MLS Regular Season | Match #15
New England Revolution vs. Orlando City SC
Wednesday, June 15 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: WSBK-TV38, myRITV (Rhode Island), CoziTV (Western Mass.)
- Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst), Tamara Brown (sideline)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English), SiriusXM FC 157 (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
8th in Eastern Conference (5-5-4, 19 pts.)
Last Result | 2-1 win at Sporting Kansas City
Gustavo Bou scored the Revolution’s first goal before setting up Ema Boateng’s late winner as the Revs claimed a 2-1 victory at Sporting Kansas City on Sunday afternoon, extending their unbeaten run to six games (3-0-3) in the process. Djordje Petrović made one save to win his MLS debut, while Dylan Borrero marked his first MLS start with an assist, setting up Bou’s opener with a delightful chip.
Sunday’s win pushed the Revs (19 pts.) up to eighth in the Eastern Conference – tied on points with sixth-place Charlotte FC and seventh-place FC Cincinnati – and they’ll have a chance to leapfrog fifth-place Orlando City (21 pts.) with a victory on Wednesday night in Foxborough.
Orlando City SC
5th in Eastern Conference (6-5-3, 21 pts.)
Last Result | 3-1 loss vs. FC Dallas
Orlando enter the summer months very much in the thick of the crowded Eastern Conference, currently five points back of first-place New York City FC, but also just two points above the playoff line. Oddly enough the Lions have relied heavily on their road form through the early part of the schedule, stumbling to a 3-4-0 record at Exploria Stadium while taking points from six of their seven road trips (3-1-3).
That sets up an intriguing midweek trip to Gillette Stadium, where Orlando have never won on six previous visits. The Revs are 5-0-1 against the Lions in Foxborough, including four straight victories dating back to 2017 and a 2-1 win in the most recent showdown at Gillette Stadium last September.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution midfielder Dylan Borrero
Gustavo Bou’s return from injury has provided a boost to the Revolution attack as the 32-year-old Argentine has scored in back-to-back games, his first two starts since mid-March. His goal on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park was set up by newcomer Dylan Borrero, whose rainbow chip over the SKC backline met a perfectly-timed run from Bou, who seems to have already developed on-field chemistry with his new teammate.
Borrero went 72 minutes in his first MLS start on Sunday before cramping in the Kansas City heat, and while the 20-year-old winger has already proven to be a lethal weapon down the left side, every additional minute on the field should increase his comfort level as he adapts to a new league.
Orlando City forward Ercan Kara
For three seasons from 2019-21 it was Portuguese legend Nani leading the way for Orlando, and he was once again among the team leaders in both goals (10) and assists (8) last year. But his offseason departure for Venezia in Serie A left a hole in the Orlando City attack, one that has been filled in the early going by Austrian forward Ercan Kara.
Kara is an imposing presence at 6-foot-4, and the Designated Player wasted little time making an impact in MLS with four goals and two assists through his first 855 minutes in the league. Two of those goals have come in Orlando’s last two league games, as he scored against both FC Dallas and Austin FC.
STATUS REPORT
Revolution
Djordje Petrović is expected to make his second straight start on Wednesday with Matt Turner and the U.S. Men’s National Team in action on Tuesday night in El Salvador. Henry Kessler, who has missed the last three games with a leg injury, remains questionable.
There is good news for Sebastian Lletget, who Bruce Arena said is “back to full speed, basically,” after missing this past weekend’s trip to Kansas City.
Orlando City
Antônio Carlos was a stalwart on Orlando’s backline last season, starting 28 games and finishing third on the team with 2,414 minutes played. The 29-year-old center back will be unavailable on Wednesday night, however, currently sidelined by a thigh injury. Forward Silvester van der Water (leg) and backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar (jaw) are both out, as well.
Pedro Gallese is not officially listed as unavailable on Wednesday night, but the veteran goalkeeper did play 120 minutes on Monday in Qatar as his Peru National Team lost to Australia in a penalty shootout with a spot in the FIFA World Cup on the line. Adam Grinwis (seven career appearances) is set to start on Wednesday night.
Benji Michel, meanwhile, is questionable with a leg injury after appearing in all 34 of Orlando’s games last year.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena
“Well, that's what [Djordje Petrović] has to keep improving on, but his English has gotten much better. He's doing a good job communicating. Like any young goalkeeper, he needs games and as he continues to get games, he’s going to improve. We've had a fair amount of time with him, I can’t even recall right now when he first came here, but it seems like he's been here a while, he's gotten adjusted. He's been in training with Matt Turner and our other goalkeepers, and he's got to understand what we're about and I think he's adjusted very well.”
New England Revolution midfielder Wilfrid Kaptoum
“I feel more adjusted right now to the play here. But that’s the sport of soccer, some players take more time to become adjusted to the style of play and those things like that while some players need less time.”
