FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (8-7-8, 8th in Eastern Conference) are set to host the Montreal Impact (8-13-2, 9th in Eastern Conference) tonight in the Eastern Conference Play-In Round of the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs at Gillette Stadium. The nationally televised match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and Fox Deportes, and is also available on the radio at 98.5 The Sports Hub, WKPZ (105.3 FM / 1280 AM), and SiriusXM FC (Channel 157). WBIX 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA will also carry the game with Portuguese commentary.
Here is a closer look at New England’s starting lineup for tonight’s match:
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): GK Matt Turner; D DeJuan Jones, D Andrew Farrell, D Henry Kessler, D Tajon Buchanan; M Matt Polster, M Tommy McNamara; LM Teal Bunbury, CAM Gustavo Bou, RM Carles Gil ©, F Adam Buksa
Lineup Notes:
- Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena is coaching his 51st MLS Cup Playoffs game tonight, moving him ahead of Sigi Schmid (50) for the most postseason games coached in league history. Arena’s 32 postseason wins are the most by a head coach in league history.
- Adam Buksa, Tajon Buchanan and Henry Kessler will make their MLS Cup Playoffs debuts in tonight’s match. Buksa and Buchanan – a native of Hamilton, Ontario – were the only two Revolution players to appear in every match during the regular season, while Kessler played in all but one league game during his rookie campaign.
- Designated Players AdamBuksa, Gustavo Bou and Carles Gil will make their third consecutive appearance together in New England’s attack. The trio played just 250 minutes together in the regular season.
- Carles Gil makes his second career MLS Cup Playoffs appearance in tonight’s match. Gil, wearing the captain’s armband, appeared in four consecutive games to close the regular season after returning ahead of schedule from foot surgery on Aug. 4.
- Gustavo Bou will also record his second career MLS Cup Playoffs appearance. Bou logged two goals and one assist in four games against Montreal in the regular season.
- Teal Bunbury makes his 13th postseason appearance and 12th start. The 11th-year forward from Hamilton, Ontario is three minutes away from eclipsing 1,000 career minutes played in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Bunbury, who secured the club’s Golden Boot as New England’s leading scorer with eight goals during the regular season, including two against the Impact, leads the Revolution with four career goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Tommy McNamara logs his second playoff appearance. McNamara owns one goal and three assists over 10 career appearances, seven of them starts, against Montreal in regular season play.
- Matt Polster, also making his second career appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, played in 15 regular season games after joining the Revolution on July 8. Polster registered an assist in New England’s most recent encounter with Montreal, a 3-2 win at Red Bull Arena on Oct. 14.
- Matt Turner registers his second career MLS Cup Playoffs appearance tonight. Turner, aiming for his first postseason win, owns a 5-2-1 all-time record in eight regular season matches against Montreal, including four clean sheets.
- Andrew Farrell is set to make his ninth career MLS Cup Playoffs appearance. Farrell ranks fourth on the club with 780 career minutes played in the postseason.
- DeJuan Jones returns to New England’s Starting XI after missing the final game of the regular season due to a minor injury. Jones registers his second playoffs appearance tonight after playing 90 minutes in Atlanta in Round One of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Henry Kessler, who led all 2020 MLS SuperDraft selections in games played (22), games started (19) and minutes played (1,823), scored his first goal in MLS in New England’s most recent home match against Montreal, a 3-1 win on Sept. 23.
Bench: GK Brad Knighton, D Michael Mancienne, D Antonio Delamea, D Seth Sinovic, M Lee Nguyen, M Kelyn Rowe, M Scott Caldwell, M/F Kekuta Manneh, F Justin Rennicks
Bench Notes:
- Lee Nguyen ranks third on the team in MLS Cup Playoffs appearances (10) and minutes played in the playoffs (882). Nguyen (4) is one assist away from surpassing Jose Cancela and Steve Ralston for the most MLS Cup Playoffs assists in Revolution history.
- Scott Caldwell played in 13 of the last 14 matches during the regular season. Caldwell is 12 minutes shy of eclipsing 700 minutes played in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Kelyn Rowe owns one goal and two assists over nine appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Kekuta Manneh has appeared in seven MLS Cup Playoffs games. Manneh scored his only goal of the 2020 regular season in New England’s 3-2 victory over the Impact on Oct. 14.
- Seth Sinovic leads the Revolution with 14 appearances and 1,314 minutes played in the MLS Cup Playoffs.