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3 takeaways from the Revolution’s 2-0 win over New York City FC
New England put together arguably the team's best performance of the season in a well-earned win over New York.
The Revolution offense warmed in proportion to the unseasonably summer-like weather in a 2-0 win over New York City FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Goals from forwards Leo Campana and Ingatius Ganago — the first for each player since arriving in the offseason — created the separation in the win, though it was another dogged defensive display that truly earned the three points. New York managed just two shots on target over the course of the full 90 minutes.
Here are the takeaways as New England (3-4-1) moved up to 11th place in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand:
Momentum growing behind 3-4-1-2
For the second game in a row, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter opted for a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Tanner Beason joining Mamadou Fofana and Brayan Ceballos as the center-back trio. The group looked solid, and yielded New York’s best chances later in the game only after Fofana was subbed off due to a minor injury (Porter said after the game that he doesn’t think the injury to the Malian international is serious).
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The formation was certainly not the reason why New England won, but it created opportunities all over the field for Revolution players to find space (particularly on the outside of the field with wing-backs Peyton Miller and Ilay Feingold). After falling to NYC 2-1 within the shrunken confines of the Yankee Stadium field dimensions in March, the Revolution looked much more comfortable exploiting the wider expanses of Gillette Stadium with numerous cross-field passes.
Up front, both Campana and Ganago were able to link up with Miller, Feingold, Gil, and (maybe most importantly) each other. Ganago noted after the game that he feels most comfortable playing “at the front of the attack,” perhaps an indication that he is more of a fan of Porter’s application of 3-4-1-2 than the earlier 4-2-3-1 (when he was operating primarily as an attacking left midfielder).
All systems Ganago?
Speaking of New England’s talented Cameroonian, the 26-year-old Ganago produced by far his best game as a member of the Revolution.
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Currently on the roster as part of a six-month loan deal (that includes both the potential of an additional six-month loan as well as an option for the club to buy his contract outright from French club Nantes), Ganago put his best foot forward on Saturday, notching a goal and an assist.
He clearly possesses an explosiveness that defenders in MLS (or perhaps any league) have trouble containing. If he can attain a greater level of consistency from game to game, New England management will have an easier decision later this year when considering his future with the team.
Some distant rumblings
Aside from the events on the field, two trades were reported on Saturday that involved Revolution players past and present.
The first was that the San Jose Earthquakes were reportedly acquiring former New England left back DeJuan Jones from the Columbus Crew (where he had been traded by the Revolution in 2024).
Jones, 27, reunites with former Revolution head coach Bruce Arena in San Jose. The story was first reported by MLS insider Tom Bogert.
Bogert then had a second piece of news (reported after the final whistle of Saturday’s Revolution game) in which he reported that New England midfielder Noel Buck is also heading to San Jose.
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Per Bogert, the Buck trade is a “cash trade,” though full terms were not disclosed.
It represents the end of a curious era in New England for Buck. The Arlington native burst onto the scene several years ago as an academy graduate, and then moved to English club Southampton on loan in 2024. His return in 2025 felt out of step with what his career trajectory appeared to be not that long ago. Hopefully a fresh start under the familiar coaching of Arena can reignite his development.
And as for Arena, the ex-New England coach has now collected a plethora of former Revolution players in his new San Jose project.
On top of the reported acquisitions of Jones and Buck, Arena has already added Earl Edawrds Jr, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Dave Romney, and Ian Harkes. Whether or not this unusual roster building method pays dividends for the Earthquakes remains to be seen.
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