Five Different Goal Scorers Seal New England's Third Straight Win Of The 2023 Season
April 10, 2023 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New England Revolution II News Release
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution II (3-0-0, 9 pts.) earned a 5-1 victory against Philadelphia Union II (0-3-0, 0 pts.) at Gillette Stadium on Monday afternoon to remain unbeaten in the 2023 MLS Next Pro season. New England's attack featured five different goal scorers in the victory as Damian Rivera, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Malcolm Fry, and Brandonn Bueno all found the back of the net. In net, goalkeeper Nico Campuzano made three saves to help seal New England's first-ever 3-0-0 start in team history.
Philadelphia netted the first goal of the contest, when Stefan Stojanovic scored on a penalty kick in the 10th minute. From there, it was all New England as Revolution II evened the score in the 21st minute on Rivera's right-footed shot into the net. Revolution II doubled their score in the 29th minute as Jacob Akanyirige sent a through ball up the center of the field to Adebayo-Smith who flicked it past Philadelphia's Brooks Thompson for the 2-1 lead.
New England maintained command of the match in the second half, notching three goals. Bajraktarevic tallied his second goal in as many games after Campuzano sailed the ball from the top of the box to Adebayo-Smith, who passed it to the 18-year-old midfielder for the left-footed finish in the 49th minute.
Fry made his way onto the scoresheet, moving his way through two Philadelphia defenders at the right side of the box, sending a right-footed shot just under the cross bar for his first tally of the season. Bueno sealed the scoring after drawing a penalty in the box and capitalizing on a penalty kick in the 89th minute.
New England returns to action on Sunday, April 16, when the team visits Columbus Crew 2 (1-0-1) in a battle between unbeaten teams at Historic Crew Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the match streaming live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
New England Revolution II 5, Philadelphia Union II 1
April 10, 2023 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
With the win, New England opens a season with three consecutive wins for the first time in Revolution II history.
Today's match marks the first five-goal game for Revolution II.
Following today's victory, Revolution II are in first place in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. New England and Crown Legacy FC (2-0-1) are the lone remaining unbeaten teams in the Northeast Division.
Four of Revolution II's five goals came from Revolution Academy products - Esmir Bajraktarevic, Brandonn Bueno, Malcolm Fry, and Damian Rivera.
Bajraktarevic scored his second goal in his second appearance of the season, leading the team with seven shots and three shots on target.
Defender Jacob Akanyirige logged 90 minutes in his Revolution II debut.
Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith tallied his second goal of the season, tallying three shots with two on target.
Midfielder Nakye Greenidge-Duncan surpassed 500 minutes played in his career with a 19-minute appearance off the bench.
Academy defender Peyton Miller logged the full 90 for his third straight start of the season.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: José Carlos Rivero
Assistant Referees: Claudiu Badea, Eric Schreiber
Fourth Official: Andrew Porada
Weather: 60 and sunny
Scoring Summary:
PHI - Stefan Stojanovic (PK) 10'
NE - Damian Rivera (Peyton Miller) 21'
NE - Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Jacob Akanyirige) 29'
NE - Esmir Bajraktarević (Jordan Adebayo-Smith) 49'
NE - Malcolm Fry (Damian Rivera) 54'
NE - Brandonn Bueno (PK) 89'
Misconduct Summary:
NE -Pierre Cayet (Yellow Card) 38'
PHI - Anton Sorenson (Yellow Card) 40'
PHI - Jose Riasco (Yellow Card) 64'
PHI - Maike Villero (Yellow Card) 69'
NE - Jack Panayotou (Yellow Card) 81'
New England Revolution II: Nico Campuzano; Peyton Miller; Pierre Cayet; Victor Souza; Jacob Akanyirige; Josh Bolma (Jake Rozhansky 62'); Esmir Bajraktarević, Jack Panayotou (Brandonn Bueno 84'); Malcolm Fry (Marcos Dias 62'); Damian Rivera (Nakye Greenidge-Duncan 71'); Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Weverton 62').
Substitutes Not Used: Max Weinstein; Colby Quiñónes; Tiago Suarez; Ben Awashie.
Philadelphia Union II: Brooks Thompson; Anton Sorenson (Luke Martelli); Juan Castillo; Hugo Le Guennec (Noe Uwimana 24'); Francis Westfield (Nathaniel Nkanji 67'); Maike Villero (Boubacar Diallo 75'); Richard Odada; Stefan Stojanovic; Jeremy Rafanello; Jose Riasco (Luciano Sanchez 67'); Nelson Pierre.
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Rick; Pedro Álvarez; Anthony Ramirez; Devon Stopek.
Philadelphia Union II Team Statistics New England Revolution II
16 (4) Shots (on Target) 16 (9)
2 Blocked Shots 4
4 Saves 3
7 Corner Kicks 5
1 Offsides 1
15 Fouls 10
386 (81.9%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 462 (86.2%)
46.5% Possession 53.5%
POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution II 5 vs. Philadelphia Union II 1
Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay
On the team's performance:
Peay: "I think the team took their chances well, were opportunistic in those moments. We could've done a better job of keeping possession at times, and defending in some moments at times, but overall, I was very happy in terms of exploiting what they gave us."
On the mentality to respond after conceding early:
Peay: "It's great. I mean, we've talked about the idea that things aren't always going to go your way. It's not about trying to change what just happened, it's about how do you respond to that. The guys have been great all year so far with that, and credit to them, they just kept fighting, kept pushing, and were able to get back into it."
On getting balance with five different goal scorers:
Peay: "It's great. Obviously when all different people are scoring, the confidence of the group rises, and guys feel more emboldened in games to know that they have the ability to find the back of the net."
On Jacob Akanyirige:
Peay: "I think for [Jacob Akanyirige], he's a new player trying to learn a little bit about how we do things, so it was good to be able to get him in the game and get him 90 minutes, so his fitness levels are increasing, but I thought he did pretty well. Obviously, a great pass to send Jordan [Adebayo-Smith] through for the assist."
On Brandonn Bueno scoring off a late penalty kick:
Peay: "Always great when guys can come off the bench and make an impact, first by drawing the PK and then finishing it."
Revolution II Forward Malcolm Fry
On the team's performance:
Fry: "To be honest, I don't think it was our best performance in terms of the footballing aspect, but saying that and being able to score five goals is always a good sign for a good team. I remember one of my young coaches used to say when we don't play our best and we still smash the team, that's a good sign for a good team. You had me, Jordan [Adebayo-Smith], Esmir [Bajraktarević], our whole frontline getting on the scoresheet. That's always a good sign. You score five goals, you're never not happy."
On his connection with Esmir Bajraktarević:
Fry: "I think in the first half they were expecting it, maybe because they knew that it was something to be scared of, but it's inevitable. You can't stop it when we get going. I think that time that Esmir [Bajraktarević], came in, I was out wide, and I was calling for it, you see the defender takes a little step wide, and then opens up space for Esmir, goes in and smashes it into the corner. That's what he does. It's fun to watch. And we got the celebration going again. Last week, it was one time this week, two times. So, we'll see about next week."
On his goal:
Fry: "That's what I've been trying to work on these past few weeks. When I get into those moments just trying to be as direct as I can and try to both take the defenders on, play a final ball whether that's a pass that goes across the pitch or a shot. I think of myself as a lefty, but I don't have a bad right foot either. So that was a fun one to get the confidence going."
On Brandonn Bueno:
Fry: "Do you see this [cut on chin] right here? I came out at around the 60-65th minute. I was playing pretty hard, and I got this from running up and celebrating with him [Brandonn Bueno] too much. That's huge. I went straight up to him after I scored. I'm so proud of him for how much he's worked and the improvements he's made. He's my boy, I love him."
On the Revolution's Pro Player Pathway and playing alongside other Academy graduates:
Fry: "It's awesome. When I'm preparing for the games, when I try to get into the right state of mind, I try to think of the best moments that I've had on the soccer field, and as you can imagine winning the national championship is definitely one of those. In bed this morning, I was thinking about those moments, and I was thinking about Brandonn [Bueno] and the moments that we had. We're building something special. That tournament, that championship was a big moment, but there's more to come, so to see us both being on the scoresheet today, both getting minutes, both playing well, it's an exciting time."
On early season success:
Fry: "Before we went out, I was saying 3-0-0 sounds way better than 2-1-0. It's fun. I know Jake [Rozhanksy] was talking about how important that is, and you always set goals for yourself, but you know what really matters is at the end of the season, how we're performing. But like the same thing with the five goals: when you're 3-0-0, it's never a bad thing. So, we're trying not to read too much into it, trying not to get too ahead of ourselves, but as you can imagine, you can hear it, it's a good vibe in there. So, we're trying to keep the energy going."
Revolution II Midfielder Brandonn Bueno
On the team's third consecutive win:
Bueno: "It was great. We started off a little bit slow, then after we got into the game the boys started connecting, and what we trained all week, we were able to execute it during the game, so it was great."
On his thoughts when he was awarded a penalty kick:
Bueno: "That was the first thing that came to my mind. I was like 'I need this ball. I can't let anyone get it.' I needed it. As soon as I fell, it was the quickest I ever got up, I just went straight to the ball and grabbed it."
On his mindset when taking his penalty kick:
Bueno: "So when I place the ball, I take one huge deep breath, and I look at the goalie. Then I take four steps back, and as I'm walking up towards the ball, I look for his last movement. So, if he tries to do a double move, I just try to hit it opposite of where he's going."
On his emotions after scoring his first professional goal:
Bueno: "Great. All the hard work I've been putting in through the years, it's just an amazing feeling and an even better birthday gift to be honest."
On who he had watching him at the game:
Bueno: "Family, all my best friends, so it's special."
MLS NEXT Pro Stories from April 10, 2023
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- Five Different Goal Scorers Seal New England's Third Straight Win Of The 2023 Season - New England Revolution II
- Jefferson Savarino and Pablo Ruiz Named to Team of the Matchday - Real Monarchs
- Philadelphia Union II Fall to Revolution II - Philadelphia Union II
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