CHICAGO – The New England Revolution (0-0-1; 1 pt.) opened the 2021 MLS season with a 2-2 draw against Chicago Fire FC (0-0-1, 1 pt.) at Soldier Field on Saturday night. Chicago scored twice within the game’s opening 11 minutes, but New England responded with goals from Adam Buksa and Gustavo Bou in the 14th and 27th minutes, respectively, to secure a point on the road.

All four of the Revolution’s starting attacking players got on the scoresheet in tonight’s match. Buksa connected with a corner kick from Carles Gil to cut the Revolution’s deficit in half, beating Fire FC goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth with a headed shot. The 6-foot-3 forward paced the team with four shots and two shots on target. Gil registered his first assist of the season and the 17th of his MLS career. New England’s captain led the club with five chances created and three fouls won.

Later in the first half, Bou and Tajon Buchanan combined for the game-tying goal, with the latter assisting the former. Bou carried his form from last season’s MLS Cup Playoffs – where he scored three times across four games – into the season opener. Buchanan saw time on both wings and contributed two shots, including one on target, as well as one chance created and two fouls won.

In net, goalkeeper Matt Turner made five saves in his 70th career start.

Newcomer Wilfrid Kaptoum and first-round SuperDraft selection Edward Kizza made their Revolution and MLS debuts as substitutes in the 83rd minute. Kaptoum, who was limited in preseason by an injury, slotted into central midfield and played seven minutes. Kizza replaced Buksa at forward in his professional debut and hit the crossbar with his first career shot attempt.

New England returns to action on Saturday, April 24, when the club opens its 2021 home slate at Gillette Stadium against D.C. United. The match kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET on myTV38, myRITV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on WBIX 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA.

POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution 2, Chicago Fire FC 2
April 17, 2021 – Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.)

Revolution and Chicago Fire FC Play to 2-2 Draw in Season Opener

• The New England Revolution played to a 2-2 draw against Chicago Fire FC at Soldier Field on Saturday night.
• New England’s all-time record against Chicago moves to 23-27-15, including a 6-17-10 mark in games played in Chicago. The Revs are now 1-0-1 at Soldier Field since Fire FC relocated there in 2020.
• The Revs earned a point in their first away game of 2021, following a 2020 campaign that saw the club pace MLS in away points (21) and tied for the league lead in away wins (six).

Buksa Combines with Gil to Open 2021 Account

• Forward Adam Buksa scored the Revolution’s first goal of the season in the 14th minute, converting a headed shot off a corner kick from Carles Gil.
• Buksa, the only Revolution player to appear in all 28 games across all competitions last season, paced the team with four shots and two shots on target. He scored six times in his debut MLS campaign in 2020. 
• Gil picked up his first assist of the campaign by delivering the corner kick, giving him 17 for his Revolution career.
• The Revolution’s captain posted team highs with five chances created and three fouls won, adding three shots and 69 total touches.

Bou’s First Goal of ’21 Nets Revolution a Point in Chicago

• Forward Gustavo Bou opened his account in the 27th minute with what proved to be the game-tying goal.
• Bou picked up where he left off in last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs, where he scored three times in four games. He now has 13 goals from open play dating back to his MLS debut on July 17, 2019 – tied for fourth most among all players.
• Tajon Buchanan recorded the assist on Bou’s goal after corralling a long throw-in from Brandon Bye and delivering a right-footed cross.
• Buchanan played 61 minutes on both wings, registering two shots – including one on target – one chance created, and two fouls won.

Kaptoum and Kizza make MLS & Revolution Debuts

• Two newcomers to the Revolution, midfielder Wilfrid Kaptoum and forward Edward Kizza, made their debuts as substitutes in the 83rd minute of tonight’s match.
• Kaptoum recorded seven touches and completed five of his six passes in seven minutes in central midfield.
• Kizza, selected by the Revolution from the University of Pittsburgh with the 24th overall pick in January’s SuperDraft, made his professional debut in Chicago.
• He registered one shot – a headed attempt that hit the crossbar.

Arena makes Two Changes to Starting XI from Eastern Conference Final

• New England’s first starting lineup of the season featured two changes from December’s Eastern Conference Final, with right back Brandon Bye and midfielder Tommy McNamara stepping in for Teal Bunbury and Scott Caldwell, who began tonight’s contest on the bench.
• Three offseason additions – Ema Boateng, A.J. DeLaGarza, and Wilfrid Kaptoum – were included in the match day squad for the first time in their Revolution careers.
• Another offseason addition, defender Jon Bell was also included in the match day squad. Bell signed a first-team contract with the Revolution in March after playing for Revolution II in 2020. He is the first Revs II alum to make the first team’s game day roster.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Referee: Brian Poeschel (AR1), Peter Manikowski (AR2)
Fourth Official: Lukasz Szpala
Video Assistant Referee: Malik Badawi
Weather: 46 degrees and clear

Scoring Summary:
CHI - Robert Berić 1 (Boris Sekulić 1, Luka Stojanović 1) 5’
CHI - Luka Stojanović 1 (Robert Berić 1, Przemysław Frankowski 1) 11’
NE – Adam Buksa 1 (Carles Gil 1) 14’
NE – Gustavo Bou 1 (Tajon Buchanan 1) 27’

Misconduct Summary:
CHI – Johan Kappelhof (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 79’
NE – DeJuan Jones (Red Card – Denial of Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity) 90’+5’

New England Revolution: Matt Turner; DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster, Tommy McNamara (Wilfrid Kaptoum 83’); Tajon Buchanan (Teal Bunbury 61’), Carles Gil ©; Gustavo Bou, Adam Buksa (Edward Kizza 83’)

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, A.J. DeLaGarza, Jon Bell, Emmanuel Boateng, Scott Caldwell

Chicago Fire FC: Bobby Shuttleworth; Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Calvo ©, Johan Kappelhof, Boris Sekulić; Gastón Giménez, Luka Stojanović (Ignacio Aliseda 66’); Chinonso Offor (Miguel Ángel Navarro 75’), Álvaro Medrán, Przemysław Frankowski; Robert Berić

Substitutes Not Used: Gabriel Slonina, Andre Reynolds, Wyatt Omsberg, Javier Casas, Jhon Espinoza, Brian Gutierrez, Mauricio Pineda