MLS NEXT Pro New England Revolution II

Revolution II Fall to Crown Legacy FC, 1-0

Published on September 17, 2023 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New England Revolution II News Release


MATTHEWS, N.C. - New England Revolution II (14-6-8; 56 pts.) fell to Crown Legacy FC (18-4-5; 63 pts.), 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex. Goalkeeper Max Weinstein made six saves in his third consecutive start while forward Olger Escobar led his team with three shots in the match.

Crown Legacy found the scoresheet in the 42nd minute with a goal from Nimfasha Berchimas, putting New England down by one at halftime. Revolution II recorded six shots on target but were unable to break through to record just their sixth loss of the year to close out regular season action.

The 2023 campaign marked a record-breaking season for Revolution II where the squad collected several team-highs with 14 wins, 57 goals scored, a plus-16 goal difference, and 156 shots on target. In the season opener on March 26, 15-year-old Peyton Miller became the youngest player to make his professional debut and later became the youngest to score his first professional goal on May 25. Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith now owns the team record for most goals scored in a single season at 12 while defender Victor Souza logged 2,448 minutes in his first professional season for a new single season record of his own.

Alongside Miller, Revolution II saw the professional debuts of three other Academy players this season in Gianluca Armellino, Eric Klein, and Olger Escobar as well as the first professional goals of Miller, Souza, Ben Awashie, Joshua Bolma, and Brandonn Bueno. Homegrown midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević recorded the first hat trick in team history on May 21 in a season where he and fellow Homegrown midfielder Damian Rivera each tallied six goals with Jack Panayotou recording five of his own for New England's second team.

Revolution II will now take their final bye week of the 2023 regular season and return to action the weekend of September 29 to host the program's first-ever MLS NEXT Pro playoff match at Gillette Stadium. Having already clinched second place in the Eastern Conference, New England will choose who it will host between the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh place teams following MLS NEXT Pro's "pick-your-opponent" playoff format. Dates and times for the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Quarterfinals will be announced soon.

New England Revolution II 0, Crown Legacy FC 1

September 17, 2023 - Mecklenburg County Sportsplex (Matthews, N.C.)

Playing its final match of the 2023 regular season, New England clinches second place in the Eastern Conference at 14-6-8 with 56 points and is set to begin playoff action for the first time in the program's history in two weeks.

Goalkeeper Max Weinstein made six saves in his third consecutive start.

Forward Olger Escobar recorded a team-high three shots in just nine minutes of action.

Revolution midfielder Maciel entered the match in the 73rd minute and recorded one shot to mark his first appearance since his season-ending Achilles injury last year.

Homegrown midfielder Jack Panayotou recorded two shots, two on target in the match.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Eliji Arreguin

Assistant Referees: Brian Marshal, Rhett Hammil

Fourth Official: Josiah Parke

Weather: 63 and cloudy

Scoring Summary:

CLT - Nimfasha Berchimas (Brandon Cambridge) 42'

Misconduct Summary:

CLT- Nikola Petkovic (Yellow Card - Foul) 26'

NE - Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Yellow Card - Foul) 48'

CLT - Nicholas Scardina (Yellow Card - Foul) 53'

NE - Peyton Miller (Yellow Card - Foul) 67'

CLT - Erik Pena Boardman (Yellow Card - Foul) 86'

Crown Legacy FC: Max Weinstein; Colby Quiñones (Malcolm Fry 61'), Pierre Cayet, Victor Souza; Santiago Suarez; Jack Panayotou, Patrick Leal (Maciel 73'); Joshua Bolma, Marcos Dias (Olger Escobar 81'), Peyton Miller (ĺtalo 73'); Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Noble Okello 61').

Substitutes Not Used: Nico Campuzano, Ben Awashie, Jacob Akanyirige, Brandonn Bueno.

Philadelphia Union II: Chituru Odunze; Nicholas Scardina, Jack Neeley (Aron John 88'), João Pedro, Jacob Williams; David Poreba,Nikola Petkovic (Erik Pena Boardman 77'), Philip Mayaka; Nimfasha Berchimas (Kimarni Smith 76'), Iuri Tavares, Brandon Cambridge (Thiago 88').

Substitutes Not Used: Isaac Walker, Jaydus Camacho, Ivan Mata, Josué Rodrigues, Brian Romero.

Crown Legacy Team Statistics New England Revolution II

13 (7) Shots (on Target) 15 (6)

3 Blocked Shots 4

5 Saves 6

6 Corner Kicks 6

2 Offsides 1

12 Fouls 8

428 (84.1%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 453 (85.9%)

49.1% Possession 50.9%

POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution II 0, Crown Legacy FC 1

Revolution II Defender Pierre Cayet

On his team's performance in the match:

Cayet: "So, the conditions of the game were a bit complicated, but I think overall, we did a good job on the ball. We played the way we wanted to play which was the most important thing. We conceded the goal on a detail, something easily fixable, and we created a lot of chances too, so we should feel comfortable about our chances in the playoffs. I think it was a good game on both sides and I think if we can finish our chances a little bit more, we shouldn't worry about another game against them [Crown Legacy FC] because they're one of the best in the league and I thought we had a great game overall."

On the team's record-breaking 2023 season and how far the program has come in his three years in New England:

Cayet: "We've come a long way. Including myself, I think we've come a long way from starting in USL League One. I think right away we played against some experienced players which was difficult to get results, but in the past two seasons we've had incredible progress, adding young players to the team, and being able to get the results and having leaders like myself and Jake [Rozhansky] to be able to help lead the group. It was a great season for the organization with lots of wins and lots of goals, lots of great moments we can reflect on and be happy about. Going into the playoffs, we are really excited because we play great football, have the ability, and we like our chances in the playoffs, so we hope to be able to win the [MLS NEXT Pro] Cup because overall, that's all that matters."

On the team's mindset heading into a bye week before beginning their playoff run:

Cayet: "The bye week comes at a little bit at a strange time for us because of the fact that we don't have a game on Decision Day. I think having a game could have helped us be a bit more ready for the next week, but we are going to do our job in training to make sure we are ready. We will be ready for two weeks from now for our first playoff game at Gillette. I'm really looking forward to this, and everybody's excited."

Check out the New England Revolution II Statistics

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