MLS Regular Season | Match #12
New England Revolution at Inter Miami CF
Saturday, May 13 | 7:30 p.m. ET
DRV PNK Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Watch: FREE on Apple TV
- English Talent: Chris Wittyngham (play-by-play), Jamie Watson (analyst)
- Spanish Talent: Sammy Sadovnik (play-by-play), Eduardo Biscayart (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
1st in Eastern Conference (7-1-3, 24 pts.)
Last Result (MLS) | 2-0 win at Toronto FC
Last Result (Open Cup) | 1-0 loss vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Unbeaten in eight (5-0-3) and atop the Supporters’ Shield standings one-third of the way through the MLS schedule, there can be few complaints about the way 2023 is unfolding for the Revolution. With 24 points they’re off to the second-best start in club history through 11 games, just one point shy of the 25 points (7-0-4) put together by the 2005 team, and better than the 23 points (7-2-2) in the record-breaking 2021 campaign.
New England’s brief run in the U.S. Open Cup did come to an end on Tuesday night, however, as the Revs suffered a 1-0 loss to USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Gillette Stadium. Ema Boateng, Brandon Bye, Carles Gil, and Dave Romney were all brought off the bench for the final half hour in an attempt to rescue the result, but ultimately the Revs succumbed to Danny Griffin’s goal just before halftime.
Inter Miami CF
10th in Eastern Conference (4-6-0, 12 pts.)
Last Result (MLS) | 2-1 win vs. Atlanta United FC
Last Result (Open Cup) | 1-0 win vs. Charleston Battery
While the Revs have been consistently solid through the early part of the season, Miami have ridden a rollercoaster of results. Phil Neville’s side started the year with back-to-back shutout wins, then suffered six straight losses, five of those by shutout. Miami has since recovered, winning their last two league games against quality Eastern Conference opposition in the Columbus Crew and Atlanta United FC.
The side from South Florida is also putting together a run in the U.S. Open Cup, advancing to the Round of 16 on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win over USL Championship leaders Charleston Battery, capitalizing on an own goal scored early in the second half and riding a clean sheet to victory.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution defender Dave Romney
New England’s attack has featured a different hero each and every weekend, but the backline has been marshalled by center back Dave Romney week after week from February through May. The veteran defender, in his first season with the Revs after arriving from Nashville via trade, is one of just two field players (along with Brandon Bye) to play every minute through the first 11 games of the season.
Romney has played a critical role in helping the Revs to one of the best defensive starts in club history, conceding just nine goals through 11 games while keeping five clean sheets. He could be a key figure on Saturday night as the Revs look to slow down Leonardo Campana, who registered a hat trick against the Revs last season.
Miami forward Josef Martinez
Campana, who scored both goals in the recent 2-1 win over Columbus, will no doubt be a focal point for the hosts, but Josef Martinez is also in form after scoring both goals in the 2-1 victory over his former club, Atlanta, this past weekend. Those were Martinez’s first two goals in Miami colors after scoring 98 regular season goals with Atlanta, making him the fastest player in MLS history to hit the century mark (142 games).
Martinez will be well known to Revolution fans, as the 29-year-old Venezuelan has recorded six goals and two assists in nine appearances against New England in all competitions. His final goal for Atlanta came against the Revs at Gillette Stadium last October, a stunning bicycle kick in the late stages.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
Six players remain out for the Revs: Dylan Borrero (ACL surgery), Gustavo Bou (left leg), Henry Kessler (hamstring surgery), Nacho Gil (right leg), Maciel (left Achilles), and Tommy McNamara (left leg). Jacob Jackson, meanwhile, has been fully cleared to return after completing a nine-month recovery from ACL surgery.
The trio of Jozy Altidore, Latif Blessing, and Giacomo Vrioni recently returned to action, and all three started the Revolution’s loss to Pittsburgh in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night.
Miami
Information not available.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena
“They are on a good run lately, winning their last two games after a difficult spell. They've got very good striker play with their number nines, [Josef] Martinez and [Leonardo Campana], their wide player, 22 [Nicolás Stefanellia], good player. And at home they play well. We expect it to be about 75 degrees at kickoff, which is a little different for us, so that'll be a bit challenging as we enter the summer months, so it'll be a challenging game, traveling down there, all of that. Every game in Major League Soccer is a difficult game and we expect this one to be a difficult one as well.”
New England Revolution forward Bobby Wood
“I’m glad I’m healthy. I’m glad I’m working hard. I’m glad I’m helping the team as much as possible. I’m just going out there, having fun, and trying to help the team in any way possible. That’s why Bruce brought me in. We have a very healthy competitiveness within the squad because our team is deep. That’s what’s making everybody stay on their toes and giving us the quality to have a good season so far.”
