FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution had an electric return to Gillette Stadium on Saturday night, burying Orlando City SC in a 4-2 victory. It was a match full of late drama, as the Lions erased New England’s 2-1 lead with an 88th minute penalty kick. But with 10 minutes of stoppage time to go, this Revolution squad was determined to reclaim all three points. They did that and more.
Carles Gil and Peyton Miller each netted a brace, with Gil opening the scoring in the 19th minute. Despite eventually producing six goals, the night remained at 1-0 through halftime. Then, fresh off the news of his first call up to the U.S. Men’s National Team, 18-year-old Miller doubled the lead. Dor Turgeman threaded a ball through, and Miller, ever-composed, calmly slotted his finish past Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau on his sprinting breakaway in the 59th minute.
Just three minutes later, Orlando cut New England’s lead in half. While the Revs fought to keep the result into the dying minutes of the match, a late handball call against Miller gifted the visitors a chance to equalize. Orlando converted from the spot, leveling the match at 2-2. With 10 minutes added, New England was never in doubt.
“Before the penalty even went in, I said to Carles, ‘We’re going to score, no worries.' And as we all saw the 10 minutes, we knew we were going to win this game. Just knowing that we have the quality, you give this team 10 minutes, with the players we have, we’re going to go and win the game, and that’s exactly what we did,” said defender Ethan Kohler.
And while they were given 10, all it took was six minutes for New England to put the match out of reach. Three minutes into added time, Miller got his revenge, combining with Ilay Feingold and Gil to restore the Revolution's lead. Even with the late advantage, New England weren’t satisfied. Just three minutes later, Gil struck again, sealing a 4-2 victory in front of more than 26,000 fans at Gillette Stadium.
“I would really love to congratulate the team on the really great mentality that they have. Obviously, when we were up, maybe things didn't go our way, and then it became 2-2. But just seeing the faces of our guys, it was like, ‘Okay, we still have time to manage this game and get a win’. They are a group of guys that are very inspiring,” said head coach Marko Mitrović. “This group inspires me because it's easy to find excuses in life, but we are in a competitive environment where we have to find a way, and that's what they are doing. They are always trying to find a way.”
With his two goals on the night, Gil brought his season tally to 12 goals, setting a new single-season career-high with eight games remaining. The three points boosted the Revs to second in the East as they continue to eye a postseason place.
“We're never satisfied. We never give up. I think this is a special group, just how we're able to fight through adversity,” said Brooklyn Raines, who also received his first call up to represent the United States on the senior level. “For me, it's just this group is really special and it's just something that we continue to strive for – that we're never satisfied with anything.”
While the home crowd may be eager for another night like Saturday's at Gillette Stadium, the Revolution will be back on the road next week as New England travels west to take on Real Salt Lake next Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
