Match Preview: Revolution Going For Fifth Straight Win -- And First-Ever Victory Over Nashville
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Revolution head into Wednesday night's match against Nashville SC still looking for the franchise's first-ever victory against the 2020 expansion club. There's good reason to believe that the Revs will finally get that W.
New England has won four straight -- three of which came on the road -- and now return home to Gillette Stadium, where the club is 6-1-0, giving them the best home winning percentage in the league at .857.
The Revs are on fire over their four-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 11-3 over the stretch. They're fresh off a thrilling comeback win over the New York Red Bulls, a 3-2 victory off second-half goals by Gustavo Bou, Brandon Bye, and Adam Buksa to give New England an MLS-best 11 wins on the season.
Even more impressive is that the streak came while Matt Turner and Tajon Buchannan were playing in the Gold Cup. Those two, along with late Gold Cup addition Henry Kessler, will likely be back in action for New England on Wednesday night.
Nashville is no pushover, as was clear when the club handed New England its first loss of the season, 2-0, back on May 8 at Nissan Stadium. Nashville is also unbeaten in its last eight games, going 4-0-4. But the club is still searching for its first road win of the season, and now has to head to play the league's top team in one of the hardest road venues in MLS this season.
Who's Hot
Gustavo Bou: He isn't just hot -- Bou is on fire. His 60th minute goal against New York was his ninth in the last 10 games, and Bou is now tied for second in the MLS Golden Boot race, only one goal behind league leader Raul Ruidiaz of Seattle.
Adam Buksa: We're at the midway point of the season and Buksa has already surpassed his goal total of last season (6). His game-winning goal in the 91st minute against New York was his eighth of the season, moving him into a tie for fifth place league-wide.
He's also the only Revs player with a goal against Nashville, scoring New England's only goal in a 1-1 draw at Nissan Stadium last year.
Carles Gil: He dished out helpers on Brandon Bye's late-game goal and Buksa's game-winner on Saturday, giving Gil his fourth multi-assist game of the season. He has 15 assists in 17 games this season and is now up to seven game-winning helpers – one short of tying the MLS single-season record.
With five more assists, Gil would set a new Revolution record and become the fourth player in league history to tally 20 assists in a season.
However, Gil may not play Wednesday night after limping off the field Saturday in New York.
Matt Turner: The goalkeeper is back with the Revs after he was named the Gold Cup's Best Goalkeeper, backstopping the United States to five clean sheets in six starts. Turner tallied a tournament-best 26 saves while allowing only one goal, and zero from the run of play. Now he'll be back to dominating MLS competition.
We'll see if Bruce Arena throws him right back out there on Wednesday night or goes back to Brad Knighton in goal. Knighton had a pair of clean sheets while filling in for Turner.
Arnór Traustason: With an assist on Bou's goal on Sunday, Traustason has recorded a goal or an assist in four straight games.
Hany Mukhtar: The Nashville midfielder leads his club with seven goals on the season. He hasn't scored since a three-goal outburst four matches ago, but had two assists in a 3-0 win over Cincinnati on July 24.
The Revs didn't see Mukhtar back in May when the two clubs squared off in Nashville, so the New England D will have a new attacker to focus on Wednesday night.
Joe Willis: The Nashville goalkeeper is tied for the MLS lead in clean sheets (7), including one against the Revs back in May when he made four saves.
Where To Watch
Lots at Gillette open at 4 p.m. for some pre-game fun, with gates opening at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff. It's gonna be a wet one though, so maybe you'd be better off watching this one from your couch on TV38!
