MORRISTOWN, N.J. – The New England Revolution’s two-game road trip through the Tri-State area continues on Wednesday night, when they’ll visit New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.
Kickoff between the Revs (4-5-4, 16 pts.) and NYCFC (6-5-2, 20 pts.) is set for 7:30 p.m., with Brad Feldman, Paul Mariner and Naoko Funayama handling the English call on CSN New England and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Portuguese radio listeners can catch the action on WMVX 1570 Nossa Radio USA.
Revolution Postgame Live will begin immediately after the final whistle on CSN New England.
Current Form: Revs aim to cap road trip with good result after setback at Red Bull Arena
Lee Nguyen’s sixth goal of the season – his third from the penalty spot – got the Revs off to a perfect start on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, but the hosts mounted a second-half comeback to send the Revs to a 2-1 loss, dropping their road record to 0-5-2 on the campaign.
HIGHLIGHTS: Nguyen’s early goal not enough as Revs fall to rival Red Bulls
The Revs will get another crack at their first road win on Wednesday night as they’ll visit Yankee Stadium on the back-end of their road trip, and head coach Jay Heaps said NYCFC will present a completely different challenge.
“We’ve got to have short memories,” Heaps said. “We’ll take what we can from Saturday night – take some positives, obviously, but we felt like in the flow of the game we could’ve been better. Then again, we’ll turn around and play a completely different NYCFC team.”
Patrick Vieira’s side will be happy to get home after playing four straight games on the road, going 1-2-1 in that stretch, capped by a 3-1 loss to Atlanta United on Sunday night. NYCFC have made Yankee Stadium a difficult venue for visitors, however, going 3-1-1 in the Bronx through the first three months of the season.
Part of NYCFC’s home-field advantage are the tight confines at Yankee Stadium, as the smaller field dimensions make for a fast-paced game with plenty of physicality.
“We’ve had guys play on it, so there’s some experience that goes with it,” said Heaps. “The mindset going into it, you have to know and be prepared for it, but how you approach the game has to be the same. At times to play, you’ve got to play, and take advantage of the time and space that you can get.”
Past Meetings: Revs head to the Bronx in search of a third straight result at NYCFC
While the Revs were victims of New York City FC’s first-ever victory in their first-ever home game back in 2015, they’ve fared much better in their last two trips to Yankee Stadium, picking up a 3-1 win on the last day of the 2015 regular season and securing a 1-1 draw in March of last year.
The clubs’ most recent meeting last September was another 3-1 win for the Revs, this time at Gillette Stadium, capping off a season series in which the sides split with one win, one loss and one draw apiece.
Injury Report: Angoua, Farrell both return from suspension; Agudelo back in the mix
New England were forced to make a pair of changes to their backline on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena as London Woodberry and Je-Vaughn Watson deputized in defense, but both Benjamin Angoua and Andrew Farrell will once again be available for selection on Wednesday night having served their one-game suspensions.
That’s critical for a Revolution side in the midst of a three-games-in-eight-days stretch, with a home match against MLS-leading Toronto FC looming at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
“It’s always good to have options,” said Heaps. “We brought everyone (on the road trip) and now we have a little bit more flexibility with what we need to do on Wednesday.”
“To have those guys come in and boost us a little bit is huge,” said Kelyn Rowe.
Juan Agudelo provided another boost at Red Bull Arena, returning from a two-game injury absence to play 24 minutes off the bench. Agudelo said the nature of his injury allowed him to maintain his fitness while sidelined, and he feels like he’s ready to see increased time at Yankee Stadium.
“I’m game fit,” Agudelo said on Monday. “We’ll see what’s to come on Wednesday.”
Final Thoughts: Rowe says Revs have to show “a road mentality” at Yankee Stadium
“It’s a road mentality,” Rowe said when asked about the Revs’ inability to build upon positive starts away from home. “We have to be able to – after we score – keep playing the same way instead of just dropping back and letting teams come after us.
“That’s something you don’t want to do, especially with the amount of power that we have going forward, keeping the ball, and the ability that we have with the guys that we have. It’s about just keeping the play rather than dropping off and letting teams attack us.”
