MLS Regular Season | Match #6
New England Revolution vs. Charlotte FC
Saturday, April 6 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: _MLS Season Pass_ on Apple TV
English Talent: Chris Wittyngham (play-by-play), Lloyd Sam (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Moises Linares (play-by-play), Pablo Marino (analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
15th in Eastern Conference (0-4-1, 1 pt.)
Last Result (MLS) | 1-1 draw vs. Chicago Fire FC
Last Result (CCC) | 4-0 loss vs. Club América
It’s been two weeks since the Revolution’s last MLS game, a 1-1 draw with Chicago Fire FC under rain-soaked conditions at Gillette Stadium. Nacho Gil scored his first MLS goal that afternoon in Foxborough – nodding home the rebound from his brother Carles’ shot – as the Revs picked up their first point of the league campaign, though they’ll enter the weekend still in search of that elusive first victory.
The Revs have found more success in Concacaf Champions Cup, advancing to the competition’s quarterfinals, but they suffered a 4-0 loss to Club América in the first leg at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday night. That leaves New England with a mountain to climb in the return leg at Estadio Azteca next Tuesday night in Mexico City.
Charlotte FC
9th in Eastern Conference (2-2-2, 8 pts.)
Last Result | 1-1 draw vs. FC Cincinnati
With several years of managerial experience in the English Premier League under his belt, Dean Smith has arrived to take the reins in Charlotte this season. The third-year MLS side is off to a decent start, as well, with a record of two wins, two draws, and two losses from their first six games. Charlotte FC will head to Foxborough full of confidence having taken points off last year’s MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield winners – Columbus Crew (2-0 win) and FC Cincinnati (1-1 draw) – in their last two matches.
Charlotte had one of the leakier defenses in MLS last year conceding 52 goals in 34 games, but Smith has wasted little time tightening things up in the Queen City. Through their first six games in 2024, Charlotte have conceded just five goals – fourth-fewest leaguewide – and they’ve allowed more than a single goal just once.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution defender DeJuan Jones
New England will need solid performances across the board to make the most of Saturday night’s opportunity at home, but one player who could have a key role to play is DeJuan Jones. The versatile 26-year-old has started nine of the Revolution’s 10 games in all competitions, featuring at both left and right back along the way.
Jones has one assist in Champions Cup action this season but is still searching for his first helper in MLS play after registering seven assists in each of the last two seasons. He was heavily involved the last time the Revs hosted Charlotte FC, assisting Dave Romney’s game-winning goal in New England’s 2-1 victory.
Charlotte midfielder Ashley Westwood
A balanced attack has guided Charlotte through the early part of the schedule as six different players have scored their six goals, including four players with one goal and one assist. One of those players is Ashley Westwood, a key figure in Charlotte’s central midfield.
Westwood brought more than a decade of English Premier League experience when he arrived ahead of the 2023 season, having spent the bulk of his career with Aston Villa and Burnley. The 34-year-old immediately became a key cog in Charlotte, starting 29 games last season with three goals and four assists.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter on the quick turnaround to Saturday’s match:
“It’s obviously a turnaround that we needed to lick our wounds a little bit. We got battered and bloodied and humbled against Club América. So, it's not one that you can dwell on, but you do need to hopefully use that to respond and I'm looking for a lot more out of this game than the last game.”
Porter on if he believes the Revolution can improve on recent performances in MLS play:
“I do. I've said we've been close, and we weren't close to Club América, but we've been close in the other league games. Chicago is a good example. I mean, during the game we were pushing to win at the end. I thought we'd find the goal to win the game, but we were, for me, closer in that game. Closer to the team that I want to be. Obviously, that was a few weeks back. So, we have to get back to building on that and I know you'll see that performance in this game.”
Porter on the Revolution’s goalkeeping options and the position going forward:
“I've said it and it's not uncommon – when you sign international guys, I've seen it time and again, it takes time for them to settle in our league. Typically, it takes six months. And I think you're seeing with [Henrich Ravas], it's a lot, right? It's a transition for his family. It's a new country. It's a new team. It's a new league. It's a lot of change. So, he's had some good games and he's had some games where he can be better. It's not just him. There have been some inconsistencies across the board. But with him being gone, we played Earl [Edwards Jr.], and we drew the game and we felt like he had a good performance. And with Henrich being gone and not actually playing any of those games [with Slovakia], we felt like it made sense to start Earl again in that [Champions Cup] match. For me, that was a natural decision. Earl did not take his chance very well in the game, and that's just the truth. We sat down, we talked about that yesterday, and now again, I have a decision to make. So, it's that simple. I'll make that decision again based on what I feel is the best thing to do in this game, to win the game.”
Revolution midfielder Matt Polster on takeaways from the defeat to Club América:
“I think for me, and for the group, I hope it pissed us off enough to bring that on the weekend. It's never a good feeling losing at home, and then the way we lost as well is not a good feeling. So, I was pretty angry about it. I was pretty upset. I'm going to bring those emotions and that feeling in this game against Charlotte.”
Polster on preparing for Saturday’s match against Charlotte FC:
“I think we had to re-shift our focus now to the league, as the manager [Caleb Porter] said. All the focus now is Saturday and getting three points, and that's what's most important to us as a group.”
Polster on what the team’s leaders have discussed about holding each other accountable:
“At the end of the day, we have sat down as a group, and we discussed that the previous games haven't been good enough. We haven't been good enough in the league, and we are going to find a way to right the ship on this weekend. That's the best I can say.”
