Clint Peay: Carles Gil back in training after Game 1 injury “scare”
With a win-or-go-home match on the horizon for the New England Revolution, Interim Head Coach Clint Peay provided a sigh of relief for fans as the team aims to extend its best-of-three series against the Philadelphia Union.
In last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Union in Game 1, the Revolution lost playmaker Carles Gil to a right leg injury in the 23rd minute. The question on everyone’s mind heading into next Wednesday’s Game 2: Will Gil be on the field to help the Revolution keep their postseason alive?
“I think he’s fine,” Peay responded during his weekly interview on Zolak and Bertrand this afternoon. “He’s back with the team in training. I think he just had a little bit of a scare there with the injury he took in the game, but all is good.”
A physical Union team seemed to have a strategy to minimize the Spaniard, as Philly fouled Gil early and often in Game 1 to limit the 2021 MLS MVP’s ability to get forward.
“Philly’s a very physical team,” Peay said. “When they can take a shot on Carles or any other of our influential attacking players, they want to do that. For Carles and for those guys, it’s finding ways to avoid those challenges when you can. Maybe getting the ball off your feet a little quicker at times and finding pockets where [Philadelphia] can’t set you up for a bad shot.”
With Gil on the sidelines, the Revolution were thankful to have forward Gustavo Bou back in top form. Although absent for much of the season due to injuries, the Argentinian striker is getting hot at the right time. Bou delivered his second consecutive game with a goal, giving him three tallies and one assist in the last three games.
Bou is scoring goals, but who else is going to step up for New England?
“Carles and Tomás [Chancalay] are two guys that we’re going to depend on to create goal-scoring opportunities and goals for us,” Peay said. “And then we’ve got to find a way through set pieces to challenge and create better opportunities.”
In order to force a winner-take-all Game 3, New England will have to defend its home turf in Foxborough. History favors the Revolution at home, as New England holds a 14-game home unbeaten streak (10-0-4) in the postseason that dates back to 2002. The Revolution lost just once in their 17 home games during the 2023 regular season.
“The team is really – it’s uncanny at home,” Peay said. “It’s a strong group. They’ve always been strong. We expect the same next week and expect to be playing a third game in Philadelphia on [November] 12th.”
Next Wednesday’s match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium and is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish, FS1, and Fox Deportes. Tickets are available at Revolutionsoccer.net/tickets. Listen on the radio via ROCK 92.9 FM, Sirius XM FC (157), and 1260 AM Nossa Radio. If the Revolution win to extend the series, Game 3 will be played on Sunday, November 12 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Subaru Park.