FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (July 13, 2024) – The New England Revolution (7-13-1; 22 pts.) were defeated by Orlando City SC (8-9-6; 30 pts.), 3-1, on Saturday night with 24,193 fans in attendance at Gillette Stadium. Forward Giacomo Vrioni opened the scoring with his sixth goal in as many games, giving him a team-high eight goals this regular season.
New England began the night on the front foot, with Vrioni netting the team's lone goal of the match in the 23rd minute. Vrioni’s tally marked his team-best 11th goal in all competitions. Homegrown midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević delivered a pinpoint cross to DeJuan Jones at the back post, as the left back kept the ball in play with a centering pass to Vrioni, who slotted his shot home. Jones notched his second assist of the season and his 25th helper across all competitions for the club. Bajraktarević was credited with a secondary assist in his 25th start for New England's first team.
In the second half, Orlando equalized in the 51st minute on a goal from Facundo Torres, before pulling ahead in the 59th minute. Torres finished the scoring with Orlando’s third goal of the second half in the 82nd minute, his second of the night.
Saturday night’s contest featured the first start of 2024 for midfielder Tommy McNamara, who has been limited by injuries this season. McNamara was replaced by midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye in the second half, who returned to the matchday roster after missing four of the last five games through injury. Defender Brandon Bye earned the start at right back, his second in a row after nearly a year on the mend. The right back logged one key pass on the night, while his counterpart DeJuan Jones led the team with three.
Homegrown forward Malcolm Fry, a 19-year-old from Groton, Mass., recorded his MLS debut, entering the match as a second-half substitute. He is now the 10th Revolution Academy graduate to play in a league match for the club. Tonight’s contest featured three Revolution Academy products, with Fry joined by starters Bajraktarević and Jack Panayotou, who made his second straight start in the midfield. Panayotou, a Cambridge, Mass. native, led New England’s attack with three shots on the night.
New England will be back in action Wednesday night, July 17, with another Eastern Conference clash on the road against the Philadelphia Union. The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Subaru Park is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish. Listen to New England’s local radio call on 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) with Brad Feldman and Rachel Wood. Portuguese commentary is available on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
MATCH NOTES
- Giacomo Vrioni scored his eighth goal of the MLS season to break the deadlock in the 23rd minute, finishing the night with two shots.
- Vrioni has six goals in his last six starts, and now owns 11 goals in all contests this season.
- DeJuan Jones tallied an assist on Vrioni’s opener, his second of the campaign and 25th for the club across all competitions. Jones had a team-high three key passes on the night.
- Esmir Bajraktarević was credited with a secondary assist on the opening goal, his second helper of the season.
- Matt Polster made his 125th start for the Revolution across all competitions.
- Tommy McNamara logged his first start of the campaign and first in league play since last October.
- Homegrown forward Malcolm Fry, a Groton, Mass. native, earned his MLS debut as a late second-half substitute.
GAME CAPSULE
Revolution Match #21
MLS Matchday #26
New England Revolution vs. Orlando City SC
July 13, 2024 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Assistant Referee: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt
Assistant Referee: Kevin Lock
Fourth Official: Elijio Arreguin
Video Asst. Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Video Asst. Referee: Claudiu Badea
Weather: 81 degrees and partly cloudy
Attendance: 24,193
Scoring Summary:
NE – Giacomo Vrioni 8 (DeJuan Jones 2, Esmir Bajraktarević 2) 23’
ORL – Facundo Torres 7 (Ivan Angulo 7) 51’
ORL – Ramiro Enrique 2 (César Araújo 1, Martin Ojeda 5) 59’
ORL – Facundo Torres 8 (Luis Muriel 4) 81’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL – Robin Jansson (Yellow Card – Hard Foul) 50’
NE – Ian Harkes (Yellow Card – Tactical Foul) 68’
ORL – Rodrigo Schlegel (Yellow Card – Tactical Foul) 78’
New England Revolution: Aljaž Ivačič; DeJuan Jones, Romney, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye (Andrew Farrell 88’); Matt Polster ©, Ian Harkes Tommy McNamara (Mark-Anthony Kaye 56’); Jack Panayotou (Bobby Wood 80’), Esmir Bajraktarević, Giacomo Vrioni (Malcolm Fry 88’).
Substitutes Not Used: Earl Edwards Jr., Marcos Dias, Jonathan Mensah, Ryan Spaulding.
Orlando City SC: Pedro Gallese; Kyle Smith (Rafael Santos 45’), Robin Jansson ©, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson; César Araújo (Jeorgio Kocevski 90’+2), Wilder Cartagena; Iván Angulo (David Brekalo 84’), Martin Ojeda (Nicolas Lodeiro 69’), Facundo Torres; Ramiro Enrique (Luis Muriel 69’).
Substitutes Not Used: Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Jack Lynn, Felipe.
Full statistics available HERE.
