FC Cincinnati might be on a four-match MLS winning streak, but they could get some revenge Saturday when they host a New England Revolution side that dumped them out of the U.S. Open Cup earlier this month.
The Revolution (3-5-3, 12 points) won that fourth-round meeting 5-1 on May 11 in Foxborough, Mass., with Carles Gil recording a hat trick and Adam Buksa adding a pair of goals.
But they did so against a heavily rotated Cincinnati squad (6-5-1, 19 points) that was making one of the longest trips of any U.S. Open Cup team in the round.
Team-leading scorers Brandon Vazquez (six goals, two assists) and Luciano Acosta (five goals, three assists) were both held out until the final half-hour. By then, New England had scored all its goals.
“I think our group is looking forward to being on the field against this opponent and trying to show that maybe they didn’t get our best on the evening,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said of Saturday’s rematch. “I think we still have a confident group to step on the field and continue our strong form in league play in terms of results.”
Three of Cincy’s four-straight league wins have come on the road during a period of heavy travel that likely influenced Noonan’s Open Cup lineup.
For New England, Gil (three goals, six assists) has continued the pace of production that helped him win the 2021 MLS MVP award. Buksa (six goals, two assists) is actually ahead of the pace that saw him lead New England with 16 goals a season ago.
But despite scoring two goals in each of their last six matches, the Revolution have only earned eight points from that stretch.
Most recently, they’ve settled for a pair of 2-2 draws at home against Columbus and away to Atlanta.
“Yeah, there’s definitely been little spurts and little spells where you can just see what this team can be and where we can take it,” Revs midfielder Sebastian Lletget said. “And so, it’s just been a little inconsistent and we take accountability for that.”
Gustavo Bou (upper leg) could be available off the bench for the visitors. Bou scored 15 goals a year ago but has been limited to two appearances in 2022.
–Field Level Media