte FC, who amassed a record of 6-2-3 through the months of May and June to set them up fairly comfortably for Eastern Conference success this season. Things have gotten shakier since then, however, with the Crown sliding to 1-4-3 in MLS since the start of July. Granted, that victory was over FC Cincinnati on the road, and two of the ties were against Columbus and RBNY. But one win in eight is generally not playoff form, and Charlotte now find themselves at risk of missing out on automatic Round One qualification.
The North Carolina club’s last two games, losses to playoff rivals CF Montréal and Orlando City SC, both came on the road, and they will certainly be happy to return home to end their busy week; Charlotte have put together a respectable 6-3-5 record at Bank of America Stadium this campaign. Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives here – Charlotte to stay on the right side of the line, New England to keep the chance of qualification alive – and Saturday’s showdown should be a scorcher as a result.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution defender Dave Romney
Interestingly enough, New England and Charlotte own an identical Goals Scored tally so far this season, with both sides having notched 32. The key difference between the sides is that the Revolution’s defense has struggled to be as stingy as the Crown’s, though certain lopsided individual results have amplified that gap.
It would follow, then, that New England’s ability to flip the script and lock down Charlotte on defense will be crucial to success on Saturday. Goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič has proven his mettle as a shot-stopper time and again this season, but it needs to be the Revs’ backline, led by 2023 Revolution Defender of the Year Dave Romney, that makes sure the keeper doesn’t have quite so much work to do in the first place. Romney has shown time and again that he is willing to put his body on the line to protect the net, recording five blocks in New England’s shutout of Montréal in late August, according to FBRef. He’ll need to dig deep to find another performance like that in Charlotte.
Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina
By that same token, Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina has been instrumental to his side’s defensive record this season. The Croatian shot-stopper has recorded nine clean sheets this campaign, level with Patrick Schulte and behind only Stefan Frei and Hugo Lloris, and he has conceded more than two goals on just two occasions this term, the second of which came all the way back in May against the New York Red Bulls.
The flip side of that coin is the fact that Charlotte have only scored more than two goals in three games this season. If the Revs can manage to put a few past Kahlina on one end of the pitch, they may be able to take a modicum of comfort from knowing that their opponents have not made a habit of doing the same at the other end.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Revs head coach Caleb Porter on the importance of putting forth a strong defensive performance vs. Charlotte:
“It is always important in every game. Like you said, they [Charlotte FC] have shown over the course of the year that they have been a good defensive team. Recently, not as good as they were to start the year, but they are a good team. The coach has done a great job this year, Dean [Smith]. Obviously, they are in a little bit of a tough moment right now with results, but if you look at their group they are a capable of finishing very strong here and making a run in the playoffs. Every game on the road is tough, and every team we play has good players and a good coach. I always say it: It is going to come down to the team that executes, the players that perform on the day, and the balance of the attacking and defending. In our case, it is going to come down to a complete 90-plus minute performance with a strong mentality whether we are up, even, or down.”
Porter on lineup rotation during a three-game week and potential changes in Charlotte:
“I think, always, when you are in a week where you have three games, you cannot play the same guys all three matches. There will be some guys that can do that, guys that are conditioned to do that. Certain guys, you have to be careful with just with regards to their loads and previous injury history factors in as well. Then there is the tactical piece as well and what you are looking to get out of the game. Every player has different strengths, so how you put the group together to execute the plan that you have factoring in the opponent. Not a lot can be done on the training ground in these weeks, it is mostly in the film room and mostly down to your decisions on the starting 11, your personnel, and how you kind of craft the plan. But I think it is very important to maintain some continuity, because you are not going to change a ton in terms of habits with a walkthrough on the pitch.”
Revs midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević on if the pressure of a playoff push motivates him and the team:
“I would say we are using that pressure to our advantage. Obviously, [there are] not many games left in the season, and we need to get as many points as we can. I think that’s something we are using to motivate us, because honestly, right now we have no choice. There is no time to really worry about not getting points, we kind of just have to do it. So yeah, I’d say we use it as motivation.”
Bajraktarević on how he has improved since his first season in New England in 2022:
“I would say the main thing with me when I first got here was obviously my defensive work rate and helping off the ball. Obviously, I was still very young and I had a lot of learning to do, like releasing the ball at the right time, because I’m a player that likes to dribble and take chances. I think I’m still maturing, but I think I have a really good support system around me. I have good coaches. I have players that I look up to that help me learn. I think that’s helped me a lot.”
