Hoping to prevent a losing streak from getting out of hand, the New England Revolution will return to the comforts of home to face the Chicago Fire on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.
The Revolution (7-3-3, 24 points) have lost two straight MLS matches and three consecutive across all competitions, starting with a surprise 1-0 setback to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on May 9 in the U.S. Open Cup. New England has settled into third place in the Eastern Conference due to its slide.
Head coach Bruce Arena bemoaned the Revolution allowing “sloppy” goals in their recent 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union and a 2-1 setback before that to Inter Miami, with both coming on the road.
“We need to be better defensively,” Arena said. “We need to be a little bit better in the attacking end of the field, as well. … We can be better everywhere on the field.”
Midfielder Carles Gil, who leads the team with seven goal contributions (three goals, four assists), exited early last week with an undisclosed injury but is expected to be available against Chicago, according to Arena. Forward Gustavo Bou (knee) and defender Brandon Bye (shoulder) were ruled out.
They’ll face an opponent in the Fire (3-4-6, 15 points) who occupy the second-to-last spot in the Eastern standings but have gone 3-1-1 in their past five matches across all competitions. In addition to two U.S. Open Cup victories, the Fire beat a offensive-minded St. Louis City 1-0 in MLS play May 13.
Most recently, Chicago defeated Austin FC 2-0 on the road Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup play, with Rafael Czichos and Kacper Przybylko providing the goals.
The Fire’s surge coincides with their decision to dismiss former coach Ezra Hendrickson on May 8. Veteran coach Frank Klopas has served as interim coach ever since.
“I think in every match that they played, you saw everyone, that there’s been a huge commitment, a big change in the mentality, the way they’ve approached the game and the attitude with what they put forth,” Klopas told CBS 2 in Chicago.
Kei Kamara has netted a team-high four goals. Brian Gutierrez leads Chicago with four assists.
The Revolution are 3-0-5 in their last eight games against the Fire, who last beat New England on May 8, 2019.
–Field Level Media
