FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (0-0-1; 1 pts.) opened its inaugural campaign on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium against fellow first-year club Union Omaha (0-0-1, 1 pts.) with the two sides playing to a 0-0 draw in their first competitive match.

“I thought it was obviously good to get out and play someone new in a real competitive match that meant something,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “It was difficult match, [Omaha] was a strong opponent in terms of fighting for every play and making it difficult to break them down. I’m proud of the guys, I thought they battled well and showed some good character in terms of dealing with what was thrown their way with how the other team played which was pretty direct. A lot of set pieces they had to face so I thought they did well there.”

Revolution II goalkeeper Joe Rice made five saves in the victory to preserve his first-career shutout. The second-year professional made four of his five stops in the second half.

Defender Collin Verfurth, who recently signed a contract with the Revolution first team, headlined a stalwart defensive effort by Revolution II with a game-high eight clearances while leading both sides with 60 passes attempted.

“Starting with a new team, obviously you need to take more time to get comfortable with the guys on the pitch,” said Verfurth. “Especially with an inaugural season with Revolution II and having a lot of pro debuts, we had about eight or nine professional debuts today so their first time playing in a professional atmosphere but all those being said, I thought we played real well. Took a lot of positives from the game and I think we have a lot of stuff we can work on and move forward with.”

Revolution II had a pair of scoring chances in the second half. Midfielder Mayele Malango hit the post in the 77^th minute. Defender Ryo Shimazaki had a chance of his own five minutes later, recording the team’s only shot on target in the 82^nd minute with a shot from 25 yards out that Omaha keeper Rashid Nuhu punched over the bar.

“[Union Omaha] connected a lot on the back, connected together every single time we attacked,” said Malango. “So I think that’s one of the key things for them like their four defenders on the back line should all be connected. I think that was the thing that helped them to stay organized. But other than that, it was the way they just talk and help each other out was the thing that was tough about their backline.”

New England will have next week off before returning to action at home on August 7 against Orlando City B slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The match will stream on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube internationally.

New England Revolution 0, Union Omaha 0
July 25, 2020 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Two Revolution First-Team Players Make Their USL League One Debuts

• First team midfielder Nicolas Firmino and defender Collin Verfurth both started the contest for Revolution II, becoming the first two Revolution first-team players to feature at the USL League One level.
• Verfurth finished with a game-high eight clearances and 46 completed passes.
• Firmino had a team-high two key passes and completed 25 of his 28 passes in the opposing half.  

Pair of Revolution Academy Stars Make Their Revolution II Debut

• Both Kaoru Fujiwara and Trevor Burns came on as second-half substitutes for Revolution II, marking the first time active Revolution Academy players have featured professionally.
• Burns, the 2020 United HealthCare Academy Player of the Year, completed 89% of his passes, a team-high mark, in his brief appearance.

Rice Records First-Career Shutout

• Joe Rice stopped five shots to preserve the first shutout of his career and the first clean sheet in club history.
• The second-year pro is the lone member of the Revolution II squad with prior experience at the USL League One level, playing in three matches last season for Richmond Kickers.

Super-Sub Shimazaki Nearly Breaks Deadlock

• Ryo Shimazaki nearly got New England on the board late with a shot that required a heroic save from Omaha keeper Rashid Nuhu to keep out of the net.
• Shimazaki was one of three 2020 MLS SuperDraft picks to debut for Revolution II on Saturday, joining fellow defenders Jon Bell and Simon Lekressner.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Adam Kilpatrick

Assistant Referees: Tom Felice (AR1), Ian Mangione (AR2)

Fourth Official: Hao Zhong

Weather: 88 degrees and clear

Attendance: N/A

Scoring Summary:

NONE

Misconduct Summary:

NE – Jon Bell (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 40’

OMA – Sebastian Contreras (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 54’

NE – Trevor Burns (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 90+3’

NE – Orlando Sinclair (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 90+4’

NE – Collin Verfurth (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 90+5’

New England Revolution II: Joe Rice; Simon Lekressner (Ryo Shimazaki HT), Collin Verfurth ©, Jon Bell, Ryan Spaulding; Tiago Mendonca (Trevor Burns 70’), Maciel, Nicolas Firmino (Kaoru Fujiwara 90’); Orlando Sinclair, Mayele Malango, Connor Presley.

Substitutes Not Used: Keegan Meyer; Oskar Bloch, Michael Tsicoulias, Ronilson Mendes.

Union Omaha: Rashid Nuhiu; Abdul Illal Osumanu, Daltyn Knutson, Damia Viader; Lucas Hauswirth, Sebastian Contreras © (Austin Panchot 86’), Devin Boyce, Tyler David; Evan Conway (Ferrety Sousa 85’), Juan Mare (Elvir Ibisevic 75’), Ethan Vanacore-Decker (Elma Nfor 75’).

Substitutes Not Used: Sam Howard, Jake Crull, Nathan Aune.