Visiting Nashville SC will look to prevent the New England Revolution from leapfrogging them at the top of the Eastern Conference when they meet on Wednesday night.
Nashville (7-1-3, 24 points) has allowed the fewest goals in the conference (eight) though their backline has been somewhat leakier as of late. Having kicked off the year with five clean sheets in their first seven matches, the Boys in Gold have managed just one in their last five outings.
Though a late Warren Madrigal brace against D.C. United extended their unbeaten run to five in MLS, their winless run in all competitions now sits at four when accounting for their two 1-0 defeats to Tigres UANL in CONCACAF Champions Cup.
“We’ll regroup, we’ll recover, we’ll review the game and we’ll get ready to go to New England,” head coach BJ Callaghan said after their 2-2 draw with D.C. on Saturday.
Nashville will be counting on Hany Mukhtar’s four-match goalless drought to end in the ongoing absence of team-leading goalscorer Sam Surridge.
New England (7-3-1, 22 points) has turned Gillette Stadium into something of a fortress en route to its best-ever home start. The Revs came from behind on Saturday night, an 87th-minute Carles Gil strike securing them a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. The result preserved their perfect record at home as head coach Marko Mitrovic matched the best 11-match start by a Revolution coach.
Even nearing the club’s all-time longest winning streak at home, Mitrovic downplayed the importance of their upcoming fixture.
“I don’t think about statements, to be honest,” Mitrovic responded when asked how he saw the match. “It’s another game for us in terms of having a great opportunity to see where we are right now.”
The Revs may find their depth replenished as more players prepare to return from injury. They hope to have Leo Campana and Ilay Feingold back in the lineup after Brayan Ceballos and Matt Polster returned on Saturday.
This game will mark the teams’ second encounter of the campaign — host Nashville drubbed New England 4-1 during the Revolution’s first match of the season.
–Field Level Media
