Foxborough, Mass. – New England Revolution II (7-5-4; 26 pts.) returns home to Foxborough on Sunday night to host Toronto FC II (6-6-3; 23 pts.) in the third and final regular season encounter between the two sides. Sunday’s match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium and streams on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Revolution II fell to Columbus Crew 2, 4-1, last weekend as forward Marcos Dias scored his fifth goal of the season to extend his team lead. Defender Mike DeShields earned his first MLS NEXT Pro assist on the play, while goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. recorded four saves in the match. The match also saw the second team return of Academy midfielder Jack Panayotou following the U-19 team’s MLS NEXT Cup Championship run. The Cambridge, Mass. native played the full 90 minutes for the first time this season in his ninth appearance with Revolution II.
“Well first of all for us, it’s a new week. Previous results, good and bad, are forgotten,” midfielder Trevor Zwetsloot said of the team’s mindset. “I would say there’s a hunger within the group. We’re really just focused on Toronto and only Toronto, but the biggest thing I’ve seen is the togetherness of the group. We’re ready to go out there and fight this weekend.”
Revolution II carries a 1-0-1 mark against Toronto this season, and a 3-2-1 record in the all-time series. New England and Toronto last met on July 3 where both teams played to a 1-1 tie. Dias scored New England’s goal with midfielder Michel earning his fourth assist of the season on the play while goalkeeper Jacob Jackson made three saves. In the shootout, Jake Rozhansky, Sean O’Hearn, and Noel Buck each scored on their opportunities, but Toronto scored on all five of its chances to claim the additional point. Revolution II currently occupy the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with eight games remaining in the regular season. Toronto sits in sixth place, just three points behind New England in a tightly contested Eastern Conference.
“I think the two teams know each other fairly well. Over the last year we’ve probably played each other now six or seven times, so it’s just about little details,” head coach Clint Peay stated. “The games have always been close, and they’ve changed a little bit with their shape, so they’re a little bit unpredictable in terms of how they line up, but their principles and their general trends and tendencies don’t change too much, so we expect a very good Toronto team. They’re on a good run and they’re never easy to play against.”
Revolution II Season Memberships and single-game tickets are on sale now. For more information, email tix@revolutionsoccer.net or call 1-877-GET-REVS.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST TORONTO FC II:
· Revolution II looking to improve upon their fourth-place positioning in the Eastern Conference as they currently occupy the fourth and final playoff spot.
· New England improving upon their 3-2-1 record vs. Toronto FC II.
· Forward Marcos Dias adding to his team-leading five goals and 34 shots on the season.
· Defender Sean O’Hearn making his 40th professional appearance with New England’s second team.
· New England adding to the 38 players – and 21 Revolution Academy products – who have made their professional debuts with Revolution II thus far.
