FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It had been approximately two months since Geoffrey Castillion had last featured in a competitive match, so it came as no surprise that he needed to shake off a bit of rust in his MLS debut last Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.

Castillion played as the target striker for the final 14 minutes of the New England Revolution’s 2-1 win over the Montreal Impact and was thrilled to make a victorious debut, but the 23-year-old forward admitted in his postgame comments that he has plenty of work to do in the coming weeks.

“It was tough for me,” Castillion said. “It was a little while since I played a game, but I like it very much. I’m happy with the three points.

“I can be much better. I’m training fit, but games are different than training. When I play a lot of games, then it’s going to be better.”

Saturday night’s cameo appearance was a positive stepping stone for Castillion, who’s been through just one full week of training with the Revs since arriving in Foxborough on Sept. 5. It was his performances in those training sessions which convinced head coach Jay Heaps that Castillion was ready to contribute against the Impact.

“He earned his minutes,” Heaps said of his newest signing. “He had really good sessions (last) Tuesday and Wednesday, so we wanted to get him in. I think he’s still a little bit away from fitness. I think tonight showed maybe we pushed him in a little too soon.”

Regardless, Castillion will take the positives from his debut and continue to work toward full fitness as he embarks on another full week of training. No doubt he’ll have an eye on a second appearance this weekend, when the Revs will return to the road to battle the Columbus Crew.