Revolution Stay Winless in MLS Play After 2-1 Loss to FC Cincinnati
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (March 17, 2024) – The New England Revolution (0-4-0; 0 pts.) fell at home to FC Cincinnati (2-0-2; 8 pts.) on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, 2-1. Cincinnati pulled ahead with two goals within the first 10 minutes of the second half, before Giacomo Vrioni scored New England’s lone goal in the 62nd minute, his second tally in the last two games and his first regular season goal of 2024.
After the two Eastern Conference teams dueled to a stalemate through 45 minutes, the introduction of the reigning MLS MVP Luciano Acosta provided a spark to the visitors after halftime. Acosta set up Cincinnati’s opening goal in the 52nd minute, looping the ball across the face of goal to Yuya Kubo, who headed the ball across the line to give the visitors the lead. Acosta doubled the advantage two minutes later, driving a low free kick underneath the Revolution wall and past a diving Henrich Ravas.
The Revolution forced their way back into the match with a flurry of late chances, ultimately finishing with a 17-13 advantage in shot attempts. Vrioni was able to cut the deficit in half with a solo effort in the 62nd minute, winning possession before driving towards goal and creating a shot on his left foot, which he delivered into the bottom-left corner. Vrioni now has two goals in all competitions this season, both coming this week after he tallied the equalizer at LD Alajuelense on Thursday night in Concacaf Champions Cup action. The Albanian international has now recorded 12 goals and four assists in all competitions for New England.
Forward Tomás Chancalay remained a key figure in New England’s attack, hitting the woodwork twice on the afternoon. In the 33rd minute, Chancalay had a shot denied by the post from a narrow angle. In the 80th minute, Chancalay slipped in behind the Cincinnati backline, popping his chip shot over Roman Celentano and off the top of the crossbar. Revolution captain Carles Gil returned to the lineup to play 90 minutes in the match.
Revolution goalkeeper Henrich Ravas and midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević continued to appear in every match for the club this season, both earning a spot in the starting lineup on Sunday. Ravas, Bajraktarević, and Noel Buck will all depart the club this week to join their respective national teams. Ravas will represent Slovakia, while Bajraktarević will join the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team and Buck will head to the England Under-19 National Team.
New England continues its MLS regular season schedule this Saturday, March 23, hosting Chicago Fire FC. The 2:00 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish. Listen to the Revolution’s local radio calls on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 (WBZ-FM), with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies, and on 1260 AM “Nossa Radio USA” in Portuguese
