MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Win Second Straight at Home, 2-0, vs. Inter Miami

Published on April 30, 2022 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution (3-5-1, 10 pts.) defeated Inter Miami CF (3-5-1, 10 pts.), 2-0, on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 25,509 at Gillette Stadium. Homegrown Player Damian Rivera scored in the first minute of his first MLS start - the third player in league history to do so - while Adam Buksa tallied his third goal in as many games. Goalkeeper Matt Turner returned from injury to make his first start of 2022, saving all three shots he faced to secure his 22nd career clean sheet.

In the opening minute, Matt Polster intercepted an errant Miami pass and found Carles Gil at the top of the box, who served the ball to Rivera. The 19-year-old midfielder and Cranston, R.I. native notched his first MLS goal with a left-footed shot past Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman to put New England ahead early. Buksa extended New England's lead in the 63rd minute, heading in DeJuan Jones' cross. Buksa has now scored in three consecutive MLS games for the first time in his career. Miami saw two players sent off in the second half, with Damion Lowe and Jairo Quinteros each picking up two yellow cards in the contest.

The Revolution have now won two in a row at home as they improve to 3-2-0 in Foxborough. Tonight's Starting XI featured four changes from last Saturday's match at D.C. United as Turner, defender Henry Kessler, midfielder Tommy McNamara, and Rivera started in place of Brad Knighton, Omar Gonzalez, Emmanuel Boateng, and Justin Rennicks. Captain Carles Gil recorded his fourth assist of the season in the match, while Andrew Farrell's became the Revolution's all-time leader in appearances (306) and starts (301) across all competitions.

The Revolution remain in Foxborough for another home match next Saturday, May 7 vs. Columbus Crew at Gillette Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and airs on WSBK-TV38, myRITV, Cozi TV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio in Portuguese.

POSTGAME NOTES

New England Revolution 2, Inter Miami 0

April 30, 2022 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Matt Turner made his 2022 season debut and his 98th MLS regular season start on Saturday. Turner made three saves and kept the 22nd clean sheet of his MLS career.

With tonight's start, Andrew Farrell became New England's all-time leader in appearances (306) and games started (301) across all competitions, surpassing Shalrie Joseph (305) and Matt Reis (300), respectively. Farrell was already the club's leader in games played, starts, and minutes in MLS regular season action.

Damian Rivera, a Homegrown Player from Cranston, R.I., earned his first career MLS start. The 19-year-old Revolution Academy graduate, who now owns four MLS appearances, marked the occasion with his first MLS goal in the opening minute of the contest - the fastest goal for New England since Sept. 17, 2016 (Kei Kamara - 1st minute).

Rivera is the third player to score in the first minute of his first career MLS start. The last to do so was Matias Mantilla for Real Salt Lake in August 2007.

Adam Buksa scored for the third consecutive contest, netting his league-leading 12th headed goal since entering the league ahead of the 2020 campaign (regular season and playoffs). Buksa finished the night with five shots and two on target.

Revolution captain Carles Gil collected his 70th start in MLS regular season play, registering a career-high 117 touches and adding six chances created with one assist, his fourth of the season.

Henry Kessler returned to the Starting XI for the first time since New England's most recent encounter with Inter Miami CF on April 9, playing 90 minutes.

Tonight's Starting XI featured four changes from last Saturday's match at D.C. United as goalkeeper Matt Turner, defender Henry Kessler, midfielder Tommy McNamara and midfielder Damian Rivera started in place of Brad Knighton, Omar Gonzalez, Emmanuel Boateng, and Justin Rennicks.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Ismail Elfath.

Assistant Referees: Corey Parker (AR1), Michael Barwegen (AR2).

Fourth Official: Matthew Thompson.

Video Assistant Referee: Jorge Gonzalez.

Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tom Supple.

Weather: 56 degrees and clear.

Attendance: 25,509

Scoring Summary:

NE - Damian Rivera 1 (Carles Gil 4, Matt Polster 2) 1'

NE - Adam Buksa 3 (DeJuan Jones 3) 64'

Misconduct Summary:

MCF - Gregore (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 28'

MCF - Damion Lowe (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 54'

MCF - Jairo Quinteros (Yellow Card - Unsporting Behavior) 55'

MCF - Damion Lowe (Second Yellow Card - Tactical Foul) 60'

MCF - Jairo Quinteros (Second Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 76'

New England Revolution: Matt Turner; DeJuan Jones, Andrew Farrell, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye; Matt Polster (Wilfrid Kaptoum 72'), Tommy McNamara; Sebastian Lletget (Justin Rennicks 85'), Carles Gil ©, Damian Rivera (Emmanuel Boateng 72'); Adam Buksa (Jozy Altidore 77').

Substitutes Not Used: Djordje Petrović, A.J. DeLaGarza, Omar Gonzalez, Ryan Spaulding, Arnór Traustason.

Inter Miami CF: Nick Marsman; DeAndre Yedlin, Damion Lowe (Red Card 60'), Aimé Mabika (Jairo Quinteros 19', Red Card 76'), Christopher McVey; Jean Mota (Kieran Gibbs 68'), Gregore ©, Bryce Duke (Mo Adams 68'); Ariel Lassiter, Robert Taylor, Leonardo Campana (Emerson Rodríguez 12').

Substitutes Not Used: Drake Callender, Clément Diop, Victor Ulloa, Noah Allen.

New England Revolution Team Statistics Inter Miami CF

18 (6) Shots (on Target) 7 (3)

4 Blocked Shots 2

1.98 Expected Goals (xG) 0.47

3 Saves 4

8 Corner Kicks 1

2 Offsides 1

8 Fouls 5

681 (88.8%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 337 (79.2%)

66.7 Possession 33.3%

POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution 2 vs. Inter Miami CF 0

Revolution Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena

On scoring early in the game:

Arena: "It was quick. One minute, I think, right? That was the plan, yes. That's exactly what we planned."

On his assessment of the team's performance tonight:

Arena: "I don't know what you mean by normal, but it was a more complete effort on our part against a team that's not easy to play against. They get good numbers behind the ball and they are good at getting pressure on the ball. Getting the first goal was important. I thought we had moments in the first half to get a second goal and didn't, and we kept them in the game. The second goal was important, and then obviously, the red cards were big factors in the game as well."

On the decision to start Tommy McNamara and Matt Polster together in central midfield:

Arena: "I think we've been susceptible to counter attacks and whatever the reasons are for it, whoever knows. Everyone will say it's this or that. And, you know, I just don't think our team reacted, but I think playing with the two 6's or two 6's/8's in those positions gives us a little more stability in the midfield and that's the reason for it."

On Damian Rivera's performance and his first MLS start:

Arena: "Well, it's just getting better. It's his third year with us and we saw improvements this year in preseason. He's played well with the second team and last week in D.C. I thought he gave us a good 30 minutes and he continues to make progress. We've got to pick the right times to give these young players an opportunity and [Rivera's] only, I don't even know his age, 20 years old? 19? You know, so I think it's important that you don't put him in at the wrong time and damage your confidence. So, the timing has to be right. It's never perfect trying to figure that out. But I think he's been brought along in a manner where he can step on the field, especially in the home game and try to produce, and he certainly did tonight."

On Matt Turner's return to action:

Arena: "I think he's an experienced goalkeeper, he plays with a lot of confidence and he gives the guys in front of him a lot of confidence. And, you know, maybe one of those chances tonight, he had to make a decent save. I think it was in the first half, but for the most part he wasn't tested a whole lot. But I think he gives the group confidence and it's a good first game back because he hasn't played, I believe, since January. We've been a little bit concerned about rushing him in too early and obviously he showed tonight that he's pretty comfortable getting back in there."

On Adam Buksa's performance in tonight's match:

Arena: "Yeah, he got better as the game went on. He had chances throughout the night and a classic Adam, I thought a very good goal, a good ball by, I guess Dejuan [Jones] was it? He drew, I think, cards on both of those guys? I know [Damion Lowe] fouled him. Who was it? Who was the other guy who was sent off? [Jairo Quinteros]? Right, yeah, so give Adam a lot of credit for that."

On his assessment of tonight's defensive performance:

Arena: "They don't necessarily limit the counter attacks, but they got to defend them well, but this is the first time this year we have had those five players together. I think getting [Henry] Kessler back in is really important. That was probably his third start of the year? He's our best defender, so we need him in there. Getting him back in and bringing Matt [Turner] back in was important."

On the difference Matt Turner makes in the Starting XI:

Arena: "He communicates well. That part is noticeable. We did not put him in the goal a whole lot this week because he's coming back and we didn't kill him with the team. I think Kevin Hitchcock sure did in goalkeeper training and all, but we didn't have him in with the team that much. But he's very experienced and to have the last line of defense with that goalkeeper is a real positive. I'll tell you this, our other goalkeeper is going to be very good. He is going to be a good one. We are looking forward to seeing him play as well."

Revolution Goalkeeper Matt Turner

On making his first start of 2022 as he returned from injury:

Turner: "It felt pretty good. I don't think the coaching staff would have put me out there if they didn't like what they saw in training the past - I'll call it two weeks. So yeah, playing 90 is much different. You know, you're on your feet for a while, you're moving around. But no, I felt good out there. I was ready for the game. The first half did feel like it took forever, but overall happy with how I was feeling, how I performed, and how the team performed, more importantly.

On playing in front a large crowd tonight and missing the home field energy:

Turner: "That moment, the moment when the announcer announces my name and the crowd gives me a huge cheer and a boost, I choked up to be honest. It's been really hard for me to be away from the game, away from this team. I love it here. I love playing here. I love playing soccer in general. Like, it's just a huge piece of my happiness and who I feel like I am as a person, and so to be away from the fans, who I have developed such a close relationship with over the past few seasons. It was really hard to be away from the guys, not really feeling the emotions, all the things that they were going through week in, week out. That was really hard as well. So, I kind of felt like an outsider in our own locker room, but getting back out there tonight, I think you saw the full-time whistle everybody sort of coming to me, welcoming me back and, you know, giving me hugs, and all that. It just it felt really, really good. It's a nice start to a weekend, and I'm getting married tomorrow."

On recently signed goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic:

Turner: "Yeah, I guess passing the torch is kind of like the wrong term in terms of like, I don't know if I necessarily have a torch to pass, right? I think maybe my self-awareness was a little big-headed there. So, let me come back down from that a little bit and just say that what I've seen from him is that he's a really talented. He's way more talented than I was at his age, you know? He's taller than me. He's athletic. But you know, he's got things that he's going to have to work on if he wants to be consistent player for this team, as we all do. I think the big thing for us, as a team, is you know, not getting these one-offs. A one-off good game, a one-off when compounding things, getting wins in succession like we did last season, getting good performances in succession like we did last season. And finding consistent performances is difficult. So, I think that for him, he works on a few small details in his game. He's going to be a really good player for this organization."

On celebrating Adam Buksa's goal:

Turner: "For sure, getting that little extra, that little extra boost at the end. A little bit of padding, right, because I felt myself fatiguing a little bit. I haven't played 90 minutes since February 2, so, it's been a long time. So as goalkeepers especially when you're not involved in the game constantly it's important to stay in it mentally, and that just gave me a little bit of boost, a little bit of a cushion. That allowed me to, I don't want to say relax a little bit, but not feel so much pressure that I had to be ready on a knife's edge for that big moment to keep it at 1-0."

On Damian Rivera's first MLS start and goal:

Turner: "I was really pleased for [Damian]. But again, like we're going need him to consistently perform for us, right. I thought he had a really good game in D.C. He earned that time out there on the pitch tonight and he rewarded us with a goal in the first minute. And I just told him even in our pregame huddle on the field, I literally said to [Damian], 'show the world, show the fans, what you show us in training every single day. Take players on, be a handful, and he went he went out, he did that, and he scored, and I couldn't be happier for him because he's a quiet kid, but he works really, really hard. He's been grinding over the past few seasons. He has a lot of talent and a lot of potential, but he has take this performance and continue to build on it."

Revolution Midfielder Damian Rivera

On his progression over the last two seasons with Revolution II:

Rivera: "Yeah, I would say I progressed a lot in those two years. I think I've gotten more fit over the two years. And obviously I'm happy to get the goal there. I think over the last two years I've been working hard, and I got my chance and I proved it on the field."

On envisioning his first MLS goal while playing in the Revolution Academy:

Rivera: "In the [Revolution] Academy I always used to go to the first team games and watching [Carles] Gil play, I thought he was a spectacular player. And to play with him it's incredible. Obviously, I wasn't thinking about scoring a goal at that time with the first team. But to actually score a goal, I can't describe the words."

On staying focused after scoring in the 1st minute:

Rivera: "Yeah in the first minute I scored the goal. [I was] obviously very excited, but after [we] celebrated I thought, 'we have to keep working and we have to continue to press a team.' And I think we did well."

On how his mentality has evolved as a professional:

Rivera: "Yeah, I think this year, definitely a big change for me. I think I've gotten more fit. Some of the guys here, you know, like, Jarryd [Phillips] and James [Collins] have helped me. I feel fitter, and, you know, I just wanted to get a chance on the field. I did and I took the best of it."

On his relationship with Carles Gil:

Rivera: "Yeah, you know, Carles [Gil] is, I think, the best player in the league. And to have him kind of as a role model, it's really big. And you know, he's obviously a great player, and I look up to him. And for him to think highly of me is, you know, it's really nice, and I've just got to keep going, I think. He's a great guy to look up to."

On if he had family attending the game:

Rivera: "Yeah, a bunch of family. Bunch of friends here, actually. I think tonight was Bayside [United FC] night as well. To score a goal tonight was, you know, very, very - I was very happy. I couldn't describe the feeling of when I scored a goal."

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