FOXBOROUGH, MA– The New England Revolution (10-7-3, 37 pts.) were held to a draw in a back-and-forth 2-2 match versus FC Cincinatti (13-5-2, 44 pts.) in a match on Saturday night.
The match kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at TQL Stadium in Cincinatti, Ohio to a crowd of 25,513.
These men 👊👊👊 pic.twitter.com/j4xXkn7CSF
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) July 1, 2023
The team started their lineup in a 4-4-2 formation with Đorđe Petrović starting in net with a backline of (left back) Ryan Spaulding, (center backs) Dave Romney, and Andrew Farrell, along with (right back) Brandon Bye. The midfield consisted of Matt Polster (defensive midfield), Emmanuel Boateng (left midfield), Latif Blessing (Right midfield) and captain Carles Gil playing ahead of them in the central role. (Center attacking midfield) The forward roles were manned by Bobby Wood (Left) and Gustavo Bou (Right)
Midfielder Noel Buck remained out of the lineup due to a lingering leg injury.
Unchanged XI, unchanged bench as Bou recovers from the muscle discomfort that forced him off at halftime of last weekend’s win over Toronto. #NERevs https://t.co/3hfdeBcagd
— Jeff Lemieux (@jeff_lemieux) July 1, 2023
The match began with FC Cincinatti starting from the midfield kickoff. #10 Lucho Acosta played the center circle ball back towards a midfielder and then quickly moved the ball to the left back before he launched the ball into the Revolution defensive third.
The first moment of the match came in the 5th minute when #10 Lucho Acosta found #13 Santiago Arias, and his right footed shot went just wide of the left post.
Entering the 11th minute, FC Cincinatti took the early lead.
What a finish by @dbadji14. pic.twitter.com/ahhoh4Oytd
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) July 2, 2023
Showing off from an impressive counterattack, #10 Lucho Acosta played the ball down the line to find #7 Yuya Kubo. He then managed to an un-defended early deliver to #14 Dominique Badji who got the final touch past Farrell and Petrović for the 1-0 lead.
However, FC Cincinatti’s lead didn’t last long, as just 3 minutes later, New England leveled the scoreline!
BOU PUTS US AHEAD! 🐾 pic.twitter.com/wqqx9d4f08
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) July 2, 2023
As Carles Gil lined up for the Revolution corner kick, his delivery found #15 Yerson Mosquera’s head. His header found Gustavo Bou atop the box marked by #7 Yuya Kubo. He outpaced Kubo and shot a ball which was initially saved by #18 Roman Celentano and then managed to deflect off of #14 Dominque Badji and back into his own net.
FC Cincinatti didn’t break down from this downfall as just 5 minutes later, they had yet another chance where #14 Dominque Badji’s shot was saved by Đorđe Petrović.
Entering the 24th minute, New England took the lead!
Control & media vuelta de oficio de @gustavobouok 🇦🇷 para voltear el partido a favor de #VamosNERevs.🔄 pic.twitter.com/DFWeg3UqOq
— MLS Español (@MLSes) July 2, 2023
The entry ball from defender Dave Romney to defender Ryan Spaulding began the attack. As Spaulding looked up, he found Emmanuel Boateng to his left. He then played a give-and-go, and then re-found Boateng. He then played a delivery into the area that was spectacularly trapped down by Gustavo Bou. His patience was a strong suitor, as he turns and buried it into the far corner for the 2-1 advantage.
FC Cincinatti almost broke the deadlock in the 25th minute following a poor pass which led to a counterattack; however, #7 Yaya Kubo’s shot went over the bar.
In the 36th minute, FC Cincinatti midfielder #5 Obinna Nwobodo entered the referee’s booklet with a yellow card for a foul on defender Ryan Spaulding.
After the 45 minutes, the match entered halftime with New England ahead 2-1.
We've got a good one going here in Cincy ♨️#NERevs | @SantanderBankUS pic.twitter.com/WCeWDU3qL0
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) July 2, 2023
The second half began with Gustavo Bou starting from the center circle and playing the ball backwards to defender Dave Romney. He launched the ball into the FC Cincinatti defensive third to begin the second half.
Entering the 51st minute, Revolution midfielder Carles Gil entered the referee’s booklet with a yellow card for simulation. This call will likely be reviewed by the MLS Disciplinary Committee, as there was blatant contact, and Gil is now suspended for next week’s match versus NYRB.
Just one minute later, in the 52nd minute, Revolution midfielder Latif Blessing entered the referee’s booklet by receiving a yellow card for a foul on #10 Lucho Acosta.
Just 2 minutes later, FC Cincinatti leveled the match.
Nothing was gonna stop him. pic.twitter.com/GXHOXlbRQi
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) July 2, 2023
After a controversial no foul call header won by #7 Yaya Kubo, #10 Lucho Acosta found the ball and played it directly to the feet of #14 Dominique Badji for his second goal of the match. The Revolution protested, but the goal stood.
FC Cincinatti’s next best chance of the match came when #31 Álvaro Barreal’s shot was met by a diving save by Petrovic.
In the 67th minute, Head Coach Bruce Arena made his first three substitutions of the match by replacing midfielders Latif Blessing and Emmanuel Boateng, along with forward Bobby Wood, for Jack Panayotou, Damian Rivera, and Giacomo Vrioni.
In the 86th minute, Head Coach Bruce Arena made his fourth substitution of the match by replacing defender Ryan Spaulding with defender Ben Sweat.
In the 88th minute, Head Coach Bruce Arena made his fifth and final substitution of the match by replacing forward Gustavo Bou with defender Omar Gonzalez.
Entering the 91st minute, New England believed they found a winner as Giacomo Vrioni found Carles Gil at the back post for a goal, but it was found that Vrioni was offside in the buildup, and the goal would not stand.
After the 90 +8 added minutes, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
A fight to the end. #NERevs | @SantanderBankUS pic.twitter.com/SsJSz6fQgD
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) July 2, 2023
The New England Revolution (10-7-3, 37 pts.) head to Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey to face MLS New York Red Bulls (5-8-7, 23 pts.) in an MLS Match on Saturday, July 8th. The match kicks off in Red Bull Arena at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
(Editor’s Note: For more of Burt Granofsky’s photos, click on the link)
