If the last two games become a trend, the Revolution could be showing signs of a looming summer slump. New England is experiencing its first losing streak of 2023, but they have an opportunity to get back on track Saturday at home against Chicago Fire FC.
Despite the disappointing results over the road trip, Bruce Arena is not sounding the alarm bells over the team’s recent form.
“If we had won the last game, it would have been the best start in our history through the first 13 games. So, it’s not like we’re crawling in misery around here,” Arena quipped. “We’re doing okay. The game Saturday is important. I think three points on Saturday is critical, so we’re going to get after it.”
Revolution fans saw a worrying sight in the most recent loss against Philadelphia when captain Carles Gil came off the field with an apparent injury in the first half. Bruce Arena provided an optimistic update to Zolak, Bertrand and Hardy today, indicating his captain could be ready to get right back into action on Saturday.
“Well, I’m hopeful he can play Saturday. That’s good news, that he’s in the picture,” Arena said of the Spaniard, who ranks third in MLS history in assists per 90 minutes played. “We’ll know more tomorrow. He was out on the field today. He looked good, so hopefully he can play on Saturday.”
With the Revs’ offensive catalyst on the mend and starting right back Brandon Bye already ruled out with a shoulder injury, Arena has some difficult decisions as his roster is stretched thin ahead of a busy stretch of three games in eight days.
“We can do a variety of things, perhaps play DeJuan [Jones] on the right and bring in one of our other players on the left side of midfield,” Arena said of his options to replace Bye. “We have some veteran players that should be able to step in and help us, so that’s what we’re counting on in the next week.
“It’s a heavy week again with a game in Atlanta on Wednesday [May 31] and then in New York on Saturday [June 3], so we have to have everyone ready on our roster.”
Listen to Saturday’s match between the Revolution and Chicago on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies in the booth from Gillette Stadium. Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish, with The Sports Hub’s local radio call available as an audio feed.
