FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The top-seeded New England Revolution begin their Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs quest tonight in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against fourth-seeded New York City FC. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium and airs on FS1, FOX Deportes, ROCK 92.9 FM, SiriusXM FC, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio. CBS Boston’s exclusive pregame coverage begins with “Revolution Kickoff” at 6:30 p.m. on TV38. The game is also available on ESPN+ for out-of-market subscribers. 

Here is a closer look at tonight’s Revolution Starting XI. CLICKHERE to view the Revolution’s complete match notes. Following tonight’s match, Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena and two Revolution players will be available to media via virtual press conference. CLICK HERE to join. 

Starting XI: GK Matt Turner, D DeJuan Jones, D Andrew Farrell D Henry Kessler, D Brandon Bye; M Matt Polster, M Tommy McNamara, M Tajon Buchanan, M Carles Gil ©; F Gustavo Bou, F Adam Buksa

• Bruce Arena is the winningest coach in MLS playoff history, carrying a 35-13-6 postseason record into tonight’s match. The 2021 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year owns an unbeaten 29-0-3 record when his team scores first in postseason play. With New England, Arena is 3-2-0 in the postseason and guided the Revolution to the club’s eighth Eastern Conference Final appearance in 2020. 
• New England’s Designated Player trio of Carles Gil, Adam Buksa, and Gustavo Bou is set to appear together in a postseason match for the fifth time. The trio combined for six goals and four assists in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, while totaling 35 goals and 31 assists in the regular season.  
• Carles Gil, the 2021 MLS Comeback Player of the Year and a finalist for the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player Award, owns two goals and three assists in five career postseason appearances. The Spanish midfielder led MLS with 18 helpers during the regular season, including three against New York City. Gil enters tonight’s match one assist shy of matching the club’s all-time postseason lead (4). 
• Adam Buksa, who captured the club’s Golden Boot award with 16 goals in the regular season, has registered one goal in four playoff appearances. The Polish striker finished his second MLS campaign tied for fifth in goals and ranked second league-wide in shots (111) and shots on target (43). 
• Gustavo Bou is one goal shy of equaling Teal Bunbury for the team lead in playoff goals scored (4). Bou recorded a brace in New England’s most recent appearance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a 3-1 win at Orlando City SC on Nov. 29, 2020. 
• Matt Turner, the 2021 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, owns a 3-2-0 all-time record in the MLS Cup Playoffs, including one clean sheet. Turner logged results in 14 of his 15 matches played at home during the regular season, posting an 11-1-3 record in Foxborough. 
• Tajon Buchanan collects his fifth postseason start after featuring in the Revolution’s backline at right back through all four of his playoff performances in 2020. The Canadian international, who logged career highs in goals (8) and assists (5) during the regular season, owns one postseason goal. 
• Tommy McNamara spent four seasons with New York City from 2015-18. The eighth-year midfielder, who played in all but two matches during the regular season, has appeared in five postseason contests with two starts.
• Matt Polster makes his sixth playoff appearance, all starts. He is 63 minutes away from surpassing 500 career minutes played in the postseason. 
• Andrew Farrell logs his 13th postseason start tonight, all with the Revolution. 
• DeJuan Jones registered three goals and five assists over 31 appearances during the regular season, all personal best for the third-year defender. Jones makes his sixth playoff start tonight, owning one assist in his postseason career. 
• Brandon Bye suits up for his fourth postseason appearance and his second start. Last week, Byesigned a three-year contract extension to remain with New England through the 2024 MLS season. 
• Second-year defender Henry Kessler anchors the backline alongside Farrell in central defense. As a rookie, the New York City native started all four of New England’s playoff matches in 2020. 

Bench: GK Brad Knighton, D Jon Bell, D A.J. DeLaGarza, M Arnór Traustason, M Wilfrid Kaptoum, M Maciel, M Emmanuel Boateng, F Teal Bunbury , F Justin Rennicks

• Teal Bunbury leads New England’s current roster with four goals scored in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The 12th-year veteran has suited up for 16 career postseason matches, starting all but one. 
• A.J. DeLaGarza leads the Revolution with 17 career postseason appearances, including 14 starts. 
• Emmanuel Boateng has netted two goals over five games played in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The midfielder featured in two playoff matches for the Columbus Crew in 2020, helping them to the MLS Cup title. 
• Arnór Traustason and Wilfrid Kaptoum will make their MLS Cup Playoff debuts if they appear in tonight’s match. 
• If either Jon Bell and Maciel appear in tonight’s match, they would become the first Revolution II graduate to play in a postseason game.