Jalil Anibaba Joins DJ Bean on “The Soccer Show”

The New England Revolution will close a three-game homestand tonight, when Western Conference opponent Colorado Rapids visits Gillette Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff in Foxborough. Watch tonight’s match on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or listen here on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Apple TV analyst and former Revolution player Jalil Anibaba will call tonight’s match, a crucial game for a New England side that dropped the first two contests of the homestand to FC Cincinnati on June 14 and Nashville SC on Wednesday. At the midway point of the 2025 season, the Revolution find themselves in 11^th place in the Eastern Conference.

“I think their inconsistency is what has held them back,” Anibaba, who wore the Revolution uniform for two seasons in 2018 and 2019, said. “But they’re not far out. The thing with MLS is if you go on a good run at the right time and you’re not having a completely dismal season, you’re always in the conversation. I think right now, they’re doing what they need to do to survive and keep themselves within striking distance of the [playoff] line.

“If you procrastinate too much in terms of getting the results that you should get, it’s very difficult to squeak your way in toward the end and then make a long run. What I want to see from them is being a little more consistent in winning the games that they should win or trying the games that they should tie.”

As New England dives into the second half of the season, the Revolution have plenty of positive takeaways to build upon. The Revolution have been defensively sound all season long, as New England’s 18 goals conceded are the fewest in MLS. On the attacking end, Carles Gil remains in top form with 11 goal contributions over the last 13 games. 

“If they continue to lock in on being defensively sound and then get a little bit more help for Carles, they’ll be okay,” Anibaba said. “I like that Tomas Chancalay is back, I like that he’s playing on the same level or even a little bit above the level we saw him playing at before the ACL injury.”

Tonight’s visitors are set to make their first visit to Gillette Stadium since 2021, when New England logged a 1-0 shutout win. The Rapids snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over a struggling LA Galaxy squad. Djordje Mihailovic leads the Rapids with a team-best eight goals scored and three assists this season.

“Very similar to the Revs, Colorado’s attack all flows through one person and that’s Djordje Mihailovic,” Anibaba said. “He’s leading the team in pretty much all offensive statistical categories. We all know what he can do for both club and country. [Rapids Head Coach] Chris Armas has really been able to cultivate his game, along with other players in that group.

“I like Colorado a lot because of how much they’re improved from years previous. They’re a little bit more of a team that has depth on their squad at different positions. They’ve done a pretty good job in the market as well, fortifying their group. I’m looking forward to this one. There’s no reason why either team can’t go out and impose their will on the game, to be fair.”