Revs eye record books tonight
Top team in MLS vying to finish regular season strong
The New England Revolution will not play another road game this season.
The Revolution were awarded the MLS Supporters’ Shield on Saturday when the Seattle Sounders were mathematically eliminated for it in a 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City. The Revolution have the No. 1 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs and will have homefield advantage in the tournament.
The Revs (21-4-7) closed the road portion of their schedule with an improbable come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Orlando City SC on Sunday night. The Revolution were 10-3-4 on the road this season.
The Lions outplayed the Revs in the first half and were up 2-0 when clutch striker Adam Buksa scored in the 81st and 93rd minutes to steal the point. Buksa leads the Revolution with 16 goals, one ahead of Gustavo Bou.
“Well, I think we have a lot of character, we don’t like losing,” said Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. “A really good response in the second half and a good result at the end of the day.”
The Revolution play their final two games at home, where they have the best record (11-1-3) in MLS. The Revolution face the Colorado Rapids (12-8-10), the second of two games against a Western Conference opponent, at 7 p.m. tonight at Gillette Stadium. The Revs close out the campaign against Inter Miami CF on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 3:30 p.m.
“We want to make sure whenever we play at home, our opponents know it’s going to be a hard game,” said Arena. “Nobody walks out of our stadium with three points and that’s been the case most times this this year.
“So, it’s important in our next two games that we try to win those games and Colorado will be a great test. They have proven to be among the top five teams in the league this year.”
The Revolution still have a lot riding on the final two games in terms of points, goals and single-season records. The Revolution have
70 points, two shy of the MLS record set by LAFC in 2019. The Revolution have averaged 2.19 goals per game this season, slightly ahead of the MLS record of 2.13 set by the LA Galaxy set in 2018.
If the Revolution close
out with wins or ties, they will set the MLS record for fewest losses in a season with four. The Revolution are currently riding a ninegame unbeaten streak (60-3).
“You know, obviously, we’re locked in the spot
where we are going to be the first seed with a bye,” said right back Brandon Bye. “But it is about momentum going into the playoffs, so it’s important to attack both these game and try and get three points out of both of them.
“The (points record) is something that’s definitely achievable now. It’s not something we necessarily looked forward to at the beginning of the season. But now that it is within reach, I think we are all striving for that.”