Audi MLS Cup Playoffs | Round One
New England Revolution at Philadelphia Union
Tuesday, November 24 | 8 p.m. ET
Subaru Park | Chester, Pa.
Watch: ESPN (English), ESPN Deportes (Spanish)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese)
Revolution Pregame Live presented by Dan O’Brien Automotive Group (3 p.m. ET)
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CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
8th in Eastern Conference (8-7-8, 32 pts., 1.39 ppg)
Last Result | 2-1 win vs. Montreal Impact (Play-In Round)
Gustavo Bou provided the assist on Carles Gil’s sumptuous 38th-minute volley before capping the evening in dramatic fashion, scoring the latest game-winning goal in Revolution playoff history as his 95th-minute rocket lifted the Revs to a 2-1 triumph over the Montreal Impact in the Play-In Round last Friday night.
New England’s first playoff win since 2014 sets up yet another meeting with the Philadelphia Union, as the Revs will battle the Supporters’ Shield winners for a sixth time in four months. The Revs have gone 0-4-1 in the previous five meetings this season, including a visit to Subaru Park just two weeks ago on Decision Day.
The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they’ll meet the No. 4 seed Orlando City SC following their dramatic shootout victory over New York City FC on Saturday.
Philadelphia Union
1st in Eastern Conference (14-4-5, 47 pts., 2.04 ppg)
Last Result | 2-0 win vs. New England Revolution
Philadelphia will be well rested as they were last in action on November 8 at Subaru Park, claiming a 2-0 win over the Revs to clinch the Supporters’ Shield. It marked the first trophy in Union history, in their 11th season.
That Decision Day victory closed out a perfect regular-season home record for the Union, who went 9-0-0 at Subaru Park to become the first team in MLS history to win every home match in a regular season. All told Jim Curtin’s side went 10-2-2 in their last 14 games as they’ve consistently been the league’s best side since play resumed following the MLS is Back Tournament in August.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution forward Gustavo Bou
New England have registered just two goals in their five meetings with Philadelphia this year, both scored by Tajon Buchanan in eventual 2-1 losses. On Tuesday the Revs may need something special to break down a Union side that had the league’s best defensive record this season, conceding just 20 goals in 23 games.
Gustavo Bou is certainly capable of producing something special, as the Argentine forward showed with Friday night’s dramatic winner against the Impact. Six of Bou’s 15 goals since arriving last July have been scored from outside the box, and he won’t hesitate to shoot from anywhere if given half-a-yard of space.
Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya
Philadelphia will be favored to take home Major League Soccer’s top prize as MLS Cup champions in 2020, which could put pressure on a side with little in the way of playoff experience. That’s where the Union could lean on captain Alejandro Bedoya for guidance, as the 33-year-old has played on the game’s biggest stage.
Bedoya is also the engine in Philadelphia’s midfield – and has been since arriving in 2016 – starting 21 of their 23 games this season while registering three goals and three assists.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
Brandon Bye missed Friday night’s Play-In match as he works his way back from a hamstring injury he suffered on Decision Day in Philadelphia, while Alex Büttner was also unavailable against Montreal.
Tajon Buchanan, who made his first career start at right back against the Impact, was forced off in the 50th minute after suffering an injury, but head coach Bruce Arena did not have an update on his status after the match.
Union
Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and league MVP finalist Andre Blake appears set to return from the hand injury that sidelined him for the Decision Day matchup between the Revs and Union two weeks ago, as the 30-year-old has been declared fit and ready by head coach Jim Curtin.
“Andre has been able to train every day in some way, shape, or form, but the last three days he’s been fully in training with the handling and testing the hand, and it’s passed every test so far,” Curtin said on Monday. “We will see how he responds to today’s training session, but he’s ready to go.”
Midfielder Jamiro Monteiro will also be available after returning from international duty with Cape Verde via charter, but defender Olivier Mbaizo will not feature as he’s currently in quarantine per COVID-19 protocols, having returned from international duty via commercial flight.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena
“There are no secrets between these two teams. This is the sixth occasion we’ve played this year, and obviously we haven’t had a whole lot of success. I don’t think the bookmakers have us favored in this one. Their team is solid at both ends of the field, probably one of the leaders in the league in goals scored as well as goals against. It will be certainly a big challenge for our team.”
New England Revolution forward Adam Buksa
“I’ve never played six times against any opponent in such a short period of time, so it’s definitely a new experience for me. We know everything about this team. We don’t need to really watch any other games. For Philadelphia, we know every player, the way they play – but so do they. I think games in playoffs are way different compared to games in the regular season. You either win or go home so you need to be more focused, more patient sometimes. You can’t risk too much. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy game for them because we want to win this game, so we’ll be fully ready.”
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin
“Yes, there’s been a lot of individual accolades for the team so far, and a lot of people are even picking us to win MLS Cup. Keeping them humble and hungry is something that we’ve stressed all week. To play freely, to play with no fear. It is a new role for us to be a favorite in the playoffs, but we have to approach it now with the same intensity and discipline that we have all season.”
Philadelphia Union center back Mark McKenzie
“The familiarity is definitely there, it’s definitely strong, so we’ll end up breaking down clips from our most recent performance against them, which ultimately helped us lift the Supporters’ Shield. We’ll take away the good and the bad from that game, and ultimately in the playoffs it’s about surviving and advancing, so we’ll have to adjust on the fly and take whatever the game gives us.”
