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4 takeaways from the Revolution’s 3-1 win over Orlando City
A trio of impressive goals vaulted New England to a second straight home victory.
The Revolution scored a 3-1 win over Orlando City at GIllette Stadium on Saturday, the team’s second home victory in as many games.
Emmanuel Boateng, Gustavo Bou, and Carles Gil notched an impressive trio of goals for New England, who rose back to third in the Eastern Conference after taking all three points.
Here are four takeaways:
The (temporary) return of Brandon Bye allowed for a back four.
Right back Brandon Bye, who missed four games with a shoulder injury, returned on Saturday and was named in the Starting XI.
Because New England lacks depth at outside back, Bye’s absence over the past few weeks necessitated a switch to a three-back system, with usual left back DeJuan Jones switching to the right side as a wingback.
With Bye in the lineup, head coach Bruce Arena was able to return to a back four. Bye slotted back in on the right with Jones on the left and Andrew Farrell pairing with Dave Romney in the center.
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Unfortunately for Bye, his night was cut short when he picked up what Arena called “muscle tightness” and was subbed off at halftime for Omar Gonzalez (who moved to center back with Farrell shifting to the right).
The other notable change — other than the return of Noel Buck in midfield — came with the choice of goalkeeper. As Djordje Petrović was away on international duty with Serbia, Earl Edjwards Jr. stepped in for a game.
Reverting to a more familiar formation — 4-1-2-1-2, with Gil as the No. 10 playing behind Bou and Bobby Wood — appeared to serve New England well, as passing movements seemed to flow more naturally.
The Designated Players connected.
Due to injuries and tactical preference, the Revolution have rarely utilized all three of the team’s Designated Players at the same time in 2023.
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In the second half, forward Giacomo Vrioni — who is still fighting for regular minutes — was brought on for Wood.
After Orlando forward Duncan McGuire pulled a goal back in the 80th minute to make it 2-1, New England briefly looked to be in some difficulty. Though they controlled much of the game, the Revolution faced increasing pressure in their own half of the field.
But after breaking out from an Orlando corner kick, Vrioni got possession and began a counterattack. His outlet pass found Bou in space to the left, who turned inside and crossed to an open Gil.
The Revolution captain cut back onto his favored left foot before unleashing a shot inside the far post for a crucial third goal to essentially put the game away.
It was his seventh goal of the season (already matching his total in all of 2022). Gil noted that he’s been trying to be more decisive with shooting in the final third to take advantage of defenses that expect New England’s playmaker to pass.
“Sometimes the defenders obviously know that I can make some passes or sometimes they stay back,” he explained. “So yeah, it’s a thing [I want to] continue to improve.”
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It showcased a sequence in which all three Designated Players connected, a rarity since Vrioni joined the team in 2022. It could also give Arena more cause to potentially start the 24-year-old alongside Bou and Gil in the future.
Earl Edwards Jr. played well when called upon.
With 60 percent possession in the game, the Revolution controlled the tempo of the game for much of the night. Yet when Orlando did create chances, Edwards — whose only two starts in 2023 came in U.S. Open Cup games — made several important saves.
His most impressive stop came in the 63rd minute on a low shot that appeared destined for the corner of the net. Edwards reacted instantly to reach for and parry Martin Ojeda’s volley, denying what would’ve been an equalizer for the visitors.
The 31-year-old confidently showed that he can step in when Petrovic (arguably the best goalkeeper in MLS) is out.
Emmanuel Boateng walked a subtle line in a hybrid role.
As Bruce Arena once opined, formations are simply “a starting point,” with players expected to move around during the course of 90 minutes, filling multiple roles depending on the situation.
No one embodied this more than Boateng during the game, as the 29-year-old helped spread the field in his traditional winger role when New England was in possession, but also pinched in to help block the midfield when the Revolution were on defense.
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“He played half central, half flank, but he did a good job,” Arena said of Boateng. “In the formation we were in, he had to be central, especially defensively so he did a good job, a real good job.”
That he scored a fantastic goal capped what was a quality performance. After being used almost exclusively as a substitute during his first two seasons with New England, Boateng has answered the call following Dylan Borrero’s season-ending injury.
He’s not only stepped in as a starter, but has become an increasingly important player, showing it against Orlando City by balancing his defensive and offensive duties even though it meant playing in different parts of the field.
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