The New England Revolution have seen off a pair of Florida teams in their last two outings. Next up is another Eastern Conference clash as they prepare to go up against Toronto FC. Who will come out on top in the battle between Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley this time?
Will the Revs Win Again Against Toronto FC?
Eastern Conference Clash Against Toronto FC
The Revolution went up against Toronto FC just last month and they prevailed north of the border. On Canadian soil, goals from DeJuan Jones and Bobby Wood either side of the break made the difference whilst Djordje Petrovic starred in another shutout victory.
In spite of the quality they possess on the field, it hasn’t been the easy season for TFC to date. Only Inter Miami are below them in the Eastern Conference standings whilst there are just three teams further down the overall standings. Bob Bradley’s side are winless in four with three straight draws being compounded by a defeat to high-flying FC Cincinnati.
Closing out the homestand with three-straight home wins is the aim
@DJ_Bean talks us through it
Pres. by @DeanCollege pic.twitter.com/6yu3IBPGpN
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) June 22, 2023
Talking of FC Cincinnati and this fixture took place in mid-week, whilst the Revolution weren’t themselves in action. Interestingly, Bruce Arena was a lot more reserved than defender Dave Romney when discussing the effect of this detail.
Arena had this to say, “That doesn’t necessarily give one team the advantage over the other from what I’ve seen in all my years of doing this.” Meanwhile, Romney said this, “It definitely makes a difference. Coming off 2-3 days rest is never easy, especially if you picked up some sort of knock in that Wednesday game.” However, the former LA Galaxy man did have a caveat for this game against Toronto FC, “No games in MLS are easy and we know we’re going to have to take it extremely seriously to get three points.”
Read More: Omar Gonzalez Is “A Great Player for Us” in Lieu of Win Over Orlando
The Importance of Dave Romney
There haven’t been many more important players on the Revolution roster in 2023 than Dave Romney. He arrived in the off-season from Nashville SC where he partnered leading MLS defender Walker Zimmermann, and so tended to go under the radar. This quick impact comes as no surprise to Bruce Arena as well, “When we traded for him, that’s what our expectations were, that he was going to be a regular for us.”
This is Arena’s analysis of Romney and his time in New England so far. “He’s an experienced player in the league. He’s obviously a very fit athlete, been able to play each and every game. He’s a good leader on the field and off, sets a good example for the young players, and has clearly done a very good job for our team.”
#NERevs are in action later tonight!
In the meantime, here is an exclusive interview from @rookiejnr13 in which he spoke to Revolution defender @Dave_Romney12!https://t.co/trslbIfB7b— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) April 8, 2023
Romney will continue to play an instrumental role in this side going into the game against Toronto FC due to the absence of Henry Kessler. His knee surgery was successful but there is still a lot more pressure on the shoulders of Romney and Andrew Farrell as a result. One man who can fill in but has divided opinions since arriving at Gillette Stadium is the experienced Omar Gonzalez.
The Revolution will hope to make it three wins in a row on Saturday night on home soil. TFC meanwhile are going in search of that winning taste after something of a drought. Who will prevail when Bruce Arena’s side go up against Toronto FC?
Featured image credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports, taken Jun 17, 2023.
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