Revolution II Defeat Toronto FC II, 3-2
May 15, 2023 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New England Revolution II News Release
TORONTO - New England Revolution II (4-3-1; 14 pts.) completed a 3-2 comeback win over Toronto FC II (1-5-1; 4 pts.) on Saturday night at York Lions Stadium. Homegrown midfielder Damian Rivera led the offense for New England notching his second brace of the season late in the second half.
Toronto found the scoresheet first, tallying off a free kick in the third minute and later adding on in the 39th minute. Down two just before halftime, Rivera sent in a cross as the ball bounced in off Toronto's Markus Cimermancic for an own goal.
New England dominated possession throughout the match and reaped the rewards late in the second half as Rivera netted his third career brace with Revolution II. The Homegrown midfielder tied the game up after defender Tiago Suarez sent the ball to the center of the field where Weverton headed it down for Brandonn Bueno to play over to Rivera who sent a right footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
One minute later, defender Pierre Cayet sailed the ball down the left side of the field where Rivera was waiting to send another right footed shot in this time to the center of the goal to tally his team-leading fifth goal of the season and close out the fourth victory of the year for New England.
Revolution II returns to action on Sunday, May 21 to take on Philadelphia Union II at Subaru Park. The 3 p.m. match will stream live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
New England Revolution II 3, Toronto FC II 2
May 14, 2023 - York Lions University Stadium (Toronto, Ontario)
Homegrown midfielder Damian Rivera recorded his second brace of the season after scoring in the 84th and 85th minutes and recorded a team-leading four shots with two on target in the match. The Cranston, R.I. native now leads Revolution II and ranks tied for third in the league with five goals in six appearances on the season.
Midfielder Brandonn Bueno recorded his first professional assist on Rivera's first goal.
Defender Pierre Cayet tallied his first assist of the season on the game-winner in his eighth consecutive start of the 2023 season.
Goalkeeper Max Weinstein made two saves in his third appearance of the season.
Midfielder Nakye Greenidge-Duncan entered the match in the 80th minute of the match, tallying one shot against his former team.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Aubrey Kotelko
Assistant Referees: Stéphanie Fortin, Melissa Snedden
Fourth Official: David Barrie
Weather: 62 degrees and sunny
Scoring Summary:
TOR - Matthew Catavalo 3'
TOR - Jesus Batiz 39'
NE - Markus Cimermancic (OG) 44'
NE - Damian Rivera (Brandonn Bueno) 84'
NE - Damian Rivera (Pierre Cayet) 85'
Misconduct Summary:
TOR - Adam Pearlman (Yellow Card) 34'
NE - Pierre Cayet (Yellow Card) 81'
New England Revolution II: Max Weinstein; Colby Quiñones, Pierre Cayet, Victor Souza, Santiago Suarez; Jak Rozhansky Marcos Dias (Jacob Akanyirige 88'), Ben Awashie (Brandonn Bueno 80'); Damian Rivera, Malcolm Fry (Nakye Greenidge-Duncan 80'), Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Weverton 64', Ítalo 90+2).
Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Christensen.
Toronto FC II: Adisa De Rosario; Cristian Gutiérrez (Rohan Goulbourne 46'), Lazar Stefanovic, Matthew Medeiros, Adam Pearlman; Matthew Catavalo, Markus Cimermancic, Luca Olguin; Jesus Batiz, Julian Altobelli (Alec Diaz 70'), Jordan Faria.
Substitutes Not Used:Ethan Kang,Tomas Romero.
POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution II 3 vs. Toronto FC II 2
Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay
On Damian Rivera leading the comeback victory:
Peay: "I think that's the type of player he [Damian Rivera] is. I think he's got that ability to be very dangerous in the attack. He can score goals. He can set other people up. He's shown that consistently with us when he plays with us and I think that tonight, it was big time because we needed somebody to step up in that role and he took the lead in that regard. So very happy for him in terms of being a leader, taking the game and controlling the game."
On the halftime message to the team:
Peay: "Yeah I thought we were doing well, just continue what we're doing, tweak a few things to make sure that we obviously wouldn't concede any more, but also to find ways to score goals and so, again, it was just a matter of being patient and taking the risk at the appropriate times."
On building off this win heading into next week's match against Philadelphia:
Peay: "It's a positive. I think we tried some things this week that I think we had some success with, so I think we just want to continue to try to build on that and Philly's a different animal, but we understand what they're all about. Certainly, won't be an easy game, and so we just have to continue trying to push and obviously stop conceding goals that we can control and eliminate."
Revolution II Defender Pierre Cayet
On his assessment of the match:
Cayet: "Yeah, it was really exciting. I mean, the whole game, I think we played really good football. I think we stuck to our principles, and towards the end of the game, we didn't force things just because we were down 2-0. We kept trying to push and trying to play the game coach [Clint Peay] asked of us. I think at the end, we got a couple of good looks converted into goals, which is always good on the road, especially for a comeback."
On the team's mindset heading into the second half:
Cayet: "Yeah, so I think at halftime it was really positive because it was 2-1 and I think coach saw that we understood the assignment well. We executed exactly what he asked of us. I think it was just about finishing our chances and getting shots on target. Other than that, I think the message was really positive and encouraging, to keep pushing until the end because we've been in this situation before and we know how to deal with the pressure, and we were able to come back from that, so I think was really positive."
On reaching 50 total appearances with Revolution II last week:
Cayet: "Yeah, so that's an interesting stat because of course, it doesn't feel like it. It feels like I just got here last year, so it's always good to hit those numbers. They're really meaningful to me, and also to the trust that coach has in me. I think we've been building something good together and I'm grateful to be in this position today, to be able to be a leader for the team and be able to keep playing every weekend."
Homegrown Midfielder Damian Rivera
On creating the goal in the first half and notching a brace in the second half:
Rivera: Yeah, I mean, I would say the first goal, it was a pass from Malcolm [Fry]. I was looking to chip it in the back post area of the goal. I would say maybe I'll claim the goal, but you know, and the two other goals I thought they were pretty similar, and they came two minutes apart, so excited to contribute to those three goals."
On his mindset when playing with Revolution II:
Rivera: "I would say I'm looking at it as an opportunity for myself to get better because I think there's a lot of things I can still work on. Every time that I do come here, I want to be as positive as I can and that's what I do."
MLS NEXT Pro Stories from May 15, 2023
- Timbers2 Named MLS Next PRO Team of the Matchday 8 - Portland Timbers 2
- New York Red Bulls II Defeat New York City FC II, 2-0 at MSU Soccer Park - New York Red Bulls II
- Huntsville City Football Club Introduces the Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium - Huntsville City Football Club
- Timbers2 Earn 3-1 Win over Whitecaps FC 2 at Providence Park - Portland Timbers 2
- Tacoma Defiance Earns Draw, Wins Shootout in Eight-Goal Thriller at Starfire Stadium - Tacoma Defiance
- Revolution II Defeat Toronto FC II, 3-2 - New England Revolution II
- Houston Dynamo 2 Defeat Real Monarchs 3-0 for First Home Victory - Houston Dynamo 2
- Real Monarchs Fall 3-0 in Houston - Real Monarchs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
