FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution continued their rich vein of form on Saturday night as they extended their unbeaten run to 11 games - matching a club record - with a 4-1 victory over Orlando City SC at Gillette Stadium.
“It looks good on the scoreboard, for sure,” said sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena.
“Again, tonight I think we had goals from four different players, so that’s a positive, as well. I thought Carles [Gil] and Gustavo [Bou] played very well, as did Teal Bunbury. I think our front three players were real good.”
With the win, New England have now taken the full nine points from their past three games, keeping them above the playoff line and tied for 6th place (33 points) in the East with Montreal, with a game in hand.
However, when you look beyond the results, there is something even more impressive about this Revolution squad, and that’s the offensive stride they've hit. Four goals scored against an Orlando side that had conceded just 10 in their previous 10 games continues to demonstrate the Revolution's attacking abilities.
“When we have chances like that, we need to make sure that we’re punishing other teams,” said Diego Fagundez, who scored two goals and tallied one assist in the team’s past three performances.
“I think everybody’s doing that. We were in great positions, and when we have those chances, we finish them, and then the game’s different so credit to our team. We’ve been working hard and we deserve this.”
Something has clicked for the Revs' attack in recent weeks. In their past three games they've scored a total of 10 goals, including back-to-back four-goal outings at home. These performances show that they've found the finishing touch they were searching for earlier on in the season.
“We create so many chances,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner. “We’re finally putting some away, so that’s really good. In Cincinnati, yeah we only scored two, but we could have had four, so it’s one of those things where we’re growing, and the attack looks really fluid, but we need to make sure that we’re consistent and punch those balls in the goal.”
Even with 10 goals in their past three games, the Revs are still searching for more and looking to continue to grow together.
Something the Revolution have eagerly adjusted to is the arrival of one of the most significant signings in club history, Designated Player Gustavo Bou. The Argentine forward has already paid dividends with two goals and an assist in his first three appearances, including his goal in the opening minutes against Orlando. However, while he has made an immediate impact, he is still looking forward to having an opportunity to fully integrate into the team, both in the attack and off the field.
“Myself, just having arrived to the team, we have to get to know each other, as a group and off the ball,” said Bou through an interpreter. “It’s something we are certainly working to link up top and creating better chances, and as time progresses, we’re certainly going to get to know each other better. We’re going to continue to work together on the field and off the field.”
Bou, along with his Revolution teammates, will look to continue this red-hot run of form next week against league-leading Los Angeles FC. With another week of training under their belts, this matchup will provide the Revs with a big test and another opportunity to show what else their attack can do.
