FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (3-2-0; 9 pts.) is set to host FC Cincinnati 2 (2-1-1; 7 pts.) at Gillette Stadium on Sunday evening for the first of two meetings this season. The match kicks off at 5 p.m. and streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Revolution II fell to the New York Red Bulls II, 1-0, last Friday for the club’s second consecutive loss. Goalkeeper Max Weinstein made his first start of the year, saving two of three shots faced while forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith guided the attack with a team-high four shots, two on target, in the match. Despite the loss, Revolution II recorded 20 total shots to New York’s 13 and owned possession 63.8% of the time, continuing a strong offensive start to the 2023 season.
“I thought the team played pretty well for the most part, created a lot of good chances that I think we were a little unlucky not to get one tonight,” Head Coach Clint Peay said postgame. “Obviously, the PK was a big miss for us, but there's a lot of positives in terms of goal creation and moving the ball and building out, so very proud of the group. I thought overall, defensively, they were pretty sound. We just got a little sloppy towards the end of the game. I think tired legs and minds start to make bad decisions and that's what led to us I think losing a little bit of control of the game.”
Academy forward Olger Escobar entered the match as a substitute in the 71st minute and became the 27th Academy player to make his professional debut with New England’s second team. Escobar, a native of Malden, Mass., has been a standout within Revolution Academy and owns four call-ups to the Guatemalan Youth National Team.
“It's a huge emotion and a big moment for me. I've been waiting for this for a very long time,” Escobar said of making his professional debut. “And I woke up [Friday], I was like, ‘Well, today's the day. I think I can make my debut.’ [Thursday] night it was really hard to sleep, but I don’t know. I got through it, and then woke up saying that ‘Oh, it's here.’ And, you know, it's a big moment for me, my parents, everyone that loves me.”
New England owns a 2-0-0 all-time record against FC Cincinnati 2. Homegrown midfielder Jack Panayotou netted his first two professional goals in Revolution II’s 3-2 come-from-behind win at Gillette Stadium on April 17, 2022. One month later, Marcos Dias tallied the game-winner in Revolution II’s 1-0 shutout victory at Northern Kentucky University on May 22, 2022.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST FC CINCINNATI 2:
- Revolution II improving upon their 3-2-0 record to begin the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.
- Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano potentially improving upon his 3-1-0 record and 1.75 GAA against his former team.
- Academy defender Peyton Miller returning to Revolution II following his call-up to the U-17 U.S. Youth National Team.
- Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith extending his team-leading two goals and one assist on the 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.
