Bruce Arena on Zolak & Bertrand: “Every game is going to be tough”
The New England Revolution failed to pick up maximum points for only the second this season as last Saturday’s draw with New York City FC brings the team’s record to 4-1-1 (13 points). The Revs are poised for another home meeting with an Eastern Conference foe as they CF Montréal to Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Hardy was impressed with the Revs’ performance to walk away with a point, but Head Coach Bruce Arena, joining Zolak & Bertrand for his weekly check-in on Thursday, feels that they should have left the field with more.
“I think we could have gotten three points,” Arena said of the Revolution’s first draw in 2023. “I accept that, so I can’t complain about the point, but [80] minutes in we were ahead, and we also had a goal taken away from us, so there was a good chance to get three points on the day as well.”
Some draws can feel more like a loss, especially when a home side squanders a lead with a late mental lapse. However, Arena has not seen the missed opportunity linger in his players’ heads as they hit the training ground this week.
“I don’t know if we would say we’re hard on ourselves, but we know we have to get better,” Arena added. “They’ve had a real good approach to the week, and I think we’re prepared to play a real good game on Saturday.”
New England now shifts its focus to CF Montréal, which is coming off a 5-0 defeat at Vancouver after an early red card left the side from Quebec with 10 men for the majority of the match. Despite their last-place position in the Eastern Conference, Arena emphasized how every MLS game presents its own unique challenge.
When asked if he is worried about his players being overconfident on Saturday, Arena issued a warning to his squad: “We’re not a team that rolls over our opponents, so every game is going to be tough until we get a little bit better in the attacking end of the field. We’re in one-goal games all the time, so we’ve got to be ready to play.
“Our team understands that, so I look forward to seeing them get back in Gillette and get a result and a three-point result as well.”
The Revolution and CF Montréal kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Watch on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, or listen to Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies call the action on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2. For more soccer coverage, tune into The Soccer Show with DJ Bean every Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. and on demand.