Revs throttling up
Turner, Gil have them chasing 5th straight win
The New England Revolution bookended an impressive pair of road victories around FIFA’s International June break that featured two overriding characteristics.
The first was the fantastic cage presence of goalkeeper Matt Turner and second were the accurate service deliveries executed by playmaker Carles Gil on set pieces.
The Revolution (6-1-2) have won four straight and will look to enhance their first-place standing in the Eastern Conference when they host the New York Red Bulls (4-4-0) on Wednesday night (7) at Gillette Stadium.
The Revolution have an opportunity to capture a club-record fifth straight home win since the start of the season. The Revolution beat the Red Bulls 3-1 at Gillette on May 22.
“I think we started off slowly the last time we played against them,” said Turner. “I think the key for this game will be to come out stronger.
“We know that they play direct, we know they like to battle and tackle so we’re going to have to be up for a physical game. This is no time to take our foot off the gas. We know they are physical and they are big and tall in stature, especially on set pieces, where they can be really dangerous.”
Turner notched his third clean sheet of the season in the Revolution’s 1-0 victory over FC Cincinnati on May 29 at TQL Stadium.
Turner enjoyed one of the more masterful performances of his career in the Revolution’s 3-2 victory over New York City FC on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena in
Harrison, N.J.
Turner accumulated a season-high seven saves while denying a penalty kick off the foot of NYCFC attacker Valentin Castellanos in the 12th minute of a scoreless game. In the second half, Turner made consecutive saves on Ismael Tajouri-Shradi and Jesus Medina to preserve a 3-2 lead. Turner’s efforts against NYCFC were recognized on Monday when he was named MLS Player of the Week.
“He’s improved greatly and he continues to improve,” said Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. “He works really hard, he’s a good student of the game and a great person.
“He had a remarkable game in New Jersey the other night and we’re excited the way he’s progressing as a goalkeeper. I’d like to believe with goalkeepers, they win you some games and they don’t lose you any and that’s the case with Matt Turner.
“Matt never loses us a game and often wins us some games. Over a season, that’s a real plus for a team.”
Gil has emerged as the
MLS leader for creating scoring chances on set pieces. He leads the league with 26 chances created from set plays, is first with 44 successful corners and crosses, and is tops with seven assists.
Against Cincinnati, Gil set up the Revolution’s lone goal on a set piece in the 70th minute. Gil lofted the ball into the scoring area, where striker Adam Buksa found a seam in the protection, skied over the crowd and headed the ball inside the far post for his team-high fourth of the season.
Gil was instrumental on set pieces against NYCFC, one of which set up the Revolution’s second goal. He had a free kick from outside the box that he rainbowed into the melee taking shape in the penalty area. Rookie center back Jon Bell leaped and headed the ball into the goal for the first of his MLS career.
“He’s obviously an excellent passer with great accuracy on his passes from a distance,” said Arena. “He’s a skilled player, has a nice delicate touch on the ball and he serves a great ball.”