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MLS New England Revolution

New England Revolution Game Notes

July 6, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution will host Toronto FC at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, July 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET (WSBK-TV38, myRITV, CoziTV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, 1260 AM Nossa Radio). CBS Boston's pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with "Revolution Kickoff" on TV38.

Revolution Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena (July 6, 2021)

On Chris Armas' dismissal and Toronto FC's response:

Arena: "Well, I think when there's a coaching change, there's an initial injection of energy and commitment into a team. So, I think we'll see a team is really ready to play. We hear they're bringing back some players from the national teams to play in this game. So, they're putting everything into this game. With regards to Chris Armas and to the other coaches and organizations in Canada, this has been a very difficult time during the pandemic that these teams have been taken away from their home markets and dealing with the challenges of being away from home, families, and all of that for a long period of time. So, it's disappointing that people lose their jobs partly because of that. Obviously, Chris is an outstanding person, a good coach, and I'm sure we'll see him again in Major League Soccer."

On if he has decided who will start at goalkeeper on Wednesday:

Arena: "Yes, I have. The reason why, he gives us the best chance to win. We never announce the lineup the day before our game."

On Gustavo Bou's attacking movements and his value in the attack:

Arena: "Well, it's obviously valuable. He's scoring goals. As for the things we work on, a little unusual for Gustavo [Bou] that has not been a typical part of his game, so we've pushed him pretty hard this year to implement some of that movement in the penalty area and he has done a good job. Obviously, he can move around the penalty area and be dangerous in a lot of different spots, but getting inside the six-yard box is an important part of a striker's role in the attack."

On if Toronto FC's results thus far are representative of the team's talent and potential:

Arena: "Well, clearly not, and I would not be surprised if at the end of the year that they are a team that is challenging to make the playoffs in the end. It's still early in the season, we're about a little bit more than a third through. They have plenty of time to get a little bit of energy and move up the ladder. I think, when I took over here and in May of 2019, we were probably not in a whole lot better shape, so you can do it. They have a good enough roster that they're going to win games. So, that's not the team I anticipated seeing in Week 13 of the season."

On the summer transfer window:

Arena: "There's no information to give. If there's a player that we can add, we'll add a player. We've been looking, we haven't yet come up with a player we're comfortable with."

On Maciel working on being more involved offensively:

Arena: "Yes and no. He's more comfortable as a defensive midfielder. As he as he gets more experience and continues to grow both tactically and physically, I think you're going to see a player that'll be a little bit more of a two-way player. But he's still relatively young, at the game and in this league, and he's going to need a little bit more time."

On Andrew Farrell's consistency and comparisons to other MLS center backs:

Arena: "Typically on a team, center backs can play the most. You don't rotate center backs a whole lot. And I think in the old days, you might have said because they run less, but that's not the case anymore. That's a credit to Andrew [Farrell] the way takes care of himself. He's very durable, rarely gets injured, has got a good attitude, and he's playing in a position that's still relatively new for him. So, there's a few ups and downs along the way, but he's been good for us since I've been here and hopefully, he'll continue to improve in that position."

Revolution Forward Teal Bunbury (July 6, 2021)

On preparing for a Toronto FC team coming off a coaching change:

Bunbury: "They're going to coming out swinging. I think usually when a big loss that you suffer, a big shake up with a manager leaving, I think that's when teams essentially have nothing to lose. So, they're going to want to come in here and I think they're going to want to play to win, and they're going to fight. Don't let these results fool you. I think they have a great team. They have a lot of depth, and I think their standing doesn't reflect the quality of players that they have. For us, it's just going to be about keeping that home field advantage and making sure we're ready and focusing on ourselves, and not getting too caught up in those other details of what their last performance was like and all those things."

On relating to Toronto FC's coaching change:

Bunbury: "I don't know - it's interesting. I don't know what they're going through. I think every player and every team kind of goes through different adversity in their career and a lot of ups and downs. As a professional athlete, you kind of learn to try to deal with that. I think it's a lot about sticking together as a unit and as a group. I can't say how they're feeling exactly, but I think a lot of players can understand that when results aren't going your way, it can be frustrating. But you only got to rely and count on your teammates and your coaches."

On Brad Knighton or Earl Edwards replacing Matt Turner, who is on international duty with the USMNT:

Bunbury: "I think we have three great goalkeepers. Obviously, [Matt] Turner is unbelievable and he's only getting better. But I think with Brad Knighton and Earl Edwards, I think they're quality and I think they're always pushing each other. I think as a goalkeeper, it's tough. It's almost like a quarterback, where you usually have QB1, and then the other guys - it's tough to get reps here and there. But when your name is called, you need to be mentally ready. I think with Brad and Earl, I think they're both mentally ready for whoever's names is going to be called. I think they have a lot of experience and I think we have a lot of confidence in both of them."

On if he's seen anything new from Carles Gil this season:

Bunbury: "I don't know if it's new things. Ever since he got here, I think this is what he's shown. Obviously, the stats now are - all these assists - but we've always known his quality as a player and what he can do on the ball and how he throws off other teams' game plans. For me, it's the type of captain that he is, the type of guy that he is that's for me paramount. His character - I can never talk enough about how we love Carles, and how, personally, I think he's one of the best players we've had and just one of the best people as well. He's having an outstanding year. For him, though, it's all about winning. He doesn't care about assists. Maybe he cares about it, but I think the biggest thing for him is he just wants to win every game, and I love that in him."

On the reasons behind the team's 5-0-0 start at home:

Bunbury: "I think it's a mindset. It's hard sometimes to kind of pinpoint what's going to make you a great team at home or away, but I think it's making sure that we keep this home field advantage. We know it's tough for other teams to come in and play here, and we try to use that to our advantage. I think with the progression of getting fans here, I think coming off the pandemic and not having fans to play in front of last year - I think that's in our minds as well. So, I think it's a culmination of many things, but definitely just us being prepared and making sure that, 'hey, we're playing at home and we got to take full advantage of these opportunities.' Because it is getting tougher and tougher to get results on the road."

On Wilfrid Kaptoum:

Bunbury: "I think he's a great player. I think he's very technical, I think he's very aggressive and loves to get stuck in tackles, very composed, and he's a great guy, too. He's very easy to get along with. Great in the locker room, which helps our team. He hasn't played as much as he's maybe wanted to this year with injuries and what not, but having that good attitude and always coming to training and working his tail off, I think that's so important. I think he's a quality player and I think he adds a lot of depth to this team."

On Toronto FC:

Bunbury: "They have a lot of key players. I think, obviously, [Alejandro] Pozuelo is one of the key guys in this league, so I think he's someone we're going to have to focus on. I think not getting carried away with what their record is or what their previous result is, I think they're going to use that to their advantage and hope that we're thinking about that."

Revolution Midfielder Tommy McNamara (July 6, 2021)

On the mindset entering Wednesday's match:

McNamara: "It's very important at home that we win our games, so our mindset's been that we're at home, we have our supporters with us, they've been critical for us and we need to come away with three points. We need to be ready to prepare from the first minute, to really be aggressive, to assert ourselves and if we do that, we'll put ourselves in a good position."

On whether the breaks in between matches throughout the season are frustrating:

McNamara: "No, not really. I mean, it just is what it is. It's what the schedule is. The 10 days [between Wednesday's match and New England's next game on July 17], it's going to go quick. It's not that big of a break. Then we follow it up with three games in a row, right off the back of it. It's going to go quick, those 10 days. It also gives us the opportunity to kind of recover a little bit and to work on things we need to work on moving forward for the second half of the year, a little bit more than that. So it is what it is."

On what Wilfrid Kaptoum brings to the team on and off the field:

McNamara: "Personality-wise he's a great kid. He's very upbeat, positive, happy to be a part of the group so we're happy to have him as part of the group. He's a positive influence in everything. As a player, unfortunately he's had different injuries and different wrinkles that have kind of kept him out, you know, fitness issues with that. But he's played a couple games and you can see his qualities. He's good on the ball, he's deceptive with his movements in receiving the ball and getting out of pressure. He presents a different option for us in the midfield, without a doubt."

On whether Toronto's struggles this season help provide a greater appreciation for New England's recent success:

McNamara: "Yeah, of course. These things happen in professional sports. I've experienced it myself in other places. It is what it is. These things happen. Here, I can only speak for myself, I assume that everybody feels the same, but I'm very happy to be here. There are great people working for the club all throughout- the sporting side of things, the players, the medical staff, the administrative staff, the communications and the media team. It's really good people and it's a joy to work here. I feel a lot of respect from everybody and building a lot of friendships. It's been great. It's very enjoyable and I think it's kind of shown itself a little bit in the results we've had and the togetherness that we show as a group."

On his thoughts on Gustavo Bou's ability to create space for himself in the opposing box:

McNamara: "From our strikers it's critical that they attack the goal and they attack the first post, the back post, whatever it be, whatever the situation that presents itself. We have very good wide players with DeJuan, with Tajon and Brandon, especially, that can get around the outside and put balls in very dangerous places in front of goal. Gustavo's done a great job of making hard, committed runs and the delivery has been there. He's had simple finishes as a result of it. The finish looks easy but the play from the wide men to get around to beat their players and the commitment from Gustavo to make those runs, and for all our No. 9s supporting it, those are big goals for us."

On his view of the ways the younger players on the roster have progressed this season:

McNamara: "I think it's an exciting moment for the club. There's a lot of young players that are very talented here in this first team and not even just in the first team, several guys on the Revs II as well. They're playing a lot of minutes. DeJuan Jones, Brandon Bye, Henry and Jon Bell in the back, Maciel in the midfield, Tajon. They've played a lot of minutes and they've contributed a lot to the positive results and the performances we've had. It's a testament to them. They're all good kids, they're all hard-working, they want to learn, they want to grow and improve as players and they have a lot of quality and talent. You can see it. They're great for us. We're very happy for them. I think you're only going to continue to see improvements from all them because of the character they all have."

On playing multiple positions this season and the conversations he's had with Bruce Arena about his versatility on the team:

McNamara: "We haven't talked much, really, to be honest. Whatever he asks of me, I say, 'Okay, no problem,' and I'll go do it. That's kind of about it. I'm very happy to play for this coach. I think what's a blessing for me is he kind of just understands me as a player and as a person, and the qualities that I bring to the table. He has all the experience in the world. I have all the respect for him and trust in his decision-making. Whatever he thinks is best for the team and how I fit into that, whatever role that is, I say 'no problem,' I'll do whatever's best for the team. I want this team to be successful. At the end of the day, at the end of the year, I want us to be in position to lift a trophy. I have all the trust in our coaching staff. Whatever they ask of me I'll do to the best of my ability. I have the trust that they understand how to utilize me that's going to be beneficial to myself but also the group."

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