New England Revolution

8 takeaways from the Revolution’s 2-1 win in Nashville

New England produced its best MLS performance of the season in a satisfying win.

By Hayden Bird

June 2, 2024

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The Revolution put together arguably the best MLS performance of the Caleb Porter era in a 2-1 win in Nashville on Saturday night. It marked the first New England victory at Geodis Park in club history, and couldn’t have come at a better time.

Mired in a three-game losing streak — and firmly in the Eastern Conference basement — the Revolution were in desperate need of a win. Thanks to quality goals from team captain Carles Gil and 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic (his first in MLS), Porter’s team were able to hang on when momentum tipped in Nashville’s direction later in the second half.

Goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič produced a fine display of his own, stopping one of the two penalty kicks that Nashville were awarded. Though the night ended with the Revolution still in last place, there were hopeful signs for New England fans who have been starving for such a result.

Here are a few takeaways from an enjoyable night in Nashville:

A plethora of top performances.

Multiple players produced arguably their best performances of the season on Saturday, including Bajraktarevic, DeJuan Jones, Matt Polster, and Mark-Anthony Kaye.

Part of this was due to a collective intensity both in and out of possession. New England worked as a group to win the ball back, especially in the first half. Revolution pressing caused multiple Nashville turnovers.

With the ball, the pace of passing appeared to be happening in a higher gear than has been seen for much of the season. The first goal was indicative of this: A 14-pass sequence (which ended with winger Dylan Borrero losing the ball just on the edge of the box) was immediately followed by another patient 11-pass sequence culminating in Gil’s opener.

During the sequence, the Revolution achieved more than simply keeping the ball. Multiple passes (including one from Polster and another from Borrero) were nicely hit cross-field balls that switched the point of attack, keeping Nashville off balance and opening up enough space for the Spanish playmaker to cut inside onto his favored left foot:

Asked if that was more of the pace he wanted to see (on both offense and defense), Porter enthusiastically concurred.

“Absolutely,” he said after the game. “On both sides of the ball, I thought the hunger was there and the fight was there. We wanted to play with passion. I reminded the guys before the game that they started playing this game because they loved it and they had passion for it, and that this is a job but it’s more than that. It’s their calling and it’s what they’re meant to do, and you’ve got to enjoy it. I thought they played with passion today.”

Possession with a purpose.

Much has been made of Porter’s installation of his own system in New England. The growing pains have been self-evident as Revolution buildup play has been filled with ponderous possession for much of the year.

On Saturday, New England ironically totaled just 37-percent possession, but made the absolute most of it. Granted, the first half was more of an even contest (compared with a 72-28 possession disparity in the second half as the Revolution held on to the late lead), but by the end of the night, the visiting players with the most touches on the ball were:

• Carles Gil: 72
• DeJuan Jones: 65
• Mark-Anthony Kaye: 55
• Dylan Borrero: 54

In recent weeks, the heavy slant of possession in New England’s favor has been deceptively defensive (with center-backs leading the team in touches). But on Saturday, three of the top four players in terms of involvement were Gil, Jones, and Borrero, all of whom are among New England’s most important and most dangerous players.

The first half in particular saw a great combination of patience and progression when New England held the ball. One 20-pass sequence in the 37th minute saw the visitors confidently cycle the ball around multiple times before Kaye played Borrero down the left with a perfectly weighted through-ball. All that was missing at the end was the finish, as forward Giacomo Vrioni scuffed his left-footed shot wide after Borrero curled in a beautiful outside-of-the-foot cross.

Bajraktarevic produced a bolt of lightning to double the lead.

The dynamic shifted more to a counter-attacking game in the second half as Nashville — trailing by a goal — tried to get more of the ball.

This suited New England, who also continued to press at various points to largely good effect. And when Nashville playmaker Hany Mukthar tried an overly ambitious back-heeled pass in Revolution territory, Polster pounced. Recovering the ball, he found Gil in space on the left wing (both Gil and Borrero were effective all night at dropping off to find space and time on the ball). The Spaniard turned and found Vrioni’s run down the left wing.

Hitting a first time cross that was struck with accuracy, Vrioni picked out Bajraktarevic running free down the right wing. The New England academy graduate faked a cut inside onto his left foot before turning back to his right and firing a perfectly placed shot into the upper near post:

Ivačič delivered at a pivotal moment.

Since establishing himself as the starting goalkeeper, Ivačič has looked very comfortable for New England. Along with being able to help the team play out of the back, the Slovenian has quality shot-stopping abilities.

This was on full display in the 57th minute when New England center-back Xavier Arreaga committed a hand ball in the box, resulting in a Nashville penalty kick. Initially, Arreaga was also given a red card, but after a VAR decision, the red card was changed to a yellow (as Ivačič was in goal at the time and it therefore wasn’t judged to have denied a clear, goal-scoring opportunity).

Ivačič stared down Mukhtar’s subsequent penalty attempt and made a strong save to his right:

Dylan Borrero’s game is continuing to develop.

Though the final product isn’t always there, it’s clear that Borrero is one of the more dynamic players on New England’s roster. His ability to stretch the field is a threat whenever the Revolution regain possession.

In addition, an interesting development in 2024 has been Borrero’s increased confidence and commitment to drifting inside from the wing. He has a knack for getting between the lines of the opposing team’s defense and midfield, making himself available for passes from Gil, Kaye, Jones, and others.

Seemingly subtle movements like that offer immeasurable help to New England’s buildup play, opening up space for Jones down the left wing and creating an overload in dangerous positions in the final third. As he continues to work his way back into full fitness following the return from the 2023 ACL tear, Borrero’s game seems to be growing by the week.

“Dylan is different,” Gil said, concisely. “He is a key player for us. He had difficult moments [with his injury] and I’m very happy for him. Just to see him on the pitch is incredible. He works really hard and I enjoy him a lot. I’m very happy for him.”

Dave Romney’s return was a mixed bag.

A subplot since April has been the conspicuous absence of 2023 Revolution Defender of the Year Dave Romney. Having been cast aside to the bench by Porter, Romney finally got his first start in weeks with Henry Kessler on a yellow card suspension.

The characteristic defensive solidity that Romney brings to the team was back on display, with the 30-year-old contributing several timely tackles and clearances. His lower pass completion percentage was also present (just 75 percent vs. 93 percent for his fellow center-back Arreaga).

There was also the matter of Nashville’s second penalty kick (which Mukhtar this time converted for the home team’s lone goal). Romney was caught making a late tackle on former Nashville center-back partner Walker Zimmerman in what was admittedly a rash mistake. Though it was a split-second error, center-backs are not afforded such luxuries in their own penalty area, especially when protecting a second half lead.

Still, it was a solid performance from Romney, who was given credit by his head coach.

“I thought the chemistry with him and [Arreaga] was very good,” said Porter, who then offered some insight into his thinking. “One of the reasons I went away from him is I didn’t think the chemistry with him and Kessler was very good. So that is giving me something to think about when I look at his chemistry with [Arreaga].”

And yet…it still almost ended in disappointing fashion.

The reminders of the tight margins in MLS are never far away. For all of the good New England did with the team performance on Saturday, it still required Ivačič’s penalty kick save for the visitors to escape with all three points.

And while many of Nashville’s attempts were easily dealt with by Ivačič, the home team still mustered 26 total shots (one of the highest in club history).

There is also the matter of Vrioni. It should be noted that he continues to contribute more than his fair share in terms of work rate, helping with New England’s press. He also delivered the quality assist to Bajraktarevic. Yet he missed multiple chances, whiffing on two shots in the box setup by Borrero and Gil. Had the game ended in a draw, those squandered opportunities would’ve loomed much larger (as has been the case several times this season).

Will it be the start of something?

The Revolution remain a last place team, and required the stretching of every sinew to get a win over opposition currently operating with an interim head coach on short rest (having played a midweek game in Cincinnati).

Yet it did feel like a step forward. Not merely because of the result, but because of the way the team played both with and without the ball (especially in the first half). If New England can move the ball at that type of tempo more often, and press with that level of organization and intensity on defense, Porter-ball could come to life this summer. The Revolution play at home in five of the next six games, offering an opportunity to go on a much-needed run.

After the final whistle, the rarest of sights was even seen from Porter. During an informal postgame moment picked up by Apple TV+ cameras, Gil could be seen joking with Porter. For two figures who have been stuck in seemingly perpetual frustration in 2024, it was a breath of fresh air for New England fans to see. Whether it’s a sign of things to come is impossible to know in the inevitable chaos of MLS, but it appears Porter’s team could be — at last — growing in confidence.