Carles Gil Is Loving Life As The Elite Leader Of New England Revolution
BOSTON (CBS) -- If one thing is clear through the first three games of the season, it's that Revolution midfielder Carles Gil is playing at an elite level.
But that shouldn't surprise anyone, considering Gil has been an elite player for a while now. Just ask his coach, Bruce Arena. He's always happy to gush about Gil's dynamic play, tossing out that E word following last weekend's 2-1 win over Atlanta FC. In that match, Gil logged an assist on New England's first goal in the first half and then booted home the game-winner on a penalty kick in the second. Ahead of the season, Arena called Gil the team's point guard, crediting the 28-year-old Spaniard with making everything go in New England.
But as much as the Revs captain is playing at a superhuman level, Arena would like to see the rest of the team pitch in on the pitch.
"He's playing very well and we need to give him some help as well. We need some of our attacking players to put the ball in the back of the net to make it easier," Arena told WBZ-TV's Levan Reid. "We've had chances we could be better at, so hopefully we'll start finishing a few more chances and help Carles as well."
Arena has been asking officials -- sometimes not so nicely -- to give Gil more calls than he's been receiving. Getting involved in every play means the 5-foot-7 Gil gets pushed around quite a bit, and Arena is hoping that officials begin to realize just how frequently that happens during a given match.
Gil, however, has very few complaints about New England's 2-1-0 start to the season.
"We know that we needed a good start," Gil told Reid in his first English-speaking interview since joining the Revs. "We have seven of nine [points] and we know this is the way. We have to continue like this. We know it's a long season and we have to improve. We'll be looking for a win Saturday in Nashville."
This is Gil's third season in New England, and he still he credits his teammates for helping him acclimate to the MLS game and life in America. He says the Revolution are a lot like a family in that they go above and beyond to help each other both on and off the pitch.
The familiarity and comfort in New England has Gil ready to become a household name in the Boston sports scene. His play every week, and willingness to do whatever Arena and the team need him to do, will continue to enhance those chances.
"It's my third season so I understand what the team needs, what coach needs from me. Score goals, be the third midfielder or second striker -- whatever I need to do," he said.
"I'm really happy here in the country, Boston, with the fans," he added. "We are so happy that we can now have them in the stadium and of course we love them. We're going to try to give them a really good season."
Tune in to Saturday's Revolution-Nashville SC match on TV38, with coverage kicking off at 1:30 p.m.!
