FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (7-8-4, 25 pts.) will look to snap a four-match winless skid with their first ever visit to face North Carolina FC (4-11-4, 16 pts.) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on Saturday night. The match is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN+.
Revolution II played to a 1-1 draw against South Georgia Tormenta FC on Sunday, with defender Ryan Spaulding netting his third goal of the season in the 23rd minute. Tormenta FC’s Azaad Liadi equalized 10 minutes later, leaving the teams to split the points. Spaulding was selected to the USL League One Team of the Week, presented by Cleer Audio, for the sixth time this season. Goalkeeper Joe Rice made his 12th start of the season, recording three saves to keep pace in the League One Golden Glove race.
New England remains entrenched in a tight battle for playoff positioning, with three points separating the third through 11th positions in the USL League One standings. After Sunday’s draw, New England sits in seventh place with 25 points, one point below the playoff line with nine games remaining.
Revolution II will welcome back defender François Dulysse, who received a call up to the Haiti Men’s National Team for a pair of international friendlies against Bahrain (Sept. 1) and Jordan (Sept. 4). Dulysse, 22, played 90 minutes in both contests for Haiti – a 6-1 defeat to Bahrain and a 2-0 win over Jordan. The defender has now been capped on three occasions for Haiti.
North Carolina FC has won once in its last six games, including a lopsided defeat to New England on August 5 at Gillette Stadium, 3-0. Damian Rivera scored the game-winner for New England midway through the first half, while Edward Kizza added a brace in the second half for his first two professional goals. NCFC is coming off a 3-0 defeat at home to first-place Union Omaha last Saturday.
Saturday’s match will serve as a homecoming for Clint Peay and Ryan Spaulding, both of whom were with North Carolina FC during the 2019 season. Spaulding, a Cary, N.C. native, played for North Carolina FC’s Academy while Peay got his first professional coaching opportunity under the club’s former coach, Dave Sarachan.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Here are a few top storylines to watch on Saturday:
- Defender Ryan Spaulding and Head Coach Clint Peay making their first visit to their former club North Carolina FC since joining Revolution II.
- Defender Collin Verfurth playing 88 minutes to reach 1,000 for the second straight season with New England. Verfurth, donning the captain’s armband, went over 2,000 minutes played in his Revolution II career last weekend.
- Midfielder Noel Buck making his 20th appearance of the season. The 16-year-old, along with Spaulding, is one of two players to have appeared in every match this season and is tied for second on the team with four goals.
- Revolution Academy midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic making a fourth consecutive appearance after making his professional debut at Tormenta FC on Aug. 21.
- Forward Connor Presley potentially making his 30th appearance for New England. The forward/defender ranks third in team history for appearances and minutes played (2,070).
Match #20: Revolution II vs. North Carolina FC
Date: Saturday, September 11, 2021
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Streaming: ESPN+ (National) / YouTube (International)
Talent: Dean Linke (play-by-play)
Social: @NERevolution2, #NERevsII, #NCvNE
