FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (August 7, 2024) – New England Revolution II (4-13-3; 17 pts.) battled FC Cincinnati 2 (13-5-3; 43 pts.) to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday morning at Gillette Stadium, before falling short of the additional point in the 6-5 loss in the penalty shootout. Revolution II goalkeeper Max Weinstein, an Academy graduate, recorded his first clean sheet performance of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
“We know that we can compete with any team in the league, and we just have to do it over 90 minutes, and I thought today that we did that,” Revolution II Head Coach Richie Williams said postgame. “We kept them off the board and I think we created some chances that we easily could have walked away with three points, but it was a competitive game. It's progress for us in terms of results-wise. I thought we played well, for long parts of the game, and just to get the one point, it's progress.”
In addition to collecting the shutout performance, Weinstein also posted his 20th professional start in today’s match. The Montpelier, Vermont native was aided by a backline that featured defenders Colby Quiñones, Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, Tiago Suarez, and newcomer Giovanni Calderón, who logged his fifth consecutive start for Revolution II since joining the team last month. A North Haven, Connecticut native, Calderón wore the captain’s armband during today’s match.
New England generated several scoring opportunities against first-place FC Cincinnati 2. Revolution II forward Liam Butts narrowly missed the bottom left corner of the net in the 18th minute. Butts nearly found the back of the net two minutes later, but his shot was flagged offsides. Forward Alex Monis and midfielder Joshua Bolma also contributed to New England’s opportunities on the attacking end, including a strike from Bolma that was deflected by Cincinnati’s goalkeeper in the 41st minute.
Midfielder Javaun Mussenden, a 16-year-old Revolution Academy product, became the 38th player in program history to suit up for his professional debut. Mussenden entered today’s match as a substitute in the second half and posted a 20-minute performance. Mussenden was one of five Revolution Academy products to play in today’s match. Defender Hesron Barry also saw minutes in the midweek contest, making his first appearance since returning from injury.
Revolution II hit the road for Matchday 21 on Sunday, August 18, visiting Columbus Crew 2. The match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET at Historic Crew Stadium, and is available to watch on MLS Season pass on the Apple TV app.
MATCH NOTES
- GK Max Weinstein registered his first clean sheet this season in his 20th start for the club.
- M Joshua Bolma led New England’s attacking efforts with five shots, marking a single-game career high.
- D Hesron Barry entered the match as a second-half substitute in today’s contest, marking his first appearance since returning from injury.
- F Marcos Dias paced New England in key passes, recording four on the day.
- 16-year-old M Javaun Mussenden made his professional debut tonight, logging 20 minutes in his first appearance with Revolution II.
- D Giovanni Calderón wore the captains’ armband today in his fifth consecutive start with the club.
GAME CAPSULE
MLS NEXT Pro Match #20
New England Revolution II 0 (5), FC Cincinnati 2 0 (6)August 7, 2024 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Referee: Matt Thompson
Assistant Referee: Andrew Charron
Assistant Referee: Jennifer Dumaine
Fourth Official: Stearne Briem
Weather: 62 degrees and cloudy
Misconduct Summary:NE – Giovanni Calderón (Yellow Card) 5’
NE – Joshua Bolma (Yellow Card) 26’
CIN – Yair Ramos (Yellow Card) 33’
NE – Luka Borovic (Yellow Card) 80’
New England Revolution II: Max Weinstein; Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi (Hesron Barry 70’), Tiago Suarez, Giovanni Calderón (Luka Borovic 17’), Colby Quiñones; Eric Klein, Patrick Leal, Marcos Dias; Joshua Bolma, Alex Monis (Gevork Diarbian 70’), Liam Butts (Javaun Mussenden 70’).
Substitutes Not Used: Brandonn Bueno, Andrej Bjelajac, Sage Kinner, Robert Nichols III, Owen Beninga.
FC Cincinnati 2: Hunter Morse; Juan Machado, Brian Schaefer, Nicholas Benalcazar; Moises Tablante, Yair Ramos, Peter Mangione (Justin Hylton 90’+3), Jesus Castellano; Kenji Mboma Dem; Ben Stitz (Yeiner Valoyes 70’), Stefan Chirila.
Substitutes Not Used: Nicholas Samways, Connor Stout, Will Kuisel, Lincoln Matuskiewicz.
