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5 takeaways from the Revolution’s 1-0 win over Nashville SC
New England kept distant playoff hopes alive thanks to a late goal from Brandon Bye.
The Revolution’s hopes for a playoff berth — dimmed in recent weeks by a five-game winless run — remained alive after Brandon Bye’s late goal gave New England a 1-0 win over Nashville SC on Saturday night.
Played before a Gillette Stadium crowd of 42,312 (the fifth-largest home crowd in club history), the Revolution struggled to create chances for much of the night. In fact, it wasn’t until Bye’s 86th-minute header found the back of the net that the home team actually managed to record a shot on target.
Though it was far from the cleanest performance, with Nashville arguably creating the better opportunities in the first half, it still counts as a vital, season-saving win for New England.
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As a result, the Revolution moved out of last place in the Eastern Conference, but they still trail the current playoff line by six points with four games to go.
Here are a few takeaways:
Finally, a second half that exceeded the first.
For much of the season, a consistent and inexplicable pattern displayed by the Revolution — virtually irrespective of the lineup — has been a promising first 45 minutes followed by an occasionally calamitous second half. At best, New England has only seemed capable of holding onto a preexisting lead.
Yet on Saturday, Caleb Porter’s team (playing without their head coach who was suspended against Nashville due to yellow card accumulation) managed to look much more organized and methodical over the second 45 minutes.
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In part, this was also down to a particularly discombobulated display in the first half, with Nashville opening up several chances that were only denied by quality Aljaz Ivacic saves on New England’s end.
Eventually, the Revolution settled in and — while it was hardly a whirlwind of offense — began to assert dominance. Nashville, having mounted a series of threatening counterattacks in the first half, were shut down for longer and longer periods as the game progressed.
Brandon Bye and Luca Langoni combined for the winner.
It’s been a long road for Bye, New England’s 28-year-old right back. After establishing himself as a default starter, he had to work his way back following a torn ACL in August of 2023.
His return in 2024 has already paid dividends, but none were more tangible than Saturday’s decisive goal. Bye displayed the spatial awareness of a veteran player, drifting inside to allow Argentine winger Luca Langoni to receive the ball on the right wing. Langoni returned the favor, clipping a perfectly aimed cross onto Bye’s forehead, which he calmly nodded into the corner of the goal past Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis. It was Bye’s first goal since July of 2023.
For Langoni, it was his fourth goal involvement (two goals, two assists) in just 384 minutes with the club. He became more prominent in the second half, opening up space on multiple occasions with his impressive acceleration and dribbling ability.
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It was also, to a less noticeable extent, a nice moment for fellow new signing Alhassan Yusuf. The rangy midfielder collected a hockey assist on the play, having supplied the pass into Langoni. He put together a quality performance alongside fellow central midfielder Matt Polster.
Aljaz Ivacic was once again elite.
The 30-year-old Ivacic has made a home for himself in New England. Even if the Revolution don’t make the playoffs in 2024, the club can be safe in the knowledge that the torch has been passed from Djordje Petrovic.
While Ivacic may never get the high-profile attention that Petrovic eventually warranted, his MLS performances have been comparable at times.
This was certainly the case against Nashville. Ivacic made multiple stops against Nashville forward Sam Surridge in the first half that could have been goals. And he continued in the second half, finishing the night with four important saves.
Peyton Miller continues to flourish.
It’s difficult to consistently remember that Revolution left back Peyton Miller is just 16 years old. The Connecticut native (signed in 2023 as a homegrown player) has displayed a capacity to play at a professional level so often that it’s already becoming more conspicuous when he doesn’t make the right play than the opposite.
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Miller was one of the team’s leaders in touches (76), and was active in the attack in several sequences.
But it was his defensive capacity that seemed most impressive on Saturday. At multiple moments where New England was in trouble defensively, Miller used his speed to close down breakaways or intercept crosses. Should he continue to build on his current performances, it will quickly become interesting to see how long he remains at the club (given the likely interest that will emerge from overseas).
The season-defining week continues.
While it was an important win, it will only be the start if the Revolution actually hope to jump fully back into a playoff race. New England’s remaining card to be played has been the game in-hand (a leftover game on the schedule). On Wednesday, Porter’s team heads to Houston to play the Dynamo in a midweek matchup where they will attempt to cash in on the chance to make up additional points.
Of course, a win on the road against the sixth-ranked team in the Western Conference is far from assured. It will inevitably be a more difficult matchup than Nashville, asking additional questions of the Revolution lineup.
Beyond that, New England will then play its final home game of the season next Saturday against D.C. United.
To have any chance of making a miraculous late postseason push, the Revolution will probably need to come away with wins in both. And even then, the remaining pair of games (away at Columbus and Miami) loom as seemingly unclearable hurdles.
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Yet Porter likely spoke the only acceptable Revolution position on the current predicament prior to the Saturday matchup with Nashville. Asked during the week about the five-game gauntlet his team had to run to even begin to consider a playoff spot, he was blunt.
“I might be stupid, but I still believe that we can win all five.”
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