Winners of two straight and three of their last four, the Revolution will return to the road as they visit East-leading Charlotte FC on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium, in front of one of the rowdiest home crowds in the league.
WHERE TO WATCH
As always, Saturday’s match will be available for streaming in more than 100 countries using MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Apple TV English Talent: Nate Bukaty (Play-by-Play), Devon Kerr (Analyst)
Apple TV Spanish Talent: Sergio Ruiz (Play-by-Play), Walter Roque (Analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub (English); 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Radio Talent: Brad Feldman (Play-by-Play), Charlie Davies (Analyst)
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
11th in Eastern Conference (3-4-1, 10 pts.)
Last Result | 2-0 win vs. NYCFC
The Revolution attack is coming to life after scoring two goals last weekend to secure their third win in four games. While it’s always important to find three points at home, this win was especially vital for New England as they hit the road for their next three regular season matches.
The Revolution’s efficiency in the attack saw strikers Leo Campana and Ignatius Ganago earn their first goals in Revolution jerseys. Strengthened by a shift in formation, New England started last weekend’s match in a 3-4-1-2 setup for the second week in a row – a tactical adjustment that has paid off with back-to-back clean sheet victories.
Charlotte FC
1st in Eastern Conference (6-2-1, 19 pts.)
Last Result | 3-0 win vs. San Diego FC
With 19 points from nine games, Charlotte find themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference standings – tied on points with FC Cincinnati. Charlotte has started the season strong at both ends of the pitch, boasting the East’s highest-scoring attack (16 goals for; tied with Chicago and Philadelphia) and the conference’s second-best defense (7 goals against; tied with New England and Columbus).
Charlotte has been especially successful at home this season, keeping a perfect record of 5-0-0. They’ve only conceded two goals at Bank of America Stadium, while scoring 13 times on their home turf. New England will need to continue their upward attacking trend to break down the Charlotte defense – a challenge that won’t come easy, as an average of more than 33,000 Charlotte fans roar in support of their team.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution forward Ignatius Ganago
Something has been unlocked for forward Ignatius Ganago, who scored his first goal and earned his first assist of the season in last Saturday’s win over NYCFC. Ganago was involved in both goals at Gillette Stadium, assisting Leo Campana for the opener, then finding the goal himself off a cross from Carles Gil, solidifying the New England victory.
Ganago’s attacking performance earned him a starting spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday for the first time since joining the league. Heading into Charlotte, Ganago will play a large role for New England, as they’ll need a strong attacking threat to break through the opponent’s resolute defense.
Charlotte FC defender Andrew Privett
Joining Charlotte head coach Dean Smith on the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 9 was center back Andrew Privett. The defender not only scored his first professional goal with a header off a free kick, but he also helped The Crown secure their second clean sheet in a row.
As the Revs continue to search for more goals, Privett and the Charlotte defense will be a tough nut to crack. With such a steadfast defense – both at home and overall – Privett plays his part on a backline that has proven themselves time and again.
WHAT THE TEAM IS SAYING
Head coach Caleb Porter on the challenge of visiting Charlotte:
“They [Charlotte FC] are a team that has not lost at home. They are sitting top of the league and they are in form. I like where we’re at and it will be a great opportunity for us to go and try to get a result in a very difficult environment against a very good team.”
Porter on Leo Campana and Ignatius Ganago scoring their first goals of the season:
“Really, you would hope that one unlocks everything, but it just depends on the next game. It depends on how hard we play. If the players unlock the floodgates, then they will unlock it. It is not just going to happen easily. We are playing one of the best defensive teams in the league [Charlotte FC], and they are very organized in that 4-4-2 mid-block press. So, goals aren’t going to come easy. We’re going to have to play well. We’re going to have to be very clean and clear in how we are going to create chances. In the end, it is going to be, on the day, how they perform – it’s as simple as that. There is nothing easy in this league. If we start thinking, ‘Oh, we’ve won three of four,’ and ‘Oh, we’ve won two in a row and we’re just going to go to Charlotte and it’s going to be easy, we’re going to get a win,’ then there’s no chance; we’ll lose. We have to have an edge, we have to have a hunger, and we have to keep improving. We have to play better in this next game against Charlotte than we did in the last game. If we don’t, we probably won’t win.”
Striker Leo Campana on scoring his first goal at home and looking toward to the next match:
“It was amazing. The environment was really good, there were a lot of fans. Hopefully we can keep it up like that throughout the whole season. It was a great game, especially because we won and we got the three points against a difficult team. But right now, we are thinking about Charlotte. It’s going to be a difficult game, away. We’re training really hard to take those three points also.”
