ORLANDO, Fla. – Of all the words that could be used to describe the action on Saturday night in Orlando, “boring” certainly wasn’t one of them. The New England Revolution faced their biggest character test of the young season, as they earned a road point in a 3-3 draw with Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium.
New England started on the back foot, trailing in the first half of a game for the first time this season after Martín Ojeda scored back-to-back goals in the 24th and 33rd minutes. It was the first time the Revolution had conceded a goal in 409 minutes – only 10 minutes shy of matching the longest shutout streak in club history (419 minutes, 2013).
After going more than four games without conceding a single goal, it was a true test of mentality to see how the Revs would react down 2-0 away from home. They answered quickly – Alhassan Yusuf scored his first MLS goal in the 38th minute, and Matt Polster followed with his first goal of the season just six minutes later, bringing the score level at 2-2 before the halftime break.
“I loved our response down 2-0. I’ve been in hundreds of games and obviously a few when we’re down 2-0, and you rarely come back in that type of game on the road. That’s pretty rare. Only teams with a very strong mentality do it,” said head coach Caleb Porter. “I love that we grew in that moment, down 2-0. We fought back versus shriveling and that’s what good teams and good players do.”
The action didn’t stop there; when Orlando was awarded a penalty early in the second half, Ojeda found his third of the night, restoring Orlando’s lead at 3-2. With plenty of game left, it was up to New England to respond once more.
Fighting to the end, the Revolution found what they needed in the 82nd minute when Ignatius Ganago drew a foul in the box.
“I thought the subs helped us. Luis Diaz came in and helped us create that penalty,” Porter said after Diaz came in to replace Tanner Beason late in the match. “Wyatt [Omsberg] came in as well and gave us a little bit more organization and communication, which we needed. We need the subs to come in and be solutions to the match, which they were.”
With the chance to even the score, none other than Carles Gil stepped up to the penalty spot. With true captain composure, Gil made the score 3-3 in the 85th minute – just when it mattered most. The goal was Gil’s sixth of the season, all in the last seven games.
“The best teams, they refuse to lose,” said Porter. “You see their best when there’s adversity that kicks in, and that’s what you saw with this group.”
After winning four straight games, all via shutout, New England almost needed the challenge to prove where they’re at mentally.
“It was a good learning moment,” Polster said after the match. “You could see the character, the personality from the group, that we’re willing to sacrifice a lot for each other and find a way to get a point out of this game. It’s interesting. Obviously, very frustrating, but happy at the same time. It’s definitely a middle ground for me, but I’m really happy that the guys were able to come back and continue to fight.”
Having earned 11 of their 17 points on the road this season, New England return home after three consecutive away matches. They've shown they can challenge opponents on their own turf and will aim to protect theirs as the San Jose Earthquakes visit Gillette Stadium next Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET).
“Now we’ve got to take care of business at home. We’re feeling really good about our road form,” said Porter. “But we’ve got to get another three points at home and it’s not going to be easy, because San Jose’s a handful. Guys like [Cristian] Arango and [Josef] Martínez are very dangerous and a lot of the movement they have is similar to what Orlando has, so it will be a great opportunity for us.”
