QUEENS, N.Y. – New England Revolution II (3-2-1; 11 pts.) hits the road on Saturday, May 6 to take on New York City FC II (2-1-1; 7 pts.) at Belson Stadium for the first of three consecutive road matches in May. The contest kicks off at 5 p.m. and streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Revolution II battled FC Cincinnati 2 to a 5-5 draw last Sunday, claiming the additional point after their 5-4 shootout victory. Homegrown midfielder Damian Rivera and forward Marcos Dias each notched braces while forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith tallied his third goal of the season in the match. Adebayo-Smith, Dias, Jack Panayotou, Peyton Miller, and Ben Awashie all tallied in the shootout while goalkeeper Max Weinstein saved Cincinnati’s sixth attempt to secure the extra point. With a combined 10 goals between both sides, Sunday’s match became the highest scoring contest in MLS NEXT Pro history.
“I think at the end of the day, we were fortunate or they [FC Cincinnati 2] were fortunate. I don't know what to say,” Head Coach Clint Peay said postgame. “We weren't very good in terms of executing some moments, and I thought we gifted them a few goals where I felt like we earned our goals. Obviously, they had some other chances, but the goals they did score, we made some mistakes that cost us. We've got to obviously do better as we move forward.”
Rivera owns three goals and one assist in five games played with New England’s second team this season. Rivera distributed the assist on Adebayo-Smith’s tally that gave Revs II the lead at the end of the first half.
“I feel like Tico [Damian Rivera] is very talented. Whenever he gets the ball, he can dribble past anyone,” Adeabyo-Smith said of the Homegrown midfielder. “He slows down the ball, he can speed up. He helps start the attack, and he got the assist for my goal, so he’s going to help if he plays a lot with us this year, definitely.”
In MLS NEXT Pro, Revolution II is currently tied for second in goals scored (15), tied for fourth in assists (10), tied for 10th in shots (84), and is seventh in shots on target (35) with goals coming from eight different players so far this season.
New England owns a 1-1-2 all-time record against NYCFC II, most recently earning a 2-1 victory on April 2 where Homegrown midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic tallied the game-winner in the 89th minute to secure New England’s second win of the 2023 season. Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano made five saves in the match. The two sides met twice at Belson Stadium in 2022 with both meetings ending in draws with New England owning a 1-1 record in the shootout.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST NEW YORK CITY FC II:
- Revolution II improving upon its 3-2-1 record through the first six games of the MLS NEXT Pro season.
- Forward Marcos Dias building off a two-goal performance last weekend.
- Defender Pierre Cayet making his 50th appearance with Revolution II since signing with the team in 2021. The center back currently ranks second in interceptions (18) in MLS NEXT Pro.
- Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith taking the team lead in goals scored after notching his third goal of the year last week. The East London native ranks fifth in shots (19) so far this season.
- Defender Jacob Akanyirige making his 20th professional start.
- Any Revolution Academy players making their professional debuts, adding to the 27 Academy products who have debuted with the team to date.
