Revolution Defeat Atlanta United FC, 2-1
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (10-12-11; 41 pts.) defeated Atlanta United FC (10-13-10; 40 pts.), 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Forward Giacomo Vrioni made his first MLS start and opened the scoring with his first MLS goal from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute. Gustavo Bou scored in the 85th minute to lead the Revolution to victory in the team’s final home match of the regular season.
Midfielder Nacho Gil and Vrioni both made their first starts of the season, with the latter making his home debut. Nacho, alongside older brother Carles Gil, became the first siblings to start in the same match in Revolution club history.
New England broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute as Vrioni drew a foul in the box to secure a penalty kick. The striker stepped up to the spot and rolled a left-footed shot past Atlanta goalkeeper Raúl Gudiño to open his MLS account. Vrioni finished his 76-minute outing with three shots, including two on target.
Atlanta’s Josef Martinez scored a bicycle kick in 81st minute to tie the match, but New England retook the lead just four minutes later via Gustavo Bou’s eighth tally of the season. Following a fast break, Carles Gil, making his 100th MLS appearance, sent a pass to Bou, who calmly sent a right-footed finish to the back post for the game winner in the 85th minute. Bou now leads the club’s Golden Boot race by one goal, just ahead of Gil’s seven goals.
In addition to Gil’s 100th appearance, veterans Andrew Farrell and Tommy McNamara also reached milestones. Farrell, who was named the Revolution Defender of the Year for a record fifth time, became the first player in club history to reach 300 MLS starts. McNamara started for the 150th time in his MLS career, making his career-high 29th appearance of the season.
With the win, Bruce Arena is now the first MLS coach in MLS history to record 250 regular season wins. His record with New England improves to 48-26-34 in regular season play. The Revolution close the home slate with a 7-4-6 record at Gillette Stadium.
New England will close the 2022 regular season next Sunday, October 9 at Chicago Fire FC. The MLS Decision Day clash at SeatGeek Stadium kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
