Dave Romney on The Soccer Show: Revs Need Maximum Points from “Tough Week Ahead”

With victories in five of their last seven games, the New England Revolution are finding themselves closer and closer to the playoff line in the Eastern Conference. The Revolution will hope to add another three points tonight, when the club hosts Orlando City SC at Gillette Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff (Listen on 98.5 The Sports Hub; Watch free on Apple TV).  

Orlando, which logged a 5-0 rout of D.C. United last weekend, currently sits in seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference. With New England just two points shy of the playoff line and five points behind the Lions in the standings, Saturday’s game is a crucial one for both teams.  

Revolution defender Dave Romney joined DJ Bean on “The Soccer Show” this morning to preview Saturday’s tilt with Orlando, which kicks off another three-match week for New England. It won’t be easy stretch for a New England team that’s been hampered by injuries, including captain Carles Gil, who could miss his fourth consecutive game tonight. Despite the challenges presented by injuries across the roster, the Revolution are focused on maintaining a next-man-up mentality to keep themselves in the playoff fight.  

“We're still going to be short on guys coming into this next week of three games, so it's good for a lot of guys to get minutes in a game,” Romney said. “[They] get some confidence going, and then hopefully they can continue to play well in this next stretch of three games.”  

The math currently favors New England in the congested race for the conference’s nine coveted playoff spots. The Revs enter the weekend with games in hand on most of the teams they are chasing, having played two fewer matches than Orlando.  

“I think we still have some games in hand on a few of the other teams, but those games in hand are meaningless unless you actually do something with them and get a result,” Romney added. “So, we know that we need to take as many points from this week as possible, even though it's going to be a really tough week. Then we finally get a little bit of a break that we do very much need with the amount of guys we've got out right now.” 

Romney was a mainstay in the Revolution starting lineup in 2023, when he played every minute en route to being voted the club’s Defender of the Year. This year, he found himself on the outside looking in, relegated to the bench after a slow start to the season for the entire squad. Now, Romney has earned Caleb Porter’s trust, suiting up for six of the last seven games in the center back position. The defender knows that to retain his spot, he needs to deliver strong performance on the pitch each and every week. 

“I've never taken starting for granted. I know how hard it is,” Romney said. “Now, it's another reminder of just never taking it for granted and just playing for my family, my daughters, my livelihood, and just being as aggressive and focused as I possibly can to hold on to this position. 

“That’s just coming prepared, trying to stay as healthy as possible, and just working my ass off.” 

Tonight’s Revolution match and every MLS contest this weekend are available to watch free on the Apple TV app, with no subscription required. Listen to every Revs game on the radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies calling the action from Gillette Stadium.