FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (March 6, 2024) – The New England Revolution defeated LD Alajuelense, 4-0, in the opening leg of the Round of 16 in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium. Nick Lima and Esmir Bajraktarević each scored to bookend a brace from Tomás Chancalay, whose two tallies put him in a tie for the tournament lead with four goals in New England’s three Champions Cup matches this season. The shutout also marks the third for New England in as many games in the tournament.
New England carries a 4-0 lead on aggregate into the second leg matchup next Thursday, March 14, in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The 8:00 p.m. ET kickoff at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto will air nationally on FOX Sports 2 in English and TUDN in Spanish.
After withstanding early pressure from Alajuelense, the Revolution took the lead in the 28th minute when DeJuan Jones combined with Lima for the opening tally, his first goal with New England since joining the club in the offseason. The right back later added an assist on Bajraktarević’s second-half strike, with the Homegrown midfielder tapping in a cross from Lima to ice New England’s victory.
Minutes before halftime, New England doubled the lead when midfielder Ian Harkes forced a turnover with a strong tackle in the center circle, allowing Nacho Gil to find Chancalay for his first goal of the match. The Argentine added a second tally from the penalty spot just five minutes into the second half. Following a handball in the box in the 50th minute, Chancalay smashed the spot kick down the middle to secure his third multi-goal game with New England, and his fourth goal of the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.
Wednesday’s win marks Head Coach Caleb Porter’s 10th win in Concacaf Champions Cup action behind goalkeeper Henrich Ravas’ three-save shutout – the team’s third consecutive clean sheet in the tournament. Entering tonight, New England was one of only three teams not to concede a goal in Round One. Ravas anchored a veteran backline comprised on Jones and Lima flanking Dave Romney and Jonathan Mensah, the latter making his first start at Gillette Stadium as a member of the Revolution.
New England returns to MLS regular season action on Saturday, March 9 with a road matchup against Atlanta United FC. The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish. Listen to the Revolution’s local radio calls on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 (WBZ-FM), with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies on the call, and 1260 AM “Nossa Radio USA” in Portuguese.
TEAM NOTES
- New England improves to 5-5-1 all-time in Concacaf Champions Cup play, including a 4-2-1 mark against Central American opponents. The Revolution’s three wins are their most in a single Champions Cup campaign in club history.
- The Revolution secured a clean sheet for the fifth time in Concacaf Champions Cup play, including a third straight tournament match.
- New England evened the all-time series with LD Alajuelense, 2-2-1, in their first encounter with the Costa Rican side since 2006.
- New England’s four-goal performance was its highest output in a Concacaf Champions Cup match in club history.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Caleb Porter improves his coaching record to 10-3-2 in Concacaf Champions Cup with his third victory in the tournament this season.
- Tomás Chancalay tallied his third multi-goal game for New England, giving him 10 goals across 18 appearances in all competitions since joining the club in July 2023. The Argentine scored from open play in the first half before converting a penalty kick in the second half.
- Chancalay sits tied with Philadelphia’s Julian Carranza (4) for the most goals in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. His four goals in three matches surpassed Adam Buksa (2) for the most goals scored in the competition by a Revolution player.
- Nick Lima scored his first goal for the club and his first in five career Concacaf Champions Cup appearances. Lima also provided an assist on Bajraktarević’s goal in the second half, his second career goal-and-assist performance and first since 2018.
- Esmir Bajraktarević opened his account for the season with his first goal in Concacaf Champions Cup play. It was the 18-year-old’s second goal in all competitions for the first team.
- DeJuan Jones tallied his first assist in Concacaf Champions Cup play on Lima’s goal – his 23rd helper for New England across all competitions.
- Nacho Gil registered his first assist of the campaign, setting up Chancalay’s first half strike. The Spaniard added two chances created on the night.
- Jonathan Mensah earned his second start across all competitions this season, making his first appearance at Gillette Stadium as a member of the Revolution.
GAME CAPSULE
New England Revolution 4, LD Alajuelense 0
March 6, 2024 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (MEX)
Assistant Referee: Jorge Sanchez (MEX)
Assistant Referee: Enrique Bustos (MEX)
Fourth Official: Victor Casseres (MEX)
Video Assistant Referee: Oscar Macias (MEX)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tristley Bassue (SKN)
Weather: 50 degrees and rain
Attendance: 6,391
Scoring Summary:
NE – Nick Lima 1 (DeJuan Jones 1) 28’
NE – Tomás Chancalay 3 (Nacho Gil 1) 41’
NE – Tomás Chancalay 4 (Penalty Kick) 50’
NE – Esmir Bajraktarević 1 (Nick Lima 1) 55’
Misconduct Summary:
LDA – Ian Lawrence (Yellow Card – Hard Foul) 19’
LDA – Jonathan Moya (Yellow Card – Hard Foul) 54’
NE – DeJuan Jones (Yellow Card – Tactical Foul) 66’
New England Revolution: Henrich Ravas; DeJuan Jones (Ryan Spaulding 69’), Dave Romney, Jonathan Mensah, Nick Lima (Andrew Farrell 81’); Ian Harkes, Matt Polster © (Noel Buck 60’), Mark-Anthony Kaye; Esmir Bajraktarević (Emmanuel Boateng 81’), Nacho Gil; Tomás Chancalay (Bobby Wood 69’).
Substitutes Not Used: Earl Edwards Jr., Jacob Jackson, Carles Gil, Henry Kessler, Tommy McNamara, Jack Panayotou.
LD Alajuelense: Leonel Moreira; Carlos Martinez, Manjrekar James, Alexis Gamboa, Ian Lawrence; Carlos Mora (Anthony Hernandez 81’), Edward Cedeño, Aaron Suarez (Johan Venegas 58’), Celso Borges © (Diego Campos 58’), Joel Campbell (Michael Barrantes 58’); Fernando Lesme (Jonathan Moya 45’).
Substitutes Not Used: Bayron Mora, Alejandro Duarte, Kevin Cabezas, Yael Lopez, Juan Luis Perez, Guillermo Villalobos, Suhander Zuñiga.
