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4 takeaways from the Revolution’s 2-0 win over Toronto FC
New England pushed its winning streak to four straight in what was possibly the best performance of the season.
The Revolution got a 2-0 win over Toronto FC on Saturday, stretching New England’s winning streak to four in a row.
Goals from Carles Gil and Leo Campana proved to be more than enough in a scoreline that could’ve been more lopsided in favor of Caleb Porter’s team.
It was a comprehensive win — a third consecutive road victory — that showcased the best of New England, and took advantage of a backpedaling Toronto team.
Here are a few takeaways:
It was the best performance of the season.
Porter named the same Starting XI for the third straight game, clearly not wanting to mess with success. Riding not merely a winning streak but a shutout streak, he made the simple call to stick with the 3-4-1-2 system, with Gil obviously in the role of playmaker.
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And the Revolution head coach was rewarded for his faith. The team looked cohesive from the opening kickoff, making the space small when they did not have the ball, and transitioning into attack quickly once they regained possession.
It was a top-to-bottom win, with defensive excellence — New England extended its shutout streak to 385 minutes without conceding — and much more consistent chance creation on the end. Given the performance and results, it’s fair to say this was the Revolution’s most impressive win of the season.
The major piece of context to keep in mind with the performance, however, is that Toronto is currently residing one spot above the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and struggled to assemble a coordinated game-plan. They allowed Gil to have the ball (always a bad idea from an opposition standpoint), and were unable to counter quickly in the rare moments when New England turned over possession.
Wing-backs put their best feet forward.
As has been a defining feature of the Revolution’s success since switching to a three-back system, wing-backs Ilay Feingold (on the right) and Peyton Miller (on the left) were impressive contributors.
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Miller initially dealt with the presence of Toronto Designated Player Federico Bernardeschi, limiting the number of characteristic bursts forward. But once Bernardeschi had been stifled a number of times, the Italian grew frustrated and switched to the other side of the field (presumably to escape the marking of Miller, among others).
Bernardeschi found the opposite side also tightly contested, with Feingold playing the best game of his young New England career. In the 11th minute, he sprinted forward, outpacing his marker and looped a cross in from right wing. The ball fell to Gil, who skillfully dispatched it inside the far corner of the goal to give the visitors an early lead.
The Revolution won the battle for center midfield.
The only player with more touches in the course of the game than Gil was fellow central midfielder Alhassan Yusuf (which, it should be noted, happened partly due to Gil being wisely subbed out in the 88th minute). Either way, the 24-year-old Nigerian was at his best all afternoon, buzzing around pockets of space to receive passes, and contributing defensively with several tackles and recoveries of possession.
He also tied for the most passes completed in the game (94-percent of which he did accurately). He directed multiple counterattacks, including one in the 27th minute in which he found Campana in perfect position. The center forward took the ball in and calmly tucked the ball away to make it 2-0:
Matt Polster, playing alongside Yusuf in central midfield (both players covered the central space behind the playmaking of Gil), was also impactful. His tackle helped regain possession in the building to the first goal, and he went 50-for-51 on passing attempts over the course of the game. In all, it was an extremely efficient display from the Revolution midfield.
Campana showing more of his potential with each game.
After playing for most of the last few seasons with strikers who were less involved in the buildup, Campana has shown New England fans what a versatile No. 9 can look like.
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Not only does he work hard defensively (though perhaps he could use slightly more caution, drawing a VAR review for an elbow while he was already carrying a yellow card), but Campana completed 17 passes (81-percent accuracy).
He dropped deep to receive a vertical pass from Yusuf in the 32nd minute, playing a clever first-time pass in behind for fellow forward Ignatius Ganago’s angled run. The sequence almost resulted in another Gil goal, as he nearly finished the rebound following Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson’s quality save of Ganago, but Johnson made a second (even better) reflex save to deny New England’s captain.
Campana getting another goal could help build his confidence, but it appears to be on the rise in any case Saturday, as it was for Feingold and several others, was probably his best game as a member of the Revolution.
Now, New England just needs to get Ganago going more consistently. He had multiple chances, but was unable to convert. If he can’t find more consistent form soon, it could be time for forward Tomás Chancalay to get a start.
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