NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A few weeks ago, New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter talked about how hard it would be for any team to go down a player within the first 15 minutes of a game and go on to get a positive result. Facing two penalties on the same night is certainly right up there in terms of difficulty, but Porter’s men were more than up to the challenge on Saturday, overcoming Nashville SC 2-1 at GEODIS Park and bringing their second road win of the season back with them to Gillette Stadium for their upcoming two-game home stand.
A number of moments stood out from the Revs’ clash with the Boys in Gold, from the incisive run and curled shot of captain Carles Gil that opened the scoring in the 18th minute, to the monstrous save made by Aljaž Ivačič to deny Hany Mukhtar’s first of two shots from the spot.
But the highlight that takes the cake had to have been the 51st-minute goal from winger Esmir Bajraktarević, the first of his MLS career just ahead of his trip to join the United States Men’s Olympic Team for their final training camp of the summer in preparation for the Paris Games. After receiving a looping pass from forward Giacomo Vrioni, Bajraktarević needed just a moment to dribble before confidently slotting home in the top corner of Joe Willis’ near post.
“Esmir, I’m so happy for [him],” Porter said after the game. “He’s a young kid, very talented, lot of potential. It’s very important in that role to be goal-dangerous; as a winger, you have to produce goals. And he’s been getting in really good spots. We worked a lot on the ground and in the film room, just showing him little things to do … The goal that he scored, he just took initiative, he made the decision, and I love that in him.”
Bajraktarević’s own joy was evident on his face after the goal, as he and his teammates ran over to the corner flag to celebrate. Midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye even gave the young winger a symbolic shoe polish in front of the stunned Nashville crowd to mark the occasion.
Gil was typically excellent all night, scoring his fifth goal of the season in the first half and covering just about every blade of grass by the time the final whistle blew. Earlier in the week, he had said that his mentality was one of treating every game like a final, and after this victory in Nashville he said that wouldn’t be changing any time soon.
"If we want to be in the playoffs, we need to win games like today,” Gil said. “Now we start [the home stand], we’re strong at home with our fans. We have two consecutive games and we want to continue. Now in my mind it's just, 'Next game.'"
Porter shared just how helpful it was to have a locker room leader in Gil who was willing not only to accept the hard truths off the field, but also to do something about them on it.
“Carles has high standards,” he said. “I have high standards. He talks about the reality of where we’re at, right? It’s important that you know the reality of where you’re at and you don’t accept it, but you realize it and then you do something to change it. I think what he did today to change it was be the best player on the field, today. He’s running, too, defensively at the end of the game. But he was special today. He showed his quality and it was great to see his smile in the locker room after the game, to see him celebrating with the guys.”
At the back, defender Dave Romney performed well on his return to the starting lineup, and Porter said he would have to consider the composition of his backline going forward between Romney, Xavier Arreaga, and the returning Henry Kessler, who will become available again after serving a one-match suspension.
“I thought the chemistry with [Romney] and Xavi was very good,” Porter said. “One of the reasons I went away from him is I didn’t think the chemistry with him and Kessler was very good. So, for sure, that is giving me something to think about when I look at his chemistry with Xavi. Those two guys were really good today and it’s another game where I thought Xavi was excellent.”
Porter also raved about Ivačič’s stonewall performance in net.
“Aljaž is a great goalie,” he said. “He's just a gamer. He is a gamer. Those are the type of match-winning plays that you need out of your guys. Championship teams have that and I think we're starting to get more of those plays being made.”
New England will look to keep the good times rolling as they return to Foxborough to face the New York Red Bulls for the second time this season on Saturday, June 8. That rematch will be the first in a string of five home matches across the Revs’ next seven games, a stretch that will hopefully provide Porter and his players the perfect opportunity to build on the momentum established in Nashville.
