The 2021 Supporters Shield winners will meet last season's MLS Cup champions as the New England Revolution look to extend their unbeaten run to 11 straight matches domestically when they battle New York City FC on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
New England set a league record for points in the regular season a year ago (73), but they failed to finish the job in the playoffs, falling to the Pigeons on penalties in the Eastern Conference semi-finals as New York went on to capture the title.
Match preview
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At the beginning of June, no one could have envisioned that the departure of beloved manager Ronny Deila would send the reigning champs into such decline.
While currently fourth in the East is no means disastrous, the players have lacked a degree of sharpness to their game since Nick Cushing took over, going winless in their last five matches in all competitions.
Their previous three games have been there for the taking, although the Pigeons have failed to seize those opportunities, dropping five points in their previous three games.
They have shown tons of creativity and quality of late, tallying seven times in their previous three fixtures, but their backline, who posted five successive clean sheets domestically before Deila's exit, have crumbled at the most inopportune moments, conceding in the final few minutes in two of their last three encounters.
Despite a slight drop in their intensity, Cushing insists that he is not worried about their current form, praising his players' work ethic, instead chalking up the disappointing results to a demanding slate of games.
Indeed, they have not had more than four days to rest in between matches since returning from the international break in June, though they have managed to earn points in eight straight MLS contests at home.
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With a win or draw on Saturday, the Revs would stretch their unbeaten run in MLS play to 11 consecutive encounters, matching a club record set in 2019 and 2005.
When you produce the kind of top-end talent that we have seen from this organization in recent years, big European clubs will inevitably come calling, and plenty of those star players have been lured over to the bigger leagues of late.
An effective succession plan and wise spending has enabled them to replace those marquee names quickly, while the newcomers have stepped in to fill those voids exceptionally well so far this season.
Even though they are in a playoff position at the moment, Bruce Arena knows that his team could be in a much stronger place in the standings, dropping 15 points from winning positions.
Those points could have them with a comfortable cushion atop the Eastern Conference table, but instead, the Revs find themselves barely holding on to the final playoff spot, two points ahead of Charlotte FC.
Their movement and creativity on the ball make them a tough side to compete against in open play, with some of the league's top playmakers possessing excellent vision to pick out their attacking threats, currently fourth in the league when it comes to key passes (168).
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Team News
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Sean Johnson was the hero for New York in their playoff meeting with the Revs last season, stopping former New England striker Adam Buksa from 12 yards away.
All five penalty takers on that day converted their spot-kicks for the Boys in Blue, with the winner coming courtesy of Alexander Callens.
In one game, Valentin Castellanos is back on track to maintain his Golden Boot crown as the Argentine notched a brace in their 2-2 draw against Atlanta United last Sunday, while Talles Magno assisted on both goals to move into a tie for third in the league, two behind FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta for first.
Thiago Martins has a lower-body injury, Keaton Parks is back on the injured list with an issue in his calf, while three new faces were inserted into the lineup against the Five Stripes as Castellanos, Anton Tinnerholm and Santiago Rodriguez replaced Tayvon Gray, Gabriel Pereira and Heber in the starting 11.
Dylan Borrero has stepped in and made an immediate impact in Greater Boston, with the Revs attacking midfielder notching a goal in back-to-back home fixtures, while Gustavo Bou made his 60th MLS start in that game last Sunday, scoring his fourth of the season, and Carles Gil had another routine match for his high standards as the reigning league MVP led his team once again in chances created (three), duels won (eight) and successful dribbles (four).
Sebastian Lletget made his 15th appearance of the campaign last weekend, assisting on their opening goal, Brandon Bye returned to the lineup after missing their previous encounter with a knock and Emmanuel Boateng replaced Borrero at half time after the youngster suffered a minor injury.
New England have sold their share of players, but they continue to make quick purchases as well, with the latest being Albanian forward Giacomo Vrioni from Juventus, who they signed for a reported $10 million though to 2025.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Tinnerholm, Chanot, Callens, Amundsen; Morales, Pereira; Rodriguez, Moralez, Magno; Castellanos
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Bye, Farrell, Kessler, DeLaGarza; Maciel, Kaptoum; Lletget, Gil, Boateng; Bou
We say: New York City FC 2-2 New England Revolution
The Revs and New York possess some of the best playmakers and strikers in the league, but they each tend to suffer breakdowns in discipline near the end of matches, which has forced them to share many points.
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Joel Lefevre
