CHESTER, Penn. – New England Revolution II (12-5-7; 48 pts.; 2nd in East) will complete a two-game road stretch on Sunday night, when the team visits rival Philadelphia Union II at Subaru Park. Sunday’s match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET and streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com with Michael Wottreng on the call.
Revolution II are postseason bound for the first time in the program’s four-year history, following a 4-1 shootout win at Toronto FC II after battling to a scoreless draw last Friday. New England, one of three teams to have clinched a berth for the MLS NEXT Pro Cup Playoffs, currently trails Crown Legacy FC by a seven-point margin for first place in the Eastern Conference standings with four regular season games remaining. Last Friday’s result extended New England’s unbeaten streak to nine consecutive games, the longest stretch without a loss in Revolution II history and the longest active undefeated run in MLS NEXT Pro. After the scoreless draw, midfielder Jake Rozhansky, forwards Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Olger Escobar, and defender Jacob Akanyirige each scored in the shootout to seal the additional point.
“It feels really good,” midfielder Jake Rozhansky said of his team’s playoff-clinching performance. “Pierre [Cayet] and I were talking, we’ve been here for three years, and the first two seasons we were close, and we ended up not making it. This is just a culmination of the hard work for us and the guys who have been around for the last three years of hard work together. I think this is the most together the team has been and that’s probably what led us to qualifying for the playoffs.”
Goalkeeper Nico Campuzano had another impressive showing in his first appearance in net since June 18, guiding New England’s defense to its sixth shutout performance of the season. The Spanish goalkeeper recorded two saves in the result, matching Jacob Jackson for the team lead in clean sheets this season with three each.
“We know what [Campuzano] can do,” Revolution Assistant Coach Marcelo Santos said of Campuzano’s performance. “We know how he trains, and we knew he would be ready. We were very excited that he got the opportunity because he’s a guy who puts in work every day knowing that most of the times he’s not going to get to play. We’re excited that he performed well and helped the team to get a shutout and get the win.”
Sunday’s match in Chester marks the third and final regular season meeting between New England and Philadelphia this season, with Revolution II earning two victories in the previous two matchups. The two teams last met on May 21, with New England claiming a 4-3 victory. Homegrown Player Esmir Bajraktarević tallied a three-goal performance to mark the first hat trick in Revolution II history, while Marcos Dias also found the scoresheet in the 82nd minute. Jackson made four saves in the win, marking his first win of the 2023 campaign.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST PHILADELPHIA UNION II:
- New England extending its unbeaten streak to 10 consecutive games and adding to its 50 goals scored this season, second-most in MLS NEXT Pro.
- New England adding to its nine goals scored against Philadelphia this season.
- Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith adding to his team-leading 12 goals and four assists on the 2023 season. The East London native is tied for fourth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Golden Boot race.
- Defender Pierre Cayet holding his position as the league leader in interceptions (62).
- Midfielder Patrick Leal adding to his two assists in his first four matches for Revolution II.
- Defender Peyton Miller adding to his four goal contributions in his last seven appearances.
- Any Revolution Academy player making their professional debut and adding to the 29 that have done so in club history.
