MLS Regular Season | Match #11
New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls
Saturday, May 11 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Red Bull Arena | Harrison, N.J.
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English Talent: Neil Sika (play-by-play), Lloyd Sam (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Diego Pessolano (play-by-play), Daniel Chapela (analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 (English) 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
15th in Eastern Conference (2-7-1, 7 pts.)
Last Result | 1-0 win at Chicago Fire FC
New England will be hoping to follow up their first road win of the season with an immediate second when they travel to Red Bull Arena on Saturday. The 1-0 victory in Chicago came on the back of a stonewall defensive performance that saw a spectacular free-kick save from debutant Aljaž Ivačič as well as crucial blocks from defenders Nick Lima and Henry Kessler, but the highlight of the match was the 25-yard worldie from the left foot of Tomás Chancalay that earned the Argentinian a nomination from MLS for Goal of the Matchday.
The win at Soldier Field came at a crucial time for New England, who had been struggling to find their form in the early part of the season. Head coach Caleb Porter said during the week that he wants to see the team “just keep stacking up results” as they continue through the second quarter of the campaign.
New York Red Bulls
4th in Eastern Conference (4-2-5, 17 pts.)
Last Result | 6-2 loss at Inter Miami CF
New York may appear to be flying high at 4th place in the Eastern Conference, but the reality is that they have only one win in their last six games played (1-1-4), and none in their last four (0-1-3). Their most recent result in particular, a 6-2 loss to Inter Miami CF in which Lionel Messi registered an MLS single-game record five assists, will surely have stung bad enough to spur the Red Bulls into fighting hard for a turnaround, meaning that the Revolution will be facing a stern test on Saturday.
First-year head coach Sandro Schwarz might take some solace in the fact that his team has historically fared well when hosting New England, with the Red Bulls holding an all-time MLS regular season record of 12-1-2 against the Revolution at Red Bull Arena – a record that the Revs themselves will be hoping to turn around this weekend.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution forward Tomás Chancalay
Two spectacular goals in two games – one a first-minute chip against Inter Miami CF, the other a 25-yard stunner against Chicago Fire FC – have gotten Tomás Chancalay feeling “very good,” the Argentinian forward said this week, and Revs fans will be hoping to see his streak continue against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
Chancalay has demonstrated that he is no stranger to shooting on sight, currently sitting fifth in MLS for shots taken so far this campaign (43), and the Chicago goal in particular illustrates the talent and confidence he has in doing so. He will be hoping to pile onto New York’s defensive woes after the Red Bulls conceded six to Miami in their last match.
Red Bulls midfielder Lewis Morgan
After making only five league appearances last season due to injury, Lewis Morgan has wasted no time this year in showing what he is capable of, leading his team with seven goals and currently sitting fifth in the MLS Golden Boot race alongside names like Denis Bouanga and Christian Benteke. The Scotsman’s tally is bolstered by a hat trick netted at home against Inter Miami CF in March, but he and his Red Bulls will be desperate to bounce back quickly from their 6-2 away defeat to the Herons last time out.
Morgan did not feature for the Red Bulls in either of their matches against the Revs last season but did score a penalty against New England at Red Bull Arena in September 2022. The Revolution will need to duplicate some of the defensive heroics that saw them shut out Chicago last Saturday if they are to keep Morgan and the Red Bulls at bay this time around.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter on the team’s focus as the second quarter of the MLS season continues:
“Just keep stacking up results, that’s really important. I told the guys today, it's great we got a win and had a good performance, but we can't relax. We have to stay hungry. We have to keep focused on improving every single day, like we did last week. Last week, we had a great week of training. I think you saw it in the game. We're still scratching the surface of the team that we want to be, that we need to be, so have another good week of training. That's the key.”
Porter on the importance of momentum in MLS and building on last weekend’s win at Chicago this Saturday in New York:
“It's a league of ups and downs, and runs. You see teams that string two, three wins together, you shoot up the table, so can we do that now? Can we turn this last game, the result, into another win? It's going to be more difficult, this one. Red Bull is one of the best teams in the East. They've shown that this year and their new coach [Sandro Schwarz] has done a great job. They are playing a little bit more than in the past, keeping the ball more, still press really well in the right moments, and they are still disruptive. We have to be smart in terms of how we play and how we try to build out. So, that'll be a big part of our prep this week. But then also, they are going to have some of the ball as well, so that's a little different than in the past when you play Red Bull.”
Porter on looking for consistency in the lineup moving forward:
“That's always what I want, is continuity in a lineup. Start of the year, we're playing every three days, so we had to rotate. Then from there, we had some injuries, which meant again, we had to rotate with different guys in. So, it has not been ideal. That's not the way that I normally like to do it, but that's been a necessity. Then there's been some performances that have meant in some positions that we needed to give other guys a look, because when you're not winning, you're not performing, you get injuries, you have to rotate, it’s very difficult to find any rhythm and continuity. So, I said it a couple of weeks ago: We were, in our team development, ending the storming kind of phase, and now it’s time to start to norm. You can only do that if you stay healthy and keep performing.”
Porter on Tomás Chancalay scoring in two straight games:
“It's funny how when you get your first, the floodgates open a bit and the confidence comes. I think our whole team is going to be more confident because of the result and the performance. I saw that today. We just don't want to get casual now. It's important that we keep the knife between our teeth, so to speak. I think his edge has been really good. He's in a good spot mentally right now, which I like, and he's got goals. I’ve said it from day one, he can score. When he gets around goal, he can score. The rest of the game, he's learning to be simple, and he's working very hard as well, defensively, on both sides of the ball.”
Revolution forward Tomás Chancalay (via translator) on scoring in consecutive games and gaining confidence:
“I feel very good. I’m happy with the goals. They help a lot with my confidence, but like always, even when I wasn’t scoring goals, I try to help the team. Right now, I’m helping with goals, thanks to God, and hopefully I can continue helping the team win games.”
Chancalay on the importance of keeping momentum going into New York this weekend:
“It’s very important because it’s easier to work on the positives of a win than the negatives. It’s an opportunity to make the most of the confidence of every player to keep trying to win more games. We deserve better things. The start we had to the season was tough. We hope this is a good step for us to keep moving forward and growing.”
Revolution midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević on the club’s focus in training ahead of the Red Bulls:
“It's obviously big. Having a good week of training is probably the most important thing for winning games. So, I think the main thing is, we had a couple of days off, so now it's just coming back focused and yeah, just being prepared for the next game.”
Bajraktarević on the team’s mindset and energy in the second half of last weekend’s 1-0 win in Chicago:
“Yeah, going into that game, the first 20 minutes were a little shaky. So, we kind of wanted to get control of the game, control the ball, and calm things down. I feel like once I kind of found myself more on the ball, I think we were doing better as a team. So, in the second half – at halftime, just talking to the coaches, it was more about making an impact offensively and creating chances rather than just keeping the ball. So, coming [out in] the second half, I think we came out direct and it was good.”
Bajraktarević on how the team can build on last weekend’s win:
“I think the main thing is just playing our game. I think when you look back at most of our games, it's kind of us beating ourselves rather than the other way around. So, it's kind of just making sure that we're doing the best that we can, and the results will come.”
Revolution defender Xavier Arreaga on the challenge of facing a team coming off a tough loss:
“I think New York Red Bulls is up there as one of the best teams in our conference. They are prepared for this game and to try to beat us. Obviously, they are going to be at home with their fans, but I think we need to be smart in that game. We need to be smart. We need to try to do the things that Coach [Porter] has taught us this week. I think that’s going to be the key for us: try to have a good mentality first, with attitude and unity like a team. I think that really is the thing that is going to win the game.”
