Saturday night's 4-0 thrashing of D.C. United saw the New England Revolution stay unbeaten at home (9-0-3) and head into the month-long Leagues Cup break perched in second place in the Supporters' Shield standings. It was a performance that also saw three players - Carles Gil, Ian Harkes, and Djordje Petrović - land on the MLS Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
Harkes stole most of the headlines with a brilliant brace, his first two goals for the Revolution in just his second start and third appearance since arriving from Dundee United earlier this month.
The first featured an audacious bit of skill as Harkes helped force a turnover near midfield, then took a feed from Bobby Wood and chipped D.C. goalkeeper Tyler Miller from 25 yards.
Harkes hit for his second just after the halftime break, combining with Gil at the top of the penalty area to slip through the D.C. backline before his inventive effort caromed off the underside of the bar to give the Revs a 3-0 lead. It was the first brace of Harkes' professional career, and matched his father John's goal-scoring total (2) in 55 appearances with the Revs between 1999 and 2001.
That was Harkes' second goal and Gil's second assist, as the Revolution captain also provided the service for Gustavo Bou's opener in the 44th minute, lofting a delicate chip into the box for Bou to finish with a flashing header. Gil, who also led the team in possessions won (8) and chances created (5), became the third-fastest player in MLS history to reach 60 career assists (122 appearances), behind only Carlos Valderrama (82 games) and Marco Etcheverry (85 games).
Gil now leads MLS with 12 assists in 2023.
Petrović made four saves to register his seventh shutout of the season, including an absurd double save to maintain the clean sheet in the 85th minute.
Gil and Petrović will both now head to Washington, D.C., for the 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, set for Wednesday, July 19, against English giants Arsenal FC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Next up for the Revs is the group stage of Leagues Cup, beginning next Saturday night with a visit to the New York Red Bulls. That match also kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
