MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Defeat CF Montreal, 4-1

Published on September 29, 2021 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


MONTREAL, Quebec - The New England Revolution (20-4-5; 65 pts.) defeated CF Montreal (10-10-7, 37 pts.), 4-1, on Wednesday night at Saputo Stadium. Defender DeJuan Jones and forward Adam Buksa netted goals in the 10th and 17th minutes, respectively, leading New England to a swift 2-0 lead. After the Revolution extended their lead via an own goal in the 30th minute, Montreal's Joaquin Torres scored for the hosts two minutes later. Forward Gustavo Bou sealed the win with a right-footed shot in the 86th minute.

With tonight's victory, New England registers its first 20-win season in club history. The Revolution, winners of eight of their last nine road matches, improve their away record to 9-3-3 this season. New England's nine road wins, most in MLS as of the conclusion of tonight's match, are tied for sixth most in a season in MLS history. New England completes the month of September an unbeaten 5-0-1, outscoring opponents 13-6 over the last six contests. Over the last 16 games heading into the October international break, the Revolution went 13-1-2 while picking up 41 of a possible 48 points since early July.

Bruce Arena's all-time record in league play improves to 238-135-110, now just two wins shy of matching Sigi Schmid for the most regular season victories in MLS history. This marks Arena's third career 20-win campaign and his first since 1998, when he guided D.C. United to a 24-8 record. It is Arena's first 20-win season since MLS began allowing ties.

Bou and Buksa each netted their 13th goals of the season in tonight's win, tied for the team lead and for fourth place in the MLS Golden Boot race. Buksa, who recorded his 50th MLS appearance, scored on a header with assists from Bou and Bye. The Polish striker owns five goals and one assist over his last six matches. Bou, who has collected assists in three consecutive appearances, owns a career-high seven assists this season. The Argentinian has scored five goals in six career games played against Montreal. Jones' unassisted tally marked the defender's third goal of the season, as he also added a team-high four chances created on the night.

The Revolution's four-goal performance tonight gives New England 57 goals scored on the season, surpassing the previous club record of 55 goals set in 2003 and matched in 2005. New England has netted the opening goal in the last three contests - all within the first 15 minutes of play - and are a league-best 16-0-2 when scoring first. Midfielder Carles Gil registered two chances created to match his own club record of 108, set in 2019.

Goalkeeper Matt Turner backstopped the defense with a five-save outing, adding to his personal-best 15 wins this season. Turner, who was selected by the United States Men's National Team for international duty for October's FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, improves to 6-2-1 against Montreal. Henry Kessler guided the backline with a team-best six interceptions in his 40th MLS start.

New England will enjoy 17 days of rest during the international window before returning to action on Saturday, October 16 to host Chicago Fire FC at Gillette Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET on WSBK-TV38, myRITV, CoziTV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio.

POSTGAME NOTES

New England Revolution 4, CF Montreal 1

September 29, 2021 - Stade Saputo (Montreal, Quebec)

Team Notes:

The New England Revolution defeated CF Montreal on Wednesday night at Stade Saputo, 4-1, improving their record to 20-4-5 (65 pts.) and maintaining a 17-point lead atop the Eastern Conference and a 16-point lead in the Supporters' Shield standings.

The victory clinched the first 20-win campaign in club history and just the 14th in MLS history. It also marks the third time Bruce Arena has coached a 20-game winner (D.C. United, 1997 & 1998), though his first two such seasons came before MLS allowed ties.

New England's 57 goals this season are a new club record, surpassing the previous mark of 55 (2003 and 2005).

The Revolution's 65 points and 2.24 points per game through 29 matches have the team on pace to challenge the MLS records for points (72 - LAFC, 2019), points per game (2.13 - LA Galaxy, 1998).

The club's winning percentage of .766 is also on pace to set a new MLS mark.

New England has now won five straight games against Montreal, improving to 14-10-3 in the all-time series.

The Revs' 57 goals and 31 first-half tallies both lead the league, while the team's plus-23 goal differential is currently the best mark in MLS this season and on track to be a new club record.

New England has won eight of its last nine away games, improving to 9-3-3 (.700) away from home. That is tied for sixth most away wins in a single MLS season and on pace to be the third-best road winning percentage in league annals.

With five games remaining, the Revolution remain on course to set a new club mark for fewest losses in a season (7 - 2005).

Bruce Arena deployed the same Starting XI from last Saturday's match against Orlando City SC, utilizing the same lineup in consecutive matches for the first time this season.

Individual Notes:

Bruce Arena improved his career record to 238-135-110, two shy of Sigi Schmid's all-time MLS record of 240 regular season victories. Arena's record with New England also climbed to 36-14-21 (.655).

Adam Buksa scored a goal for a third straight appearance with New England, his 13th of the season and fourth game winner of the campaign. Buksa, who made his 50th appearance for the Revolution, also had team highs in duels won (10), shots (3), and shots on target (2).

Gustavo Bou added his third assist in as many games, marking the first time he has recorded an assist in consecutive matches in his MLS career, as he provided the service on Buksa's tally. His seven assists are tied for second on the team.

Bou also added his 13th goal of the season, tied with Buksa for the team lead. In six career games against Montreal, Bou has five goals and two assists.

Brandon Bye added his third assist of the season, and eighth of his MLS tenure, on New England's second goal to set a new career high.

DeJuan Jones netted his third goal of the season, the opening goal of the night, building on a career high. In addition, Jones matched a career high with a team-best four chances created, doing so for second time in his last four games.

Carles Gil recorded two chances created, matching his career high and club record mark of 108 in a season and just 16 key passes shy of the MLS record 124. Gil also registered three shots.

Wilfrid Kaptoum recorded his second assist of the season, and first since July 17, on New England's final goal of the night.

Henry Kessler marked his 40th career start with a team-high six clearances.

Matt Polster completed 51 of his 55 passes and recorded a team-high three interceptions.

Tommy McNamara chipped in a team-high 10 recoveries and completed 51 of his 53 passes to go along with one shot on target.

Scott Caldwell made his 12th appearance of the season as New England remained perfect (12-0-0) when the veteran midfielder makes an appearance this season.

Luis Caicedo made his second appearance of the season, and first coming off the bench, since returning from injury that kept him out since 2019.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Ismail Elfath.

Assistant Referees: Eric Weisbrod (AR1), Jason White (AR2).

Fourth Official: David Barrie.

Video Assistant Referee: Carol Anne Chenard.

Weather: 52 degrees and cloudy

Scoring Summary:

NE- DeJuan Jones 3 (Unassisted) 10'

NE- Adam Buksa 13 (Gustavo Bou 7, Brandon Bye 3) 17'

NE- Rudy Camacho (Own Goal) 30'

MTL- Joaquin Torres 4 (Unassisted) 32'

NE- Gustavo Bou 13 (Wilfrid Kaptoum 2) 86'

Misconduct Summary:

MTL- Samuel Piette (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 27'

NE- Gustavo Bou (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 58'

MTL- Kamal Miller (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 90'

NE- Luis Caicedo (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 90+2'

New England Revolution Matt Turner; Brandon Bye, Andrew Farrell, Henry Kessler, DeJuan Jones; Matt Polster (Scott Caldwell 88'), Tommy McNamara (Wilfrid Kaptoum 80'), Carles Gil ©, Tajon Buchanan (Luis Caicedo 80'); Gustavo Bou, Adam Buksa

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, A.J. DeLaGarza, Jon Bell, Christian Mafla, Teal Bunbury, Edward Kizza

CF Montreal: James Pantemis; Kamal Miller, Rudy Camacho, Joel Waterman, Zorhan Bassong (Zachary Brault-Guillard 55'); Victor Wanyama, Samuel Piette (Bjorn Johnsen 68'), Djordje Mihailovic, Joaquin Torres, Mathieu Choiniere (Ballou Tabla 75'), Romell Quioto

Substitutes Not Used: Sebastian Breza, Matko Miljevic, Mustafa Kizza, Sunusi Ibrahim, Emanuel Maciel, Rida Zouhir

CF Montreal Team Statistics New England Revolution

19 (7) Shots (on Target) 12 (7)

5 Blocked Shots 2

4 Saves 6

6 Corner Kicks 6

0 Offsides 4

17 Fouls 11

485 (85%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 437 (82.4%)

52.6% Possession 47.4%

POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution vs. CF Montreal

Revolution Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena

On DeJuan Jones' performance:

Arena: "Well, that first goal was important. [DeJuan Jones] did a solid job throughout the night. We had a little trouble in the second half in our defending on that side of the field, but we got a little bit better in the last 10 minutes. But DeJuan played a solid game."

On the team's overall performance:

Arena: "It was a really sloppy game on our part. I thought we played well for a good 30 minutes or so in the first half. Second half, I think Montreal had the better of us for long segments of the game and if they'd gotten a second goal, it would have made things interesting. I think the last 10-15 minutes of the game, we played better."

On the chemistry between Gustavo Bou and Adam Buksa:

Arena: "Well, [Adam Buksa and Gustavo Bou] have played together for two years and it's getting better. And bringing Carles [Gil] back in from his injury in the month of August has helped and we still have to work on those partnerships as we close out the regular season and the playoffs. But we still have a way to go, and we can't complain. Our two strikers have [13] goals each on the season so that's pretty impressive."

On the impact of Luis Caicedo and Wilfrid Kaptoum off the bench:

Arena: "It just gave us fresh legs in the midfield. Wilfrid [Kaptoum] gives us a little bit more calm on the ball, which we need. We turned the ball over way too much for long periods in that game and Wilfrid is a good possession player."

On earning 10 points over the last four games:

Arena: "It was good because it's been a very difficult couple of months. I think the break is going to be good for us. We come back and we have a very difficult month of October to close out the regular season, so I think a little break now is going to be important."

On selecting the same starting lineup in consecutive matches:

Arena: "We're not worrying about that right now. We're worried about getting our team better, getting everyone healthy, and getting through the last five games in the regular season and see what makes sense as we get our team ready for the playoffs. We're not going to be playing a playoff game until, I believe, November 30. So, we have some time to figure things out."

Revolution Defender DeJuan Jones

On scoring the opening goal:

Jones: "Yeah, I thought we got off to a great start in this game. The guys were active, we made a lot of passes in behind, a lot of runs in behind. I remember the ball swung out to the right and I just continued my run into the box. Then Brandon [Bye] crossed it, I think it took a deflection, I think Carles [Gil] shot it and the ball just kind of fell to me. I was in the right spot, I saw the goalie wasn't really on his line, so I just put it in with my left foot."

On entering the international break a 13-1-2 record in the last 16 games:

Jones: "Well, it's a great feeling. With the short rest, I think we did a really good job. We were able to rotate the squad, get guys fresh for games, and I think we're happy with where we are right now. So, going into the break with guys going on international duty, guys get to rest up a little bit and get ready for the last stretch of the season."

Revolution Defender Henry Kessler

On where the team stands after going 5-0-1 in September before the international break:

Kessler: "There's still a few things we want to - I think 'fine-tune' is the right word. Obviously, the results have been very good, and we've put ourselves in a good position. But there are a few things we need to work out and still improve on. So, there's still room for improvement and heading into the playoffs we still have five more opportunities to improve."

On the upcoming international break and what the team needs to improve on moving forward:

Kessler: "We'll get a needed break. I think we've had a lot of games to close out the month, so we'll get a needed break, couple days off, and we'll have a couple guys on international duty. So, we'll get a little break. Yeah, by a few things we need to work on, we want to keep more clean sheets. So hopefully out of the last five games we can get at least a couple. That would be something good. Playoff games tend to be more low scoring. So, it would be nice to keep a few clean sheets. Just a few things, counter attacks, today we did decently but can still improve on. You know, it's never going to be perfect, so we're always trying to improve no matter what."

On building an early lead tonight and winning by multiple goals:

Kessler: "We're trying to take our chances when they come. I think at the beginning of the game we did. In the second half and toward the end of the first half, they sent a lot, a lot of numbers forward and we had a few more chances, and we could've made it four or five by halftime. That being said, three goals in a half is still incredible. Four goals on the game, you should always be winning when you're scoring four goals. I think offensively we did pretty well today and there are just a few things we want to work on defensively. Still, pretty good result today and by more than one goal."

On what makes Gustavo Bou an effective playmaker:

Kessler: "There are times when we have our front three combining. I think a lot of that is a credit to Carles [Gil] and Adam [Buksa] as well. You know, Gustavo is obviously very talented scoring and has good vision. I think against Orlando the assist to Adam was really good and obviously he's got really good quality. But Adam and Carles getting in good spots. Someone has to score those goals in order to have an assist. I think Adam's got 13 on the year now. So having two strikers with 13 goals, I think their assists are going to go up as well."

On the team's mentality from the opening whistle and starting matches well:

Kessler: "I think it's been really good. We have started well. Getting the first goal is essential, you know, putting the pressure on. Especially today, we put the second one and the third one as well. So it was a really great start. I thought we let up a little bit toward the end of the first half, but as you said, that start is really important because if you're under it then you're behind for maybe the majority of the first half and you're trying to work yourself back into the game. It's harder that way so starting well is really important and we've been doing a good job at that lately."

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