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3 takeaways from the Revolution’s 2-2 draw against Eastern Conference powerhouse FC Cincinnati
Gustavo Bou's goals covered for a game filled with "bad turnovers."
The Revolution emerged from a back-and-forth clash against fellow Eastern Conference contenders FC Cincinnati with a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
A pair of Cincinnati goals from Dominique Badji was canceled out by Revolution forward Gustavo Bou.
The 33-year-old Argentine caused one goal when his 15th-minute shot bounced in off of Badji. He scored another in the 24th minute after popping up at the far post and redirecting Emmanuel Boateng’s cross inside, uncorking a left-footed shot past Roman Celentano’s outstretched glove.
After a dramatic opening 45 minutes, the game settled into a more one-sided dynamic in the second half. Cincinnati slowly turned up the pressure as New England’s defensive coverage deteriorated, first finding an equalizer through Badji’s second goal in the 55th minute, and nearly adding a winner under a barrage of shots.
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Still, New England was able to escape with a point (and was denied a late Gil winner when Giacomo Vrioni was judged to have been fractionally offside). Cincinnati remains top of the conference, but saw what had been a perfect home record in 2023 (10-0-0) come to end against a stubborn Revolution performance. It was Cincinnati’s first dropped points at home in 273 days.
With the regular season series between the two teams now concluded in a pair of draws — the first meeting, back in April at Gillette Stadium, ended 1-1 in a game most notable for Dylan Borrero’s injury — a potentially decisive postseason matchup seems to loom. But with 14 regular season games remaining, MLS viewers know it’s far too early to speculate.
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Still, not everyone left Saturday feeling like the game was a playoff preview.
“I don’t think we played particularly well,” Revolution head coach Bruce Arena acknowledged after the game. “Our passing was poor tonight. It’s good to get the point, I can’t argue that. I guess I’ll leave it at that.”
Here are a few takeaways:
New England’s plan worked for 45 minutes.
Arena deployed the same starting lineup against Cincinnati that he’d used in the 2-1 win over Toronto the week before.
As was the case against Toronto, the role of Boateng proved interesting: When New England had possession, he looked to push into his usual space as a left-sided winger. When the Revolution were defending, he moved into a more central role.
This, coupled with Bou’s ability to drop from his starting spot (as a center forward alongside Bobby Wood) into space on the right, caused moments of confusion in Cincinnati’s defense. Lined up in a three-back formation, Cincinnati had issues picking up Boateng and Bou in space between the team’s wingbacks and center backs.
Led by the work rate of Wood, New England also unleashed some defensive pressing against Cincinnati at times in the opening half. This was used to create a turnover in possession that caused the corner kick from which Bou’s shot deflected in.
Eight of the Revolution’s nine shots in the game came in the first half, culminating with a Bou free kick hitting the post moments before the whistle blew. Given also that New England out-possessed Cincinnati for 25 of the opening 45 minutes, Arena’s side held a deserved 2-1 lead at halftime.
“Our bad turnovers led to some of their best chances.”
It was not the best night for New England’s passing efficiency. For a team that normally completes more than 80 percent of its passes, the final figure from Saturday (68.3 percent) told a story.
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Aside from Cincinnati’s defense, the Revolution simply turned the ball over too often. Normally reliable players like center backs Dave Romney and Andrew Farrell each made mistakes.
“Just couple plays here and there that I wish I had back, but I don’t know too many guys who played well tonight,” Romney candidly admitted during a postgame press conference. “I never want to have an off-night so it definitely wasn’t good enough for me.”
But as Romney pointed out, the mistakes went beyond just a few players.
This was exacerbated during the second half, which proved to be almost a different game for the Revolution. The team’s defensive structure appeared to fall apart as gaps opened up in the lines between midfield and defense.
On a humid night in Cincinnati, Arena noted afterward that the Revolution “felt the heat in the second half.”
Given more time on the ball, the home team also stepped up its defense in the rare moments New England wrested back control of possession.
“Our bad turnovers led to some of their best chances,” said Romney after the game, adding that he felt the team “put ourselves under pressure.”
Petrovic delivered another round of game-changing saves.
It would feel repetitive to continuously note Djordje Petrović’s impact on the Revolution were it not such an instrumental part in so many of New England’s wins this season.
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The 23-year-old was recently named an MLS All-Star, and he more than earned the distinction with his performance against Cincinnati. Petrovic made multiple important stops, turning away some golden chances for the home side.
“He played real well,” Arena said of the Revolution goalkeeper. “He made a couple big saves. He can’t be at fault for any of these goals, that’s for sure.”
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