Rested Revolution return to action after nearly two-month break on Wednesday
Before the World Cup final on Sunday, the award for being the last team to prevent Lionel Messi from producing a goal or assist in a competitive game went to the Revolution.
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On April 25, the Revolution played Inter Miami to a 1-1 tie before a crowd of 26,609 at Nu Stadium. Spaniard Carles Gil opened the scoring by chipping goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair in the 56th minute, before Germán Berterame’s 76th-minute equalizer for Miami. Midfielders Brooklyn Raines and Alhassan Yusuf limited Messi’s advances through the center of the field; goalkeeper Matt Turner, who made an early save on Messi, and the back line did the rest.
Messi followed with a 12-match streak, covering nearly three months, of providing assists and/or goals. That included seven games in the World Cup, before being blanked in Argentina’s 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in East Rutherford, N.J.
On Sunday, Messi left the field in tears, consoled by opponents and teammates. Messi also was upset after Miami’s tie with the Revolution, departing directly for the locker room at the final whistle.
Now, the Revolution (8-5-1, 25 points) are hoping to regain momentum, when they resume the MLS season against Toronto (3-6-6, 15 points) on Wednesday. New England stands in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, trailing first-place Nashville; and Inter Miami and Chicago, who meet on Wednesday. After starting the season 1-3-0, the Revolution went on a 7-1-1 run before falling, 1-0, at Charlotte on May 23.
“I think the guys are very ready to go,” Revolution coach Marko Mitrovic said Monday. “I think this break was great, because of [time] to recover. Also, I think we used it in a very good way to keep going, to keep improving, to keep getting better, and to prepare for what’s coming.”
The Revolution play host to Atlanta United on Saturday, then face seven away games out of nine, through Sept. 13. The Revolution have capitalized on a home-heavy early schedule and a well-manicured grass field — installed for the World Cup — to develop possession-oriented tactics keyed by Gil’s skillful play. The grass is gone, though, and underachieving opponents have had two months to reset.
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“We just have to adapt and play our best game after game at home without thinking of what kind of surface we have ahead of us,” Mitrovic said.
Gil leads the Revolution with five goals, and has been combining with Argentina’s Luca Langoni on the wings, and on set pieces. Half the Revolution’s 22 goals have been converted off restarts (including three Gil penalty kicks), with Langoni expanding his repertoire to corners and free kicks. Gil and Langoni represent the type of talent MLS should be tapping — highly skilled players from the countries of the World Cup finalists, just below the level of their national teams, which means they are unlikely to miss club games for international callups.
Turner was the only Revolution player on a World Cup roster, backing up Matt Freese, but earning a start in the 3-2 loss to Turkey after the United States had already clinched Group D.
“It didn’t go exactly the way I dreamt it would go, but I found a lot of small victories and smiles, and memories along the way,” said Turner, who completed two shutouts for the United States in the 2022 World Cup. “It was an honor of a lifetime to be here representing the US on home soil. I think I didn’t realize the gravity of all of it until you walk out. It just felt like every seat was filled with red, white, and blue. That excitement was tangible, it was palpable. You could literally feel it. It was a great place to be, and I feel like obviously, in the end it ends in a disappointing way.”
Turner recently extended a loan deal with Olympique Lyon through the end of the MLS season.
“I’m focused, and I think the motivation for the rest of the season is to compete for trophies,” Turner said. “Why not try to finish in a playoff spot and get into that Leagues Cup next season? There is a lot to play for, so I think it’s a great time to be a Revs player and also a Revs fan. My focus will be solely on keeping this team where we are in the standings, and higher, and, ultimately, pushing to make the playoffs.”
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