Clint Peay: Home field advantage will “give us energy” in postseason
With a postseason berth clinched, Interim Head Coach Clint Peay and the Revolution now set their sights on earning home field advantage in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. With five games remaining, New England hopes to start its climb up the standings on Saturday night when Charlotte FC comes to Gillette Stadium.
New England officially cemented its fourth postseason berth in the last five years with a 2-2 draw at Chicago Fire FC last weekend, the last leg of a three-game road stand. Forward Tomás Chancalay opened the scoring with his third goal of the year, while midfielder Carles Gil raised his team-high total to nine goals with a second-half equalizer.
“[We were] just happy in terms of how the game unfolded and that we fought back and got into the game,” Peay said today during his second weekly appearance on Zolak & Bertrand.
A disappointing run of four winless games has dropped the Revolution down to sixth place in the East, outside of the top-four spots that guarantee a home edge in Round One, which is now a best-of-three series under the new MLS playoff format. Despite the minor slump, the Revs still sit only two points outside of second place as one of four teams tied on 49 points.
“Being at home will favor us,” Peay said of the battle for seeding. “At the end of the day, being in front of our crowd would give us energy. The next few games are going to be tough and difficult, but that’s going to be what we’re aiming for.”
Gillette Stadium has proven to be a fortress this season for New England, who have yet to surrender a loss in the 14 games played in Foxborough this season. Points in the next two home games would see the Revs match the club’s longest-ever home unbeaten streak (17). If they can win out the remaining three games on the home schedule, the team would set a new Revolution mark for home wins.
Getting there won’t be easy, as New England faces a gauntlet on the way to the postseason, though the Revs are expecting 30,000 fans in attendance on Saturday to help them on their way. After Charlotte, all four of New England’s remaining games are against playoff teams ranked between second and seventh in the Eastern Conference.
“[The schedule] is not [easy],” Peay said. “A lot of quality teams playoff teams, and teams that have traditionally been difficult games. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and it starts this weekend with Charlotte.”
Saturday’s match against Charlotte FC kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English or Spanish, or listen to Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies call the action on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
