BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – New England Revolution II (10-5-4; 38 pts.; 2nd in East) returns to action this weekend to take on Chicago Fire II (6-7-6; 25 pts.; 9th in East) on Sunday evening. The 8:00 p.m. ET match at SeatGeek Stadium streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com with James Hadnot calling the action.
Revolution II defeated Eastern Conference-leading Crown Legacy FC at Gillette Stadium on July 12, 3-1, to extend their unbeaten streak to four games. Marcos Dias, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, and Peyton Miller all tallied while Revolution goalkeeper Jacob Jackson made three saves to earn his fourth win of the 2023 season. New England sealed its tenth victory of the year with Revolution II’s newest signing, forward Olger Escobar, recording his first pro assist on Miller’s goal as the two continue their connection established at the Under-17 level over the past two MLS NEXT seasons.
“It’s just a product of the work that they’ve put in lately at practice,” defender Pierre Cayet said of the two Academy products following the July 12 victory. “We know they [Escobar and Miller] are great players, it’s a matter of can they come up in big games like this and perform, and they did, and we love to have them. Moving forward, it’s just great to have those guys with us.”
Sunday’s match marks the fourth all-time meeting between Chicago and New England. Revolution II and Fire II last battled to a 2-2 draw on June 11 at Gillette Stadium, with New England claiming the additional point via 4-3 shootout victory. Homegrown midfielder Jack Panayotou and Adebayo-Smith both scored in the contest as Adebayo-Smith continues to rank among league leaders in several categories. The East London native ranks third in shots (48) and shots on target (25), tied for fifth in goals (8), and tied for fourth in assists (4) in MLS NEXT Pro, while Jackson ranks tied for eighth amongst MLS NEXT Pro goalkeepers in saves (42), holding a 1.38 goals against average this season.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST CHICAGO FIRE II:
- Forward Olger Escobar making his third straight start after signing his first professional contract with New England on July 26.
- New England extending its unbeaten streak to five consecutive games and adding to its 38 goals scored this season, third most in MLS NEXT Pro.
- Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith adding to his team-leading eight goals and four assists on the season.
- Revolution II’s defense adding to its five clean sheets this season, tied for fourth-most in MLS NEXT Pro.
- Goalkeeper Jacob Jackson improving upon his 1.38 goals against average in 2023.
- Any Revolution Academy player making their professional debut and adding to the 29 that have done so in club history.
