New England Revolution
New England began the regular season stretch run with a comprehensive win to jump back into the playoff race.
The Revolution demolished CF Montreal, 5-0, on Saturday, starting the pivotal stretch run with the most lopsided MLS win of the Caleb Porter era.
A pair of first-half goals from Bobby Wood established a healthy lead for New England. In the second half, cameo appearances from some of the Revolution’s more talented attacking players in the final 30 minutes led to a trio of satisfying insurance goals.
Among the second-half substitutes to be brought on was 22-year-old Argentine winger Luca Langoni, the Revolution’s recent club-record signing. In 15 minutes of action, Langoni notched an assist and a goal, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat on his debut in club history.
In all, it was a fun night for Revolution fans, given both the on-field result and also its corresponding effect on the standings. Beginning the night in last place in the Eastern Conference, Porter’s team moved up three spots from 15th to 12th, and now sits just two points behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot.
Here are a few takeaways:
Starting the playoff push with a perfect result
The Revolution entered the night sitting last in the conference, but with two games in hand and trailing a playoff spot by just five points. Riddled with injuries over the preceding two months, the squad began to return to the field in the break after the Leagues Cup. That, coupled with the arrival of Langoni and a few other new faces added in the recent transfer window, means that Porter has (finally) begun to assemble a critical mass of talent.
Yet any chance of making a playoff run was predicated on getting results in games like the one Saturday night. Montreal, like New England, currently resides below the playoff line, and were inevitably circled on Porter’s calendar as an opportunity for a road win.
Starting the night in a 4-2-3-1, the Revolution had Carles Gil back in his favored central attacking midfield role after a long injury layoff, and Wood once again up top as the lone striker.
Having started to find his form in the Cup games, Wood continued his recent prolific run by capably latching onto the end of a low cross swept in following a counterattack by Brandon Bye (who was played in by Gil). The former U.S. international emphatically roofed his finish to give the visitors the lead after just seven minutes.
From there, Montreal was never able to recover despite eventually creating some quality chances (more on this in a bit).
The final score represented the first multi-goal win in MLS by New England in 2024. It couldn’t have come at a better time for Porter’s squad. For a team looking to find its confidence and make a late-season run, this was an absolutely ideal way to begin.
Carles Gil was back to his usual elite standards.
It’s been said before, but Gil’s greatness in New England has become such an expected component of the team that it almost gets taken for granted. Yet after missing more than two months with a lower leg injury, the Revolution captain’s return was conspicuous.
Having missed such an influential midfield figure during the entirety of the recent Leagues Cup run, New England looked far more composed and dynamic with Gil once again orchestrating the attack. Whether by a direct or indirect assist, Gil played a role in all three of the opening goals prior to when he was subbed off in the 77th minute.
His calmness on the ball helped to take the sting out of Montreal’s pressure, and he led the game in chances created (with six). Even by his own high standards, it was a masterclass performance from New England’s No. 10.
Montreal probably should not have been shut out, and New England will have some defensive notes.
As seemingly perfect a night as it was from a Revolution standpoint, it’s worth noting that Montreal was hardly the most difficult opponent New England will conceivably need to beat in order to reach the playoffs.
The home team frequently struggled to simply complete passes, making several unnecessary turnovers that helped the Revolution cause. This was helped along by an effective high press that Porter’s team utilized. Yet Montreal was able to escape on a few occasions, leading to one of the Revolution’s only real defensive problems of the night.
A main point of emphasis for the New England coaching staff reflecting on the game will be the need to limit space in front of the Revolution penalty area. Of Montreal’s 12 shots, 11 came from a 10×10-yard area at the top of the box. If there was one consistent criticism for Porter’ team, it’s that they yielded too much time and space in this area. Against a more talented opponent, it could have resulted in a goal or two.
On top of that, the only shot Montreal created outside of the 10×10 area at the top of the box probably should also have been a goal. Lassi Lappalainen, brought on at halftime by Montreal to inject some more attacking bite as the home team tried to close the deficit, found himself with a wide open shot from inside the box in the 54th minute (having turned past New England center back Xavier Arreaga). Yet he skied his shot, squandering arguably Montreal’s best chance of the game.
A final note here should be that New England goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic, while ultimately the beneficiary of five goal of support, also made some important (and not so easy) stops in the first half to deny Montreal’s bevy of shots from distance. The flow of the game could have gone differently had Ivacic not made some quality saves.
The final portion of the game played like an extended preview of the Revolution’s revamped attack.
Prior to the game, Porter noted that many of the players returning from injury would not be able to start, and would likely make appearances off of the bench instead.
Given the course of events — New England found itself with a 2-0 lead in the second half — there was less incentive to bring on attacking options (as opposed to more defensive help to fortify the back line).
Yet Porter opted to unleash the cavalry anyway, throwing winger Dylan Borrero and striker Giacomo Vrioni on in the 66th minute (both normally first-team players who had also been out due to injuries).
Vrioni played an enjoyable role in right back Nick Lima’s goal (the Revolution’s third) in the 71st minute, cleverly letting the ball run past him to create space for the goal-scorer.
A few minutes later, Porter introduced Langoni and Ian Harkes. It gave Revolution fans an effective preview of what the team’s attack could look like when spearheaded by Vrioni, Borrero, and Langoni. The only one missing was Gil, whom Porter intelligently removed once the game was settled.
While it came against a perhaps less-than-competitive opponent — especially as Montreal pushed numbers forward to try and change the scoreline — the brief demonstration of the attacking talent now at Porter’s disposal should send a jolt of fear through other Eastern Conference sides competing for a playoff spot.
The combination of Borrero and Langoni in particular looked promising. Both players have a capacity to change the game through their speed and dribbling ability, but both also have an eye for a pass (and know how to find space through their movement).
It was Borrero’s vision and quality passing that set up Langoni for his opening New England goal.
And this came after Langoni had already set up Vrioni for a goal, cutting a low cross back to the wide open striker after he beat his marker to the end-line.
It’s easy to get carried away in the lopsided scoreline of one result, and the Revolution clearly have many more hurdles to clear before a playoff spot can be secured.
Yet for at least one night, New England fans savored the taste of a truly comprehensive win. If Porter’s team can keep playing like that, the Revolution will not sneak into the playoffs. They will stomp their way in.
Boston.com Today
Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning.