FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II will resume its 2021 USL League One season Wednesday evening, hosting Union Omaha at Gillette Stadium. The contest kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET and is available nationally on ESPN+.
Revolution II is coming off a 24-day pause following their opening two matches of the regular season. New England opened the campaign with a 1-0 victory at Fort Lauderdale CF on April 10 before dropping a 3-0 contest against Richmond Kickers on April 17 in the club’s 2021 home opener. Six Revolution II players have made their professional debuts this season, bringing the total number of Revolution II debutants to 25 since the start of 2020 – including 15 current or former Academy players. Brazilian midfielder Michel, a product of the Botafogo F.R. academy, was the latest player to debut as he saw 22 minutes as a substitute against Richmond.
New England made two more additions to the club’s roster during the break in play, adding defenders Tyler Freitas and Pierre Cayet. Freitas, a Revolution Academy product and 2019 UnitedHealthcare Player of the Year recipient, signed on April 16 following a stint in Spain with A.D. Colmenar Viejo. Cayet, 22, is a graduate of Temple University where he led the Owls in minutes for three consecutive seasons. The Frenchman was recently named the unanimous 2021 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Union Omaha finished their 2020 campaign as the USL League One runner up and have won their first two matches of 2021, both by 2-0 scorelines. The Omaha roster features former Revolution player and Academy alum Nicolas Firmino, who played in all 16 games for Revolution II last season. In two matches last season, New England went 1-0-1 against Omaha, playing to a 0-0 draw in both clubs’ inaugural match on July 25 before claiming a 2-0 victory in Nebraska on Sept. 19.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR against Union Omaha:
- Revolution II maintaining an unbeaten record against Union Omaha after posting a 1-0-1 record against the fellow first-year club last season. New England outscored the Owls, 2-0, over two matches.
- Goalkeeper Joe Rice making his second start of the season and extending his own personal shutout streak which currently sits at 328 minutes dating back to last September.
- Defender Tyler Freitas potentially making their club debuts after signing with Revolution II back in April. Cayet’s first appearance would also be his professional debut.
- Academy midfielders Noel Buck and Hikaru Fujiwara or forward Michael Tsicoulias possibly earning minutes for the third consecutive game this season.
- Hikaru Fujiwara and Jake Rozhansky adding to their team-leading three chances created this season.
- Midfielder Michel potentially making his first career start after coming as a substitute for his professional debut on April 17 vs. Richmond.
- Forward Connor Presley continuing to appear in every game since the club began play in 2020, adding to his club-record 18 appearances for Revolution II.
- Forward Ryan Sierakowski scoring for a second time in three matches since signing with Revolution II in late March.
- Revolution Homegrown Players Justin Rennicks and Damian Rivera continue to see action with Revolution II and possibly starting together for a third-straight game to begin the 2021 season.
- Revolution Academy product and former Revolution Homegrown Player Nicolas Firmino, a native of Somerville, Mass., returning to New England to face his former club for the first time as a member of Union Omaha.
Match #3: Revolution II vs. Union Omaha
Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Streaming:ESPN+ (National) / YouTube (International)
Talent: Joe Malfa (play-by-play)
Social: @NERevolution2, #NERevsII, #NEvOMA
