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MLS New England Revolution

Carles Gil Scores Game Winner as Revolution Win Home Opener 1-0 vs. Dallas FC

March 5, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution (1-0-1, 4 pts.) recorded their first win of the season in the 2022 home opener against FC Dallas (0-1-1, 1 pt.) on Saturday afternoon. Earl Edwards Jr. recorded his first MLS clean sheet while Carles Gil notched the game winner from the penalty spot in the first half to secure Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena's 241st win of his career, moving him ahead of Sigi Schmid as the winningest coach in Major League Soccer history.

Gil, who recorded an assist in the season opener last weekend, tallied his first goal of the season after drawing a penalty in first-half stoppage time. The midfielder picked the bottom right corner with a left-footed spot kick to send New England into halftime with a one-goal lead. New England is now 11-2-4 when Gil notches a goal in the regular season or playoffs.

Edwards Jr. made his second consecutive start in place of the injured Matt Turner, recording one save in the 23rd minute to pick up his first career clean sheet in MLS play and his first league victory since 2018.

Sebastian Lletget made his first start at Gillette Stadium in a Revolution uniform. Fellow newcomers Omar Gonzalez and Jozy Altidore both saw action as second-half substitutes. Gonzalez entered the match at the start of the second half to replace an injured Henry Kessler, while Altidore subbed on for Tommy McNamara in the 69th minute.

With today's result, New England improves its record in home openers to 15-6-5, including an 9-1-6 mark in the last 16. The Revolution snapped a nine-game winless streak against Dallas as their all-time record in the series upgrades to 24-19-4.

The Revolution return to action at Gillette Stadium for Leg 1 of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals against Pumas UNAM on Wednesday, March 9. The match kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on FOX Sports, FOX Deportes, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio.

POSTGAME NOTES

New England Revolution 1, FC Dallas 0

March 5, 2022 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Team Notes:

New England earned a 1-0 victory in their home opener for a second straight season, improving to 9-1-6 over their last 16 home openers at Gillette Stadium. The club is now 15-6-5 all-time in home openers.

The Revolution improved to 1-0-1 (4 pts.) on the season, sporting the club's new crest and new primary kits, "The Liberty", in front of the home crowd for the first time.

The Revolution registered their first victory over FC Dallas since Sept. 10, 2011, snapping a nine-game winless run in the series and improving their all-time record against FC Dallas to 24-19-4.

New England has avoided defeat in its last 33 MLS matches when scoring the opening goal, dating back to March 7, 2020.

The Revolution have not lost a match when leading at halftime since Sept. 7, 2019.

Individual Notes:

Bruce Arena claimed the 241st coaching win in his MLS career, passing Sigi Schmid (240) for most in league history by a head coach.

Arena, the 2021 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year, improved his record to 39-15-24 in MLS play with New England. Arena's .654 winning percentage with the Revs is best among any manager in the club's history.

Reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP Carles Gil scored his first goal of the season, converting from the penalty spot late in the first half. Gil improved to 7-for-9 on penalties in his MLS career with his first penalty goal since May 1, 2021. It was the first penalty goal for the Revolution as a team since Aug. 14, 2021 (Gustavo Bou).

Gil added two shots on target and two chances created as New England improved to 11-2-4 when the Spaniard scores a goal.

Earl Edwards Jr. registered his second consecutive start, earning his first career MLS shutout and first league victory since July 14, 2018. Edwards recorded one save on the day.

Sebastian Lletget, Omar Gonzalez, and Jozy Altidore all made their debuts at Gillette Stadium in a Revolution uniform. Lletget started the match while Gonzalez and Altidore were each second half substitutes.

Lletget completed 95 percent of his passes while adding eight recoveries, seven duels won, and three tackles.

Gonzalez registered team highs in clearances (5) and interceptions (3) in a 45-minute shift off the bench to replace an injured Henry Kessler.

Adam Buksa registered two shots, one on target, and won a team-high 11 duels along with four of his seven aerials.

Matt Polster had a team-high nine recoveries along with six duels won and two interceptions.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Ted Unkel.

Assistant Referees: Corey Parker (AR1); Ryan Graves (AR2).

Fourth Official: Alyssa Nichols.

Video Assistant Referee: Kevin Terry Jr.

Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tom Felice.

Attendance: 14,554.

Weather: 38 degrees and clear.

Scoring Summary:

NE - Carles Gil (Penalty Kick) 45'+2

Misconduct Summary:

FCD - Paxton Pomykal (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 22'

FCD - Jader Obrian (Yellow Card - Unsporting Behavior) 53'

NE - Jozy Altidore (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 70'

NE - Matt Polster (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 78'

New England Revolution: Earl Edwards Jr.; DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler (Omar Gonzalez 45'), Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster, Tommy McNamara (Jozy Altidore 69'), Sebastian Lletget (Maciel 69'), Carles Gil ©, Gustavo Bou; Adam Buksa.

Substitutes Not Used: Jacob Jackson, Jon Bell, Emmanuel Boateng, A.J. DeLaGarza, Wilfrid Kaptoum, Arnór Traustason.

FC Dallas: Maarten Paes; Ema Twumasi (Nanu 57'), Matt Hedges, José Martínez, Marco Farfan; Brandon Servania (Kalil ElMedkar 84'), Edwin Cerillo (Facundo Quignon 69'), Paxton Pomykal (Tsiki Ntsabeleng 69'); Paul Arriola, Jader Obrian, Jesus Ferreira.

Substitutes Not Used: Jimmy Maurer, Eddie Munjoma, Nkosi Tafari, Beni Redzic, Szaolcs Schon.

New England Revolution Team Statistics FC Dallas

10 (4) Shots (on Target) 12 (1)

3 Blocked Shots 6

1.92 Expected Goals (xG) 1.12

1 Saves 3

3 Corner Kicks 5

1 Offsides 0

9 Fouls 13

519 (83.6%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 556 (84.0%)

48.3% Possession 51.7%

POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution 1 vs. FC Dallas 0

Revolution Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena

On breaking the record to become the all-time winningest coach in MLS history and his relationship with Sigi Schmid:

Arena: "Well, Sigi [Schmid], I've known for many years. Obviously, it started with our collegiate years. We worked together. I worked with him with one of the youth national teams many years ago. I remember us taking a trip together to France and doing a couple others. And then he lived in Manhattan Beach, the years I was in L.A., as well as obviously coaching in Columbus and Seattle. So, we've had experiences, both on and off the field. I have the greatest respect for him. He was a gentleman and really dedicated to the game and his players. And he was a neighbor to my son actually, in Manhattan Beach as well. So, I've known Sigi for many years and you know, we've had a couple of beers together and all those things. It's an honor to be associated with him. The record is nice and again, if I had a bunch of lousy teams, I don't think I'd have the record. Having it, getting it today is nice, to have it at home. I thought, at some point in 2022, we'd get another win. So, it's nice to get it out of the way and hopefully we can move forward and try to get this team better."

On if there was improvement from the squad after the opening match in Portland:

Arena: "Yeah. It was better. I think defensively, for the most part, we were solid. We're still a little sloppy in the final third, in trying to create chances or finishing off a couple plays. In the second half, we had some chances. You know, we could've got the second goal and made that game a little easier. So, there's certainly areas to improve."

On the effort of goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. today:

Arena: "Earl [Edwards Jr.] played well. I'm trying to think if he was called upon to make many saves today. I can't even recall a save today. He must've had one, right? They put us under some kind of pressure during the second half. I don't recall exactly if he had any saves comparable that he did last week in Portland, but he was very composed. I think he made good decisions in his distribution and again, had a solid game."

On what the preparation will look like for the midweek Concacaf Champions League match vs. Pumas:

Arena: "Try to get our guys to recover, get some information on Pumas, and have the team prepared for the game on Wednesday. And then, again, we're going to take it one game at a time, try to put our best team on the field on Wednesday. And then, take inventory on Thursday, see where we're at, and try to figure out how we're going to play on Saturday and continue that obviously through the next week. It's not going to be easy, especially at this time of year. So, it'll be challenging, but the first thing we need to do is see how our guys recover and make some decisions about how many changes we need to make for Wednesday, as well as the following game on Saturday."

On what it means to Bruce as a coach that his players share their private lives and important moments with the team and the fans:

Arena: "It's nice. You know, I didn't have that happen that much in my college days. Although, I did have it on a couple occasions. You know, we're trying to create a family atmosphere here and have close associations with the team and the staff. And spend as much time as we can, getting families involved in the team. Unfortunately, this pandemic over the last couple years, has made it virtually impossible for us to get together with families after games. That part has been disappointing, but now we're coming out of it and we're getting to spend time with the players and their families as well. We try to have a family atmosphere. So, it's nice that Matt [Turner] felt comfortable doing that. Did he say whether it's a boy or a girl? It's a boy? Okay. That's good. Is he going to be a goalkeeper, hopefully? I think that's going to be a young man that's going to have both the U.S. and a United Kingdom passport. But congratulations to Matt. That's good news."

On the performance of FC Dallas:

Arena: "I thought they were good. You know, they're very quick going forward. I thought their center backs did a real good job on Adam [Buksa]. There's good pace in the attack, with [Jader] Obrian and [Paul] Arriola. [Jesus] Ferreira's a good player. The game I saw them play last week against Toronto; I was very impressed. So, I think they're a team that's going to contend to be a playoff team this year. It looks like an improved team, and they have a plan, for sure. They're going to go with young players. They have a good style of play. I think they're going to be a good team."

On the updated status of Henry Kessler and the performance of the guys who stepped up in his absence:

Arena: "Well, Omar [Gonzalez] obviously played today in his place in the second half and did a good job. He's had a hamstring and we thought his rehab and getting him back to play, was appropriate over the last month or so. He got hurt before we went to Los Angeles. I think we went to L.A. on January 26, so it's been about six weeks dealing with this hamstring. And we obviously haven't gotten it right at this point. So, we have to see. He said it's not as bad as it was originally. So, we just have to wait and see, but it looks like he's certainly going to miss some games in the near future."

On the performance of Sebastian Lletget:

Arena: "Yeah. He's doing well. I think we've got to do better in possession, and it impacts players like Sebastian [Lletget] and his ability to get forward. They get caught a little bit too much having to track players and running some distances that at times, can be shorten if we were a little bit better with the ball. So, I thought he was a little fatigued. And that's why made that change with Maciel and [Jozy] Altidore, that was around the seventieth minute, if I'm not mistaken. But he's doing well. I think he's doing well for us."

Revolution Forward Jozy Altidore

On joining Revolution and being accepted by the fans

Altidore: "It was good. It's always been a tough place to play, so it's nice to be on the other side of it for once. I thought the reception was really nice. I didn't know what to expect, but it was great to hear some cheers out there and overall, it's just great to get a win. I think last week was tough opening up in Portland away and to come home and get three points; it's a good team, a good young Dallas team. I think is a good step in the right direction for us."

On Bruce Arena and the team's celebration of him becoming the all-time winningest coach in MLS

Altidore: "You interrupted my second glass! But it's good. I think it's no surprise. I think Bruce [Arena] is a winner. I think everywhere he's gone he's won. [LA] Galaxy, [United States] National Team. Everybody knows what he's about. I think a big, big part of professional sports is man management. You got egos, you got pros, you got guys that have been around. And when you're able to do that well, which I think he's mastered, you're always going to have guys that want to play for you. I think this team is no different. I think you see guys fighting up until the very, very last bounce of the ball. That's a testament to the environment, the team environment that's here. So, it's a huge congratulations to him. We're all very happy for him and we just keep moving on."

On getting adapted to the Revolution:

Altidore: "Yeah, it's been a month since I actually have joined the team and you know, you can't cheat the system, right? So, I've got to put the work in. I feel pretty good, But, you know, if I want to play any one of those four positions up there, I've got to obviously get fitter. And so that'll come with game time, but it's a tough team to get into, it's a good quality team. And those four spots all across the top there are good, quality players, so all I can do is work hard and when I do get on just try to play within the game, may not be the flashiest, but it was a game where you're at point zero and the point is to get the three points and not to go there and play for yourself or try to do things that the game doesn't give you. There'll be a balance of both things, but I think there's enough games this year to get my games and get my fitness to where I want to be."

On being a member of the Revolution:

Altidore: "Oh, it's a breath of fresh air. You know, I think the biggest thing too in professional sports, Bruce [Arena]'s man management, but also everybody is a pro, everybody needs to be treated equal. And I think when you have places where that's not the case, you're always going to have an imbalance. But here it's a family. Everybody respects each other. Nobody gets this type of special treatment that another guy doesn't get and I think that's why you see the team fight and the way they fight. You see those celebrations, you know, with people having baby reveals on the field, that says a lot about the commodity in the group itself. So it's a really healthy group, nice group to come into. You know, a lot of these guys are locked down for years to come. So, you feel that there can be something special built."

On the different styles of play in Concacaf:

Altidore: Actually, in a lot of ways I think FC Dallas is pretty similar in terms of really tactical players, shifty players all over the field. Playing quick, looking for combinations. Obviously, they will be a level, a step up, let's be honest. They've been in season a bit longer than we have, so I think tempo wise we will have to be ready for that, we won't be able to ease our way into the game on Wednesday. I think from the first minute, they're going to be on us. It'll be a challenge, but that's the challenge of Champions League. We've talked about it for years, them being in a different place, but it is what it is. We just have to make sure that in the first 15 minutes we're ready to go because the quality will definitely be a step higher."

On newcomer Sebastian Lletget:

Altidore: "[Sebastian Lletget], I've known him for a little bit now. You know, it's great to see the type of player he's turned into. Really mature, really smart, knows what he's good at. He adds so much to the group. I think it's just being a guy that's a motor, keeps his head down and works. He's adjusted seamlessly I think, it's not easy coming from the West Coast to the East Coast and I think he's done a good job of that. And I think he's just getting started as well. He's still trying to find his way, as we all are, myself and Omar, just trying to find a balance. It's a whole different playing style from what we're used to, but at the same time an effective one. So, for him, for me, for Omar, and for all of us, it's just about getting games, getting minutes with the first group, and just trying to see where we can add and help the team get better."

On playing alongside Adam Buksa:

Altidore: "Yeah man, [Adam] Buksa, I'm telling you, this guy's a baller. I'll tell you right now. You guys see it on the field but the way he works, he comes in every single day ready to work, eager to learn. He doesn't miss a beat in terms of effort, just being alert, just being ready. He's a sponge, he soaks up everything. He's there after training trying to get better on his finishes. It's a pleasure to play with players like this. This is the environment you want to be around as a pro. And Gustavo is the same way. He can play all across that front line there, he's shifty, he's smart. So, yeah, it's just a pleasure for me to come in and play with these guys and I'm just watching right now to see how they play, learn their tendencies, and try to see where I can plug in and try to help them get better and help the team get better."

On finding his role in New England's attack:

*Translated from Spanish*

Altidore: "They're great players. Carles is the MVP. Congratulations to him, for the baby on the way and the celebration. Gustavo, also. He's a winner. He's tough up top and Adam too. They're all great players. It won't be easy for me. For me, it'll be tough to get in there and play. I have to find my spot and work like crazy. When the opportunity comes, I have to play the way I know how to play."

Revolution Defender Andrew Farrell

On Matt Turner's baby announcement:

Farrell: "Yeah, it's good. I was actually kind of pissed because he didn't want to tell me what the gender was before it happened, but I'm excited for him and Ashley, his fiancée now. So yeah, excited for them. Obviously, a big day, a lot of, I guess, celebrations with Carles [Gil] announcing he's having a baby and then Bruce [Arena] with his accomplishment for being the best."

On getting back on the winning track:

Farrell: "I guess we don't talk about how difficult is to, not necessarily win, but like early in the season it's really important to get that first win, and obviously playing against Portland and then playing against Dallas - teams that are really good - it was good to finally, obviously, win after our tie last weekend. I think for the guys getting three points is a good start. For us, especially in this busy next couple - I think it's two weeks. We have Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, so it's good to get that momentum and the positive vibes going."

On what Coach Bruce Arena can do for a team:

Farrell: "Yeah, he's pretty remarkable. He's come in and changed what we've been doing here, and I think he changed it for the better a lot. A lot of things he's done have helped us a lot on a personal level and on the field, but it's cool to see because he manages to make all types of people work together. I think that's something that doesn't, I guess, you don't see it as much how important the chemistry is, and not just the team, the front office, the organization as a whole, the relationship with the fans. He finds the best people and figures out how to make them work together, so that's what he's done. I think it's cool to see it happen upfront and personal, and obviously congrats to him. And I'm sure he probably won't - he doesn't care if I say congrats, but I think it's an amazing accomplishment.

On the chemistry between him and Omar Gonzalez:

Farrell: "Yeah, I think Omar [Gonzalez] has come in and done a great job. He's very vocal, which is, I think, something that we all need even more as a team. I think we've gotten better over the past couple of years being able to communicate like that, but I mean if everybody's talking it just makes our jobs so much easier. But it depends on each situation, you know, if he's a strong-side center back, he's talking a little more, and sometimes I'll talk more, it depends. But he's been a good addition because obviously, you know, he's, obviously, because if I get injured again, we're going to have four games in the next, whatever it is. So, we need guys to be able to step up and play, and he's also played in the [Concacaf Champions League], so that's an important experience that he brings. And the fitness is getting there. I think without those two games against Cavaly kind of set us back a little bit, but I think guys are getting there. And I hope we're going to get there for the next, you know, the next stretch it's a big one."

On today's victory and the mindset heading into Wednesday's CCL game against Pumas:

*Translated from Spanish*

Farrell: "It was a good victory for us. We're prepared for the game on Wednesday, it's an important game in the [Concacaf Champions League]. We want to win all games. It's an important game for us and to prepare for a very strong team like Pumas."

On Bruce Arena establishing a "family like" atmosphere in the locker room:

Farrell: "Yeah, I think we're celebrating in there. I think there might be champagne or something in there celebrating [Bruce Arena's 241st win], I don't know. I'm missing out. But yeah, I think, like I said, it's the chemistry that's so important. Whether it's on the field and off the field, bringing everybody's families together. When guys, especially for guys who come from overseas in there, obviously with COVID and everything. They're, you know, away from their families and so, I think Bruce [Arena] has done a great job in making this place feel like home, and I think that's a key factor for guys wanting to be here, wanting to play here, and feel comfortable playing at the highest level. So yeah, we'll be celebrating with Bruce, and I think he's done a good job at, you know, bringing the families and everybody together."

On defending against FC Dallas' attack:

*Translated from Spanish*

Farrell: "I think it's different. Dallas is a good team, a team that plays well with really fast with guys like [Paul] Arriola and [Jader] Obrian. There was a lot of transition. We tried to make sure the ball didn't get behind us today. Sometimes games are like that. We did a good job getting the shutout. We'll look at things on film and we'll improve."

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