FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (September 30, 2023) – The New England Revolution (14-6-10; 52 pts. – 3rd in East) defeated Charlotte FC (7-11-12; 33 pts. – 13th in East), 2-1, on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Noel Buck and Dave Romney each scored for New England, with the latter heading home the game winner in the 85th minute for his first regular season goal as a member of the Revolution.
With Saturday’s result, New England rises to third in the Eastern Conference with four games to play. The victory extends New England’s home unbeaten run to 16 games (12-0-4) dating back to last October – one shy of the club record (17). New England is now the 10th team in MLS history to go unbeaten in its first 15 home games in a season. One more win over the final two games at Gillette Stadium would tie the team record of 12 home wins in a single campaign.
The two sides played a scoreless first half, which saw Charlotte come closest to breaking the deadlock with a strike off the crossbar in the 45th minute. New England striker Bobby Wood, making his first start since July 22, nearly connected on two headers. On the other side of intermission, New England opened the scoring in the 64th minute when Buck collected a through ball from Mark-Anthony Kaye, put himself in on goal with his first touch, and fired a low shot into the bottom-right corner. It marked the Homegrown Player’s third goal of the season in the 20th start of his MLS career.
Charlotte battled back, equalizing in the 84th minute through Karol Świderski as he pounced on a loose ball at the top of the box and slotted a low shot into the bottom-left corner. It took only 89 seconds for New England to restore its lead, as Dave Romney connected on a cross from DeJuan Jones at the back post for a simple headed finish. The goal was Romney’s first regular season tally for the club, his second goal of the season in all competitions, and the eighth goal of his MLS career.
Saturday’s match saw the return of Revolution forward Gustavo Bou, who had been out since early August with a right leg injury. Bou logged 18 minutes off the bench in his first MLS outing since July 15.
New England will play two matches next week, beginning on Wednesday, October 4 against Columbus Crew (14-9-8; 50 pts. – 5th in East). The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish. Listen to the Revolution’s local radio calls on 98.5 The Hub (WBZ-FM) or 1260 AM Nossa Radio in Portuguese. New England will then hit the road next Saturday to battle second-place Orlando City SC.
TEAM NOTES
- The Revolution are back in the top-four places in the Eastern Conferences with four games left to play – one more match than all the other teams in the top six vying for homefield advantage.
- New England extended its home unbeaten streak to 16 games (12-0-4) games dating back to last October. The Revolution are still the lone MLS team without a home loss (11-0-4) in 2023.
- The Revolution are now the 10th team in MLS history to go undefeated in the first 15 home matches of a season.
- One win over the final two home games would see New England tie a club record with 12 home victories in a season.
- New England is unbeaten in their last 18 matches (12-0-6) when tallying the opening goal.
- The Revolution earned their first win under Interim Head Coach Clint Peay (1-1-1).
- Saturday’s attendance of 37,701 was a season high for New England, and the biggest home crowd since the 2016 regular season finale.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Dave Romney scored the game winner in the 85th minute, marking his first MLS goal for the Revolution and his second of the year including a tally in the U.S. Open Cup. Romney finished with a team-high seven clearances.
- Noel Buck tallied his third goal of the season, the fourth of his MLS career, in his 20th career MLS start.
- Mark-Anthony Kaye’s assist on Buck’s goal marked his 25th MLS career assist, his second with New England. Kaye won all nine of his duels to go along with four tackles won and 10 recoveries.
- DeJuan Jones tallied his fifth assist of the season on Romney’s game winner, marking the third straight season the defender has recorded five or more helpers.
- Andrew Farrell logged his 350th start for New England across all competitions, most in team annals.
- Matt Polster started at left back for the second straight match, his 100th MLS appearance for the club.
- Bobby Wood returned to the starting lineup for the first time since July 22, registering two shots in 55 minutes of action.
- Gustavo Bou made his first MLS appearance for New England since July 15, entering as a second half substitute in the 72nd minute.
GAME CAPSULE
New England Revolution 2, Charlotte FC 1
September 30, 2023 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Referee: Lukasz Szpala
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson (AR1), Chantal Boudreau (AR2)
Fourth Official: Tori Penso
Video Assistant Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schaap
Weather: 57 degrees and showers
Attendance: 37,701
Scoring Summary:
NE – Noel Buck 3 (Mark-Anthony Kaye 2) 64’
CLT – Karol Świderski 9 (Unassisted) 84’
NE – Dave Romney 1 (DeJuan Jones 5) 85’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Nacho Gil (Yellow Card – Tactical Foul) 28’
CLT – Ashley Westwood (Yellow Card – Persistent Infringement) 37’
CLT – Karol Świderski (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 45’+2
New England Revolution: Earl Edwards Jr.; Matt Polster, Dave Romney, Andrew Farrell, DeJuan Jones; Mark-Anthony Kaye, Noel Buck; Tomás Chancalay (Tommy McNamara 83’), Carles Gil ©, Nacho Gil (Gustavo Bou 72’); Bobby Wood (Giacomo Vrioni 54’).
Substitutes Not Used: Jacob Jackson; Esmir Bajraktarević, Emmanuel Boateng, Omar Gonzalez, Ben Sweat.
Charlotte FC: Kristijan Kahlina; Jere Uronen (Derrick Jones 77’), Andrew Privett, Adilson Malanda, Nathan Byrne, Brandt Bronico (Enzo Copetti 76’), Ashley Westwood, Brecht Dejaegere (Scott Arfield 65’), Justin Meram (Kerwin Vargas 76’), Karol Świderski, McKinze Gaines (Kamil Jóźwiak 65’)
Substitutes Not Used: Bill Tuiloma, Jaylin Lindsey, George Marks, Patrick Agyemang.
