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3 takeaways from the Revolution’s MLS season-opening defeat against D.C. United
An early Giacomo Vrioni red card and Christian Benteke's hat-trick spoiled an opening night in which Carles Gil scored one of the best goals of his career.
The Revolution dropped their 2024 MLS regular season opener 3-1 against D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field, playing most of the game under difficult circumstances after forward Giacomo Vrioni’s first-half red card.
New England, playing its first league game under new head coach Caleb Porter, created the best early chance of the game (falling to winger Tomas Chancalay), but was reduced to 10 players when Vrioni was given a second yellow card in the 25th minute.
From there, the the Revolution — already struggling to maintain possession due to United’s defensive press — were put on the back foot for most of the night.
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United forward Christian Benteke, always a threat on set pieces and crosses, capitalized on several point-blank chances to score a hat-trick and send Porter’s squad to defeat.
Revolution captain Carles Gil provided a brief ray of hope in the second half, tying the game with a memorable solo goal (curling his shot perfectly into the far corner of the net). But only minutes after leveling the score, New England fell behind again (and for good) after Benteke added his second.
A third from the Belgian striker in stoppage time sealed the Revolution’s fate in the game.
Here are a few takeaways from an up-and-down night in D.C:
Revolution will have to find better solutions when pressed.
Even before the early red card, New England was struggling to keep the ball against United’s implementation of a high press.
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The visitors were held under 40 percent possession over the first 20 minutes, playing mostly in its own end. When the ball was briefly recovered, it was usually lost again quickly via a desperation clearance (necessitated by United’s pressure).
After Vrioni’s dismissal, the field unsurprisingly tilted towards New England’s goal, and Benteke’s opener felt like a natural progression of the home team’s dominance.
Finding a passing outlet when down a player is always a tough task. It was made especially difficult given United’s aggressive defensive game plan, and the fact that the player who had been sent off was the team’s center forward.
The Revolution took less blame for struggling to hold onto the ball when facing a numerical disadvantage, but the struggles even before Vrioni’s sending off suggest there’s still work to be done in implementing Porter’s style. New England will certainly face other teams with a similar approach to United’s, and must develop better answers.
Vrioni starts a critical season with a pair of bad decisions.
After arriving midseason in 2022 from Juventus (having played on loan in Austria prior to his move), Vrioni was supposed to be a successor to former Revolution forward Adam Buksa as one of the team’s primary goal-scorers.
He struggled with injuries in his first half-season, and wasn’t able to find consistency in 2023 (scoring six goals in 29 appearances).
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It feels like 2024 could be a make-or-break year for Vrioni in New England.
Given that, it’s hard to imagine how he could have started his MLS campaign in worse fashion. The first yellow card came in the 12th minute for a senseless decision to block United midfielder Mateusz Klich’s free kick at close range (well within the allowed 10-yard range). It was an easy decision for the official.
Thirteen minutes later, Vrioni made an even more senseless decision to go for a sliding tackle against United center-back Christopher McVey. As McVey was facing the sideline, and was nowhere near a threatening position, Vrioni’s choice to go for the slide while already on a card felt inexplicable.
“Knowing he was on a yellow, he shouldn’t be leaving his feet,” Porter said after the game of Vrioni. “I’m not sure he got him, but, again, I haven’t seen it. It didn’t seem like he got him but when you leave your feet on a yellow already, you’re just putting yourself in a situation you shouldn’t be in.
“We have to learn from that because that hurts the team,” Porter added. “We’re on the road, we’re 0-0, and down a man [25 minutes] in. There aren’t many teams in the world that are going to win that game.”
A little bit of good news: Esmir Bajraktarevic showed his ability.
After coming off the bench in the midweek Champions Cup win over Club Atlético Independiente, 18-year-old Revolution winger Esmir Bajraktarevic got the start against United.
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He looked the part of a teenager who has also recently been given his U.S. National Team debut, finding space and working well with Gil in particular.
His breakout in the 18th minute — finding Gil with a perfectly placed cross-field pass — led to the best goal-scoring chance of the game in the first 20 minutes. Even amid United’s pressing and possession dominance, Chancalay having the ball on his right foot at the end of the sequence was a golden opportunity, denied only by a top save from goalkeeper Alex Bono.
Bajraktarevic nearly played Chancalay in on goal again later in the half with a clever turn (after receiving a line-breaking pass from Gil).
He also won what initially appeared to be a penalty kick (later ruled a free kick on the edge of the box) in the second half, having been too quick for United’s defense.
Along with Gil and Chancalay, Bajraktarevic showed flashes of how dangerous New England’s attack could be in 2024. Yet as long as Vrioni’s struggles continue — either to score or simply stay on the field – it’s unlikely the Revolution’s talented attacking midfield will reach its full potential.
The other piece of good news is that after weeks of traveling, the Revolution can look forward to returning home for a pair of games in the next week. The return leg of the first-round CONCACAF Champions Cup matchup kicks off on Thursday (Feb. 29), and the MLS home opener will be played on Sunday (March 3) against Toronto.
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