MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Rout FC Cincinnati, 5-1, to Advance in U.S. Open Cup

Published on May 11, 2022 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution defeated FC Cincinnati, 5-1, on Wednesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. Revolution midfielder and captain Carles Gil tallied the first U.S. Open Cup hat trick in club history while Adam Buksa notched a brace - his fifth consecutive game with a goal across all competitions. Goalkeeper Djordje Petrović made his first team debut, registering one save on two shots faced.

FC Cincinnati opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a goal from Álvaro Barreal from the center of the box. New England answered with multiple chances coming from Adam Buksa and Arnór Traustason, resulting directly in the latter drawing a penalty in the 33rd minute. Carles Gil converted from the penalty spot to tie the game, his 10th penalty goal for New England in 12 attempts across all competitions. The Revolution captain quickly gave the hosts the lead, scoring off a deflected shot from outside the box in the 37th minute, assisted by Tommy McNamara.

The Revs scored three times in the opening 12 minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach. Buksa extended his scoring streak to five games, netting a header from the center of the box into the top right corner. Gil completed the hat trick in the 53rd minute with another left-footed shot to secure the first hat trick of his Revolution career and the first for New England since 2017. Brandon Bye tallied the assist on both of those goals, marking the second and third helpers in his U.S. Open Cup career.

Buksa secured a brace in the 57th minute as he sailed a curling shot to the top-left corner from the outside of the box, with Gil earning the assist. New England improved to 6-0-1 in all competitions when Gil records both a goal and an assist in the same match.

The U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 draw will take place on Thursday, May 12 to determine the Revolution's next opponent and matchday. New England returns to MLS action on Sunday, May 15 as they head south to face Atlanta United FC (1:30 p.m. ET - ESPN, ESPN Deportes, 98.5 The Sports Hub, 1260 AM Nossa Radio).

POSTGAME NOTES

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32

New England Revolution 5, FC Cincinnati 1

May 11, 2022 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Team Notes

The Revolution are unbeaten in their last four home games (3-0-1) as their record at Gillette Stadium moves to 5-2-1 in all competitions this season.

Wednesday's match marks the first time two Revolution players recorded multi-goal games in the same U.S. Open Cup match since June 27, 2001 against the Mid-Michigan Bucks.

New England scored five goals in a game for the first time since July 21, 2021 at Inter Miami (W, 5-0). Wednesday's contest was the first five-goal outburst at Gillette Stadium since March 25, 2017 against Minnesota United (W, 5-2).

Seven Revolution players made their U.S. Open Cup debuts: starters Djordje Petrović, Henry Kessler, Maciel, Arnór Traustason, Damian Rivera, and Adam Buksa and substitute Ryan Spaulding.

New England made three changes to his Starting XI from last Saturday's match against Columbus, as goalkeeper Djordje Petrović and midfielders Maciel and Arnór Traustason start in place of Matt Turner, Matt Polster, and Sebastian Lletget.

Individual Notes

Goalkeeper Djordje Petrović suited up for his Revolution first team debut. The 22-year-old from Serbia, who was acquired by New England in April and started in net for Revolution II on Sunday in MLS NEXT Pro action, registered one save.

Carles Gil registered the first U.S. Open Cup hat trick in Revolution history. It marks the first multi-goal game for New England in Open Cup play since Teal Bunbury bagged a brace on June 11, 2019.

The hat trick was New England's first since Kei Kamara scored three goals against Orlando City on Sept. 2, 2017.

Gil recorded his second multi-goal game for New England and his first since March 17, 2019 at Toronto FC.

Gil converted from the penalty spot for the 10th time in his Revolution career.

Andrew Farrell surpassed Matt Reis for New England's all-time club record for minutes played in all competitions (27,234).

Tommy McNamara started in his fifth career U.S. Open Cup match, providing an assist on Gil's second goal. In 62 minutes, McNamara finished with a team-high three tackles and completed 33-of-34 passes.

Adam Buksa scored two goals, giving him tallies in five consecutive games and eight total goals in all competitions this season. Buksa had scored five consecutive goals with his head before a left-footed goal in the second half.

Brandon Bye provided a pair of second-half assists, giving him three helpers in four U.S. Open Cup appearances for New England. Bye had a team-high three chances created on the night.

Arnór Traustason made his first appearance since April 16, winning all 10 of his duels and adding a team-high three interceptions.

Maciel returned to the lineup for the first time since April 2 and started for the first time since March 12, playing all 90 minutes and a team-high nine recoveries.

Bruce Arena moves his career record in the U.S. Open Cup to 16-9-0, including a 2-1-0 mark with the Revolution.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Lukasz Szpala

Assistant Referees: Kevin Lock (AR1), Tom Felice (AR2)

Fourth Official: Jeremy Scheer

Weather: 58 degrees and partly cloudy

Scoring Summary:

CIN - Álvaro Barreal 3 (Haris Medunjanin 1) 12'

NE - Carles Gil 1 (Penalty Kick) 34'

NE - Carles Gil 2 (Tommy McNamara 1) 37'

NE - Adam Buksa 1 (Brandon Bye 1) 47'

NE - Carles Gil 3 (Brandon Bye 2) 53'

NE - Adam Buksa 2 (Carles Gil 1) 57'

Misconduct Summary:

NE - Henry Kessler (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 10'

CIN - Zico Bailey (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 24'

New England Revolution: Djordje Petrović; DeJuan Jones (Ryan Spaulding 62'), Andrew Farrell, Henry Kessler (Omar Gonzalez 62'), Brandon Bye; Maciel, Tommy McNamara (Matt Polster 62'); Arnór Traustason, Carles Gil © (Sebastian Lletget 62'), Damian Rivera; Adam Buksa (Justin Rennicks 62').

Substitutes Not Used: Jacob Jackson, Emmanuel Boateng.

FC Cincinnati: Kenneth Vermeer; Alvas Powell (Ian Murphy 46'), Tyler Blackett, Geoff Cameron (Nick Hagglund 77'), Zico Bailey; Haris Medunjanin © (Luciano Acosta 71'), Harrison Robledo; Isaac Atanga (Brandon Vázquez 63'), Nicholas Markanich, Álvaro Barreal (Júnior Moreno 64'); Arquimides Ordonez.

Substitutes Not Used: Roman Celentano, Obinna Nwobodo.

New England Revolution Team Statistics FC Cincinnati

12 (7) Shots (on Target) 6 (2)

2 Blocked Shots 1

1 Saves 2

3 Corner Kicks 1

2 Offsides 3

11 Fouls 8

568 (86.8%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 405 (76.8%)

58.4% Possession 41.6%

POSTGAME QUOTES: Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32

New England Revolution 5 vs. FC Cincinnati 1

Revolution Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena

On the three changes made to the starting lineup for tonight's match:

Arena: "Goalkeeper [Djordje Petrović] has to get games with us. That's important. Maciel has missed most of the year with injuries and things, so we have to get him back on the field. And Arnór [Traustason] came in because he's an experienced guy and I wanted to give [Sebastian] Lletget a rest."

On the performances of the three additions to the starting lineup:

Arena: "Well, goalkeeper [Djordje Petrović] really had no action. But I think it's important for him to be on the field and start getting experience. Maciel played very well, kept the ball. Still not fit enough, but he's a good possession player. He can play forward quickly, which is something we lack. So, that was a positive. And Arnór [Traustason], after about 15, 20 minutes, I thought he played pretty well. I think he was fouled for the first penalty or the penalty we had. Fouled probably, in the second half, for another penalty. So, he contributed. As the game went on, he got into it and I thought played pretty well."

On the team's overall performance tonight:

Arena: "I thought we played poorly for about the first 25 minutes. I think we were lucky to get ourselves back in the game in the first half. And then the second half, obviously, we took control of the game. I give them a lot of credit. They showed a lot more energy and commitment to start the game. I think for 20, 25 minutes, they played very well, obviously got the goal. I think they were first to a lot of balls and did a real good job. And then I think they played at a higher pace than us and once they got tired a little bit, we got back into the game. We were fortunate to get the penalty and then the second goal, you know, if we went into halftime 1-0, I think it would've been a really challenging second half. So, it was really important to get that first goal. And then the second one allowed our guys to relax a little bit."

On the value of having the lead in the second half and the ability to make multiple substitutions to manage minutes:

Arena: "We're fortunate that we're playing Sunday and they're playing Saturday. So, they had to be a little bit more concerned about that team and being rested because they had to travel and then they have t go to Chicago. We had a little bit of an advantage there. And to be able to get Carles [Gil] and [Adam] Buksa and Henry [Kessler], who had a yellow card, off the field with Tommy [McNamara], who's played a lot of minutes and DeJuan [Jones], it was important. I think it was a good 60 minutes for a bunch of those guys and we're able to give them a little bit of rest. And you know, we should be pretty fresh for the game on Sunday."

On how to balance playing well in both U.S. Open Cup and MLS play:

Arena: "I don't know. Help me. You guys obviously know more than I do in all of this stuff. So, you'll probably give us some suggestions. But we need to win games. We should have six wins in the league at this point, and we have three. I think every time we step on the field, we need to win games. Tonight's a start. We've gotten better over the last month. We're getting better, but we have a long way to go. We have a new player [Dylan Borrero] coming in tomorrow who will help our roster as well. We're making progress, but you know, we have to put W's on the board at this point."

On what it was like coaching against former player and assistant coach Pat Noonan and his son Kenny Arena:

Arena: "Well, Pat [Noonan] and his family, they're very close with us. You know, I think the world of him. It's great to see how well he's doing. I think they've done an outstanding job in Cincinnati. I had a conversation today with our coaches. I think the coach of Newcastle [Eddie Howe] should be the coach of the year in the EPL, even though he won't get it. I'm sure it goes to [Jurgen] Klopp or Pep [Guardiola], but I think guys that come in and take teams that are down and moving them forward, I think it's a remarkable job. And I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think they've won more games already in the league, than they did last year. I might be wrong about that, but I think they've done a remarkable job, so it's good to see. And you know, my son [Kenny Arena] is on the staff there and I thought I could've brought him to New England but I thought going to Cincinnati was a better professional opportunity for him. So, it's great to see them doing so well. They're good friends as well. Our families are close and to see how well he's moved on professionally, is great. I'm really pleased for them."

On the difference between an MLS game and a U.S. Open Cup game:

Arena: "Well, I wouldn't make a big deal of that. I think these Cup games in every league, everywhere, clubs have to make a decision of how they want to play these games. Cincinnati chose to play a number of reserves. We chose to play a number of starters and the advantage we had is that we're playing at home. We're playing on Sunday. So, we had a little bit of an edge. So that's a little different, but the priority, I think for Cincinnati at this point, is the league and be ready on Saturday. Not that they didn't come out to try to win this game, but it's always a balancing act and who knows what the right decisions are with these things."

Revolution Midfielder Carles Gil

On the attack scoring five goals in tonight's win:

Gil: "Yeah, I think we didn't have a good first 30 minutes. We were a little bit slow and we didn't win some tackles but I think after the first goal, we started to play well, win tackles, and the first 15-20 minutes in the second half were very good. I think we had chances, that is the difference. Sometimes we have good chances, and we miss. Today, I think we were very good at those things. Yeah, five goals, I think we needed a win like this".

On the confidence the team gained moving forward after tonight's win:

Gil: "Yes, I think we needed a game like this today, scoring goals. [Winning] 5-1 is a very good result. I think we are [playing] in a good way in the last two or three games. We feel better and hopefully we continue like this."

On which of his three goals was his favorite and the team's performance tonight:

(Translated from Spanish)

Gil: "Well I think the third one was my favorite because everyone was involved. I saw Arnór [Traustason] followed Brandon [Bye] very well and he held the ball well, waiting for me to finish. Last week I had a similar chance that hit the post on a pass from Ema [Boateng]. This time, I was able to finish it. I think apart from the first 25-30 minutes, we were much more adjusted and winning duels. I think we needed a game like this. We had a few games recently where we've struggled to close the game out. Hopefully we continue on this track."

On balancing both the U.S. Open Cup and MLS season:

Gil: "We want to be in all competitions. Also this cup, you know, now we have four more games to win a trophy. So, we're focused also on this competition and also of course on MLS. We'll try to get a win on Sunday in Atlanta."

On how the team will aim to move forward following tonight's win:

(Translated from Spanish)

Gil: "I think we gained confidence. I think we needed a game like this. We needed to feel comfortable and gain that confidence. Hopefully we keep playing like this. We have a tough game in Atlanta [on Sunday]. We know we need three points to get to the top [of the standings], which is where we want to be. Hopefully we get those three points."

Revolution Midfielder Arnór Traustason

On the team's performance in tonight's win:

Traustason: "It was a good game overall. Scoring five goals is amazing, as was contributing to a couple of them. So, it's nice."

On getting more minutes and an increased role:

Traustason: "Yeah, obviously, everybody wants to play, and I do I want to play. It's no secret about that. Yeah, hopefully, this performance does something for me and we will see. We have a game next Sunday. So we'll see."

On gaining confidence and moment forward after tonight's win:

Traustason: "We haven't had the results with us. We've conceded, I don't even know how many goals in the last minutes of the games and it kind of kills the momentum we've been trying to build. And the game's we've been winning have been by one goal. Every game is tight. Now, to get loose, just score five goals and the game is never in danger. It's definitely good momentum to take with us into the next two away games."

On balancing performing well in both U.S. Open Cup and MLS play:

Traustason: "That's on the group. We didn't change a whole lot before this game. But I mean, the players that played that came [into the starting lineup]- me, Maciel, and [Djordje] Petrović-we all stepped up and that's something a group needs to be do in order to compete in MLS and in the Open Cup. So that's a group thing. If you have a good squad, that's something you want to do."

On the team's struggles in closing out games:

Traustason: "Yeah, it's like I [mentioned] earlier. The games we've been losing points and losing games in the last minutes, that didn't happen last year. We kind of closed out games and it was not like we were winning games last year with four goals. It was always tight, and we never conceded these last-minute goals that kind of, I mean, it kills the [momentum]. In the dressing room, it gets heavy. We kind of know when we wanted those three points. We wanted that point, but still, we receive nothing. When you put in and give 100% and you receive nothing, it's kind of draining and it's been happening now a couple of games in a row. So, I mean, I think that's the difference. I think the momentum, building the momentum, and hopefully we can build up from here."

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