MLS Regular Season | Match #22
New England Revolution at Philadelphia Union
Wednesday, July 17 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Subaru Park | Chester, Pennsylvania
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English Talent: Chris Wittyngham (play-by-play), Lori Lindsey (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Moises Linares (play-by-play), Pablo Marino (analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub and SiriusXM FC Channel 157 (English), 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Rachel Wood (analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
13th in Eastern Conference (7-13-1, 22 pts.)
Last Result | 3-1 loss vs. Orlando City SC
New England had hoped to kick off their busy final week before Leagues Cup with an important win over a key Eastern Conference opponent. A first-half goal from Giacomo Vrioni looked to have put the Revs on track for exactly that, but a second-half turnaround from Orlando thwarted those plans, and New England came away with a 3-1 loss at home, dropping them down a place to 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Head coach Caleb Porter said after the match that he felt the defense had let the team down against the Lions, but that he was happy with what he saw out of his attacking players, particularly some of the younger names like wingers Esmir Bajraktarević and Jack Panayotou. The return of defender Xavier Arreaga from suspension should help to shore up the back line, but other absences to injury will still leave the Revolution with their work cut out for them on Wednesday night.
Philadelphia Union
15th in Eastern Conference (4-10-9, 21 pts.)
Last Result | 2-1 loss at Toronto FC
The Philadelphia Union are in a tight spot. Their road loss to Toronto FC this past Saturday, coupled with D.C. United’s win over Nashville SC, leaves the Union as outright holders of the longest active winless streak in the league, sitting on 10 matches without a ‘W’ and currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Looking back even further, Philadelphia have only recorded one win in their last 17 MLS games, not a run that any team would be happy with, and certainly not one this Philadelphia side will be eager to continue any longer.
That lone win still carries a sting in Foxborough, though, as the Revolution were the ones on the business end of it, falling 3-0 to the Union in May after an early Ryan Spaulding red card. Revs fans should expect their team to come up against a scrappy if not desperate Union when New England travels for this Wednesday night rematch.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution winger Esmir Bajraktarević
While it may have been defender DeJuan Jones who took the final assisting touch for New England’s lone goal against Orlando on Saturday, it was the scorching cross into the box from winger Esmir Bajraktarević that truly created the opportunity. Moves like that have become increasingly common in recent weeks from the young winger, who only just opened his MLS scoring account a month ago, and with Carles Gil expected to remain on the sidelines for at least this midweek match, Bajraktarević will need to step up once again and provide the driving force in attack against the Philadelphia Union.
It was disappointing to see the Wisconsin native left off the final United States’ Men’s Olympic Team roster for the upcoming Paris Games, but Marko Mitrović’s loss could very well prove to be Caleb Porter’s gain over the coming month. For his own part, Bajraktarević maturely recognized to reporters after the Orlando defeat that decisions need to be made when constructing an 18-man roster, and said he just wanted to continue to play his best soccer as the season goes on.
Union defender Kai Wagner
The Revolution will already be familiar with attacking midfielder Dániel Gazdag after he scored twice in Foxborough back in May, but they will also need to be on the lookout for defender Kai Wagner this Wednesday night in Pennsylvania. The left back boasts a team-high seven assists so far this campaign, including one in May’s reverse fixture, and paces his team in key passes and touches on the year, as well.
The German-born defender has already matched his goal contribution totals from the 2023 season (1g/7a), and he could be on pace to top his MLS career high of 15 assists in 2022. At a time when not a lot is going great for the Union, New England will need to be wary of Wagner, expecting him to do whatever he can to right the ship and help his team repeat their most recent victory.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter on his takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Orlando City SC:
“Obviously, we knew it was going to be a difficult game. They're a good team, and we've got a lot of guys out. I was very pleased with the first half, the performance. I thought we had the better of it, executed extremely well, got a deserved goal. As proud as I was of the first half, I was equally as disappointed in the second half. I thought the defending was very poor out of some experienced guys at the back. We need more pride, defensively. At a minimum, that should have been a 1-0 win for us. It’s disappointing, because we knew it would be a tough game, but we got our noses in front, played really well in the first half. We got some guys in like Jack [Panayotou], who hasn't played all season long, had a very good performance. Even Tommy Mac [McNamara] I thought played really well. I thought the midfield on up gave all they had, and obviously with some inexperienced guys in, they performed. The guys at the back didn't today, and we lost the game because of that.”
Porter on what he told his defenders and the team after their home loss:
“How do I talk to them? I tell them exactly what I told you, the truth. That’s how I am all the time. I don’t skirt around anything, I just tell them the truth. It was a poor half. I expect more, they know it. I told them that they now have to respond. They’re professionals. They’re experienced. At the end of the day, it wasn’t a good second half.”
Porter on his expectations for Wednesday's match at Philadelphia:
“I don’t think they [Philadelphia] have won in 10 [games]. So, like you said, they are a wounded animal, but you play against a wounded animal and they are going to fight. That’s what they do: they fight, they claw, they scrap, and they grind. Jim [Curtin] will have them foaming at the mouth. So, in some ways, it’s a more difficult game because of all those things. It’s a home game, they want to get their season back on track, and obviously, we have a lot that we’re managing. We’ve been managing a lot and we’ll manage even more in this game.”
Porter on defender Xavier Arreaga returning from suspension:
“Obviously, [Xavier Arreaga’s] track record has been very good when he has played in terms of the record, the results, and just obviously the eye test, his performances on both sides of the ball. So, he brings experience and confidence. He is a cerebral, smart player. He reads the game well, good organizer, and obviously, good on the ball. So, it’s great to have him back. Obviously, it’s not just him. We need to be a better team defensively. It’s not just the back line, it’s not just the center backs. It’s the team defending.”
Revolution winger Esmir Bajraktarević on getting more consistent minutes in MLS:
“I think just getting more experience, more and more, and playing against different teams helps me develop different skills. It’s good for my development. Yeah, I’m happy to be getting this many minutes.”
Revolution goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič on what he expects from the Philadelphia Union:
“They probably want to win the game as bad as we do, so it’s going to be hard on the road. Obviously, on the road every game is hard. Especially now when we are dealing with injuries and all the problems we have. Other guys who are here will have to step up now and not make excuses. We have to take responsibility and get three points.”
Ivačič on the importance of defensive stability to grinding out points:
“It’s very important. We are missing [some of] our best players up top. Defensively, we have everyone, so we have to keep a clean sheet. Obviously, we have problems scoring goals, which is normal since we don’t have our best players, and that puts a bigger responsibility on us at the back. We know we have to take it and we have to keep a clean sheet because, obviously, we probably won’t score as much as we did in the past.”
