The New England Revolution are back at Gillette Stadium for the first time since August 23 to face Orlando City SC at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. The Revs will celebrate Noche Latina e Hispana and host the annual Revolution Amputee Soccer match following the first team game.
WHERE TO WATCH
Every Revolution match is available for streaming on Apple TV.
Watch: Apple TV
Apple TV English Talent: Christian Miles (Play-by-Play), Kacey White (Analyst)
Apple TV Spanish Talent: Moises Linares (Play-by-Play)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English); 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese); Rumba 97.7 FM (Spanish)
English Radio Talent: Brad Feldman (Play-by-Play), Charlie Davies (Analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
3rd in Eastern Conference (13-8-4, 43 pts.)
Last Result | 2-1 win at Chicago Fire FC
The Revolution return to Gillette Stadium with nine more points on the tail of a successful four-game road trip. After collecting three wins in their last four, the Revs sit third in the Eastern Conference table, just two points shy of second place Inter Miami CF. At home, the Revs have been a powerful force, securing 26 points across 12 games.
New England have been a potent attacking side with 41 goals, finding 22 at home. Where they’ve stood out most is on the defense, conceding just 31 goals. The Revs rank as the second-strongest defensive side in the East and among the best in the league. While some of that can be attributed to goalkeeper Matt Turner, who ranks toward the top of nearly every goalkeeping stat, the entire team has contributed on both ends of the pitch.
Orlando City SC
6th in Eastern Conference (10-11-4, 34 pts.)
Last Result | 3-0 win vs. Toronto FC
Orlando City has been on an upward trend since returning from the FIFA World Cup break, going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. Currently, the Lions are on a three-game win streak and are unbeaten in five straight (4-0-1). Their recent performances have shot them to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings and 12th in the most recent MLS Power Rankings.
Orlando has been much stronger at home than on the road, where they have only claimed 11 points in 12 games. However, since returning from the World Cup break, they’ve lost just one of four as visitors. Their recent success has largely been due to their attack, scoring three goals in each of their past two matches and 10 total in their last four.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution midfielder Brooklyn Raines
Brooklyn Raines has had a standout season for the Revolution. Joining this year after four seasons with the Houston Dynamo, Raines has reunited with his former United States Youth National Team coach in Marko Mitrović. Raines has been a dominant force on both sides of the ball in the midfield for New England, even scoring his first MLS goal earlier this year. In total, Raines has three goal contributions this season.
With fellow midfielder Alhassan Yusuf out with injury for at least the next six weeks, Raines will be expected to make an even larger impact in that part of the field. This week, Raines earned his first-ever call up to the senior United States Men’s National Team, joining teammate Peyton Miller (who also received his first call up) in the upcoming September/October FIFA window. With a confidence boost from the recognition, Raines could be extra motivated to make a difference.
Orlando forward Antoine Griezmann
Legendary French attacker Antoine Griezmann has appeared in 10 games for Orlando City this season. The 35-year-old has been with the club for every game since MLS resumed following the World Cup and has been the driving force of the Lions’ resurgence in the standings. In his 10 appearances, Griezmann has logged eight goals and three assists.
Griezmann has been on fire recently, scoring seven goals in his last five games. The Frenchman hasn’t gone a game without finding the net since mid-August. As the Revs hope to keep their wins rolling, Griezmann will definitely be a considerable threat.
HEAR FROM THE REVS
Head coach Marko Mitrović on the competition he expects from Orlando:
“With some new additions they brought to their team, another level of quality, and ultimately started to earn more points. If we look purely at recent form, they are one of the best teams in the league. They had that unfortunate result last night in the [U.S. Open] Cup semifinal, where I believe they wanted to go all the way to the Final. As I said, they are a team with a strong identity and a strong way of playing. They're in very good form, and we expect a very difficult game."
Assistant coach Sean Hughes on the group's winning mentality when facing adversity:
"There are many ways to win, right? We always want it to look good, but there are some moments in games where you have to dig in and you have to fight. I think the character is there for everybody to see. Collectively, from the first player to everybody who traveled, everybody played their part in the trip, and it was really important for us as a group."
Midfielder Carles Gil on playing in front of the home fans for the first time in a month on Saturday:
“We're very excited, obviously. Like I said, it's easier to play at home with your fans. I think they are excited too with the season so far. We play against Orlando, it's a very difficult team. They are also having good results in the last two months, so it will be difficult."
