FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—The New England Revolution (22-5-7; 73 pts.) fell to Inter Miami CF (12-7-5; 41 pts.), 1-0, on MLS Decision Day this Sunday night at Gillette Stadium in the team’s regular season finale. Midfielder Blaise Matuidi netted the game-winning goal for the visitors in the 58th minute, on assists from Rodolfo Pizzaro and Lewis Morgan.

New England finishes the regular season with league records in points (73) and points per game (2.15), while tying the league’s all-time best winning percentage (.750). The Revolution’s five defeats this season are a new club low and only one more than the fewest in MLS history. New England completes the home schedule with a 12-2-3 mark in Foxborough, tying the Revolution’s best home season.

Forward Gustavo Bou led New England’s attack with a game-high eight shots on the night. The Argentinian forward added three key passes to his 90-minute performance and finishes the season ranked second on the team in both goals (15) and assists (9). Adam Buksa finishes the year as New England’s leader scorer with 16 goals on the year.

Midfielder Matt Polster completed 72 of 75 pass attempts, in addition to a team-high 11 possessions gained. Defender DeJuan Jones led New England with 108 touches on the night, in addition to six tackles. Meanwhile, Henry Kessler logged his 50th MLS appearance and Tommy McNamara earned his 175th MLS appearance. Goalkeeper Matt Turner registered three saves and finishes the year with a club-record 17 wins.

After Sunday’s match, the Revolution celebrated the club’s first-ever Supporters’ Shield title by lifting the shield in front of fans at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution will enjoy a bye through Round One of the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs before facing the winner of New York City FC and Atlanta United FC, the fourth and fifth seeds in the Eastern Conference, respectively, in the Eastern Conference Semifinal round. The official date and time of the Revolution’s first playoff game will be announced Sunday night.

POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution 1, Inter Miami CF 0
November 7, 2021 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Team Notes: 

• The New England Revolution fell on Sunday afternoon to Inter Miami CF, 1-0, at Gillette Stadium to finish the regular season with a record of 22-5-7 (73 points). 
• The Revolution finished the season with a .750 winning percentage, matching the best winning percentage in MLS history, set on three prior occasions (last: LAFC, 2019).
• New England’s 22 victories matched the MLS record for wins in a season (not including shootouts). The official MLS record for wins in a season is 24, set in 1998 by the LA Galaxy and Bruce Arena’s D.C. United during the league’s shootout era (1996-99).
• The Revolution’s 2.15 points per game is a new MLS record, surpassing the LA Galaxy’s 2.13 points per game in 1998. 
• The Revs’ finished the season with a 19-point lead atop the Eastern Conference, the league’s largest-ever margin of victory atop an MLS conference (16 – LAFC, 2019 and San Jose, 2015).
• New England’s home record of 12-2-3 matches the best home mark in team annals, set in 2017 (12-2-3). 
• The Revolution’s unbeaten streak is snapped at 10 games, one shy of the team mark. The 10-game streak stands as the Revolution’s third-longest run without a loss. 
• Bruce Arena’s Starting XI featured one change from New England’s 1-0 win over Colorado on Oct 27, with forward Teal Bunbury starting in place of Adam Buksa.

Individual Notes:   

• Carles Gil recorded a team-high four key passes to finish the regular season with an MLS-record 130 chances created. Gil added four shots and won eight duels.
• Gustavo Bou had a game-high eight shots, one shy of his single-game career high, and finished the match with three key passes to raise his total for the season to 63 – most among MLS forwards this season.
• Tommy McNamara played in his 175th MLS match on Sunday, marking the occasion by winning four of his five duels and winning three tackles.
• Henry Kessler collected his 50th career MLS appearance in Sunday’s contest, completing 28 of his 29 passes and registering two clearances in a 45-minutes shift.
• Andrew Farrell set a new career high with his 33rd start and put in his sixth consecutive 90-minute performance to close the season with 2,970 minutes play, surpassing his previous career high from 2016. Farrell had a team-high three interceptions and added 10 recoveries. 
• Matt Polster completed a team-high 72 of his 75 passes on the night, including two key passes, and also paced the Revolution with 11 recoveries.
• DeJuan Jones had team highs in duels won (11) and tackles (6) and also matched his career high with 108 touches. 
• Brandon Bye finished the night with two key passes, won five of his six duels along with two tackles, and added six recoveries.

GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Alan Kelly.
Assistant Referees: Adam Wiencowski (AR1); Peter Manikowski (AR2).
Fourth Official: Alyssa Nichols.
Video Assistant Referee: Katja Koroleva.
Attendance: 31,635
Weather: 54 degrees and clear.

Scoring Summary:
MCF – Blaise Matuidi 1 (Rodolfo Pizarro 7, Lewis Morgan 4) 58’

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Henry Kessler (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 34’
MCF – Brek Shea (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 49’
MCF – Julián Carranza (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 63’
MCF – Rodolfo Pizarro (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior 64’)

New England Revolution: Matt Turner; DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler (Jon Bell 45’), Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster, Tommy McNamara (Emmanuel Boateng 71’), Tajon Buchanan, Carles Gil ©; Teal Bunbury (Arnór Traustason 60’), Gustavo Bou.

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, A.J. DeLaGarza, Christian Mafla, Scott Caldwell, Wilfrid Kaptoum, Maciel.

Inter Miami CF: John McCarthy; Nicolás Figal, Leandro González Pirez, Christian Makoun, Brek Shea; Gregore ©, Blaise Matuidi; Lewis Morgan, Indiana Vassilev (Kelvin Leerdam 73’), Rodolfo Pizarro (Jay Chapman 80’); Julián Carranza (Robbie Robinson 80’).

Substitutes Not Used: Drake Callender, Ventura Alvarado, Sami Guediri.

Full statistics available HERE.