Revolution Celebrate With Supporters' Shield, But Focus Is Now On Winning An MLS Cup
FOXBORO (CBS) -- The New England Revolution would have loved to have finished off their historic 2021 regular season with another win. Instead, they settled for one heck of a celebration inside Gillette Stadium.
The Revs closed out their regular season with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Inter Miami CF, but that did not rain on their Supporters' Shield celebration after the match. Players gathered on the field to lift the Supporters' Shield in front of fans for the first time, and it did not disappoint.
There was a season-high 31,365 fans in attendance on Sunday, and the majority of them stuck around for the postgame bash. Glitter showered down onto New England players as they had their moment with the shield, and some even took it for a walk around the stadium, sharing the moment with the passionate fanbase that has been there all season long.
The Supporters' Shield is in New England after the Revs set a new MLS record with 73 points during the regular season.
New England won the conference by 19 points, which is also a new MLS record. So is the 18 one-goal wins that the Revs accumulated since mid-April.
"When we started the season we knew that we had a really good team with really good people," said captain and team MVP Carles Gil. "Seventy three points is amazing, but we have things to accomplish in the playoffs."
As Gil said, none of what the club accomplished during the regular season will matter if the Revs don't win when it matters the most. They'll have to wait though, as the Revs won't play their first postseason match until the conference semis. That game will take place at Gillette Stadium between Nov. 25-30.
The break will give New England plenty of time to clean up a few of the things that plagued them during Sunday's finale.
"This was a game we certainly could have won, and we have to put that in the memory bank and be ready in a couple of weeks for the playoffs," head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena said on the field after Sunday's match.
Goalkeeper Matter Turner, who set a new club record with 17 victories this season, added that Sunday was a frustrating way to end a great regular season. They'll now focus righting all those wrongs as they prepare for the playoffs.
"Just demanding more out of each other. Every day in training, demanding quality and ruthlessness in the box, better defending on set pieces and on crosses -- just overall areas we have struggled in all season that haven't killed us that we know we need to iron out for the playoffs," said Turner. "Teams are going to sit in and counter on us. If we can't break them down and score goals, we're going to struggle to win playoff games.
"We have a lot to learn and a lot to hold ourselves accountable for over these next three weeks," he added.
The Revolution had their fun after Sunday's match, celebrating the best regular season in MLS history. Now their focus is set on the playoffs, because anything short of an MLS Cup title will make that incredible regular season feel a bit empty.
