FC Cincinnati 2 travel to Foxborough, Mass. this weekend as they take on New England Revolution II on Sunday, April 30, at Gillette Stadium. It’s the second away match of the season for the Orange and Blue as they look for their first road win of 2023.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET and can be streamed live on mlsnextpro.com.
FC CINCINNATI 2 at NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – SUNDAY, APRIL 30 – 5 p.m. ET – GILLETTE STADIUM
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ALL TIME SERIES
Sunday’s match will be the third meeting between the two sides dating back to MLS NEXT Pro’s inaugural season in 2022. FC Cincinnati are 0-2-0 against New England Revolution II.
SCOUTING NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION II (3-2-0, 9 PTS., 3RD EASTERN CONFERENCE)New England Revolution II enter the weekend third in the east and four points behind current conference leaders Crown Legacy FC. New England won three straight to open the season, highlighted with a 5-1 win against Philadelphia Union II, before dropping their last two. New England are one of three Eastern Conference sides yet to face a game-deciding shootout.
Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Esmir Bajraktarevic lead the Revs attack. The duo have combined to score four of New England’s nine goals and are the only two players to have four or more shots on target. While Adebayo-Smith has been a consistent figure in the Revs squad, Bajraktarevic has featured in just two matches, logging 130 minutes.
Seven different players have had a hand in assisting on New England’s goals, however, no player has registered more than one. Peyton Miller has created the most chances for New England (6) this season and is likely to serve as the team’s primary playmaker come Sunday evening.
Clint Peay heads the coaching staff for the Revs in his fourth season with the club. Peay brings nearly two decades of coaching experience to the MLS NEXT Pro side, including eight years with the U.S. Youth National Team. As a player, Peay enjoyed a five-year career with D.C. United, winning MLS Cup three times.
MATCH NOTES
A WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND – For the first time this year, FC Cincinnati and FC Cincinnati 2 square off against the same opponent in MLS and MLS NEXT Pro play. FC Cincinnati battle New England Revolution for the top spot in the Eastern Conference while FC Cincinnati 2 can leapfrog New England Revolution II with a win at Gillette Stadium.
STITZ OFF THE MARK – Ben Stitz scored his first goal for FC Cincinnati 2 against Sporting Kansas City last weekend, bringing the Orange and Blue level in the first half. He trailed only Salim Adams in scoring chances and had a second goal brought back due to an offside flag. Stitz has picked up two starts over FC Cincinnati 2’s last three and could be in line for his second consecutive start this weekend.
AN OLD FRIEND – Former FC Cincinnati 2 goalkeeper Nico Campuzano will square off against his former club after signing an MLS NEXT Pro deal with New England Revolution II in December of last year. Campuzano, who made four appearances with the Orange and Blue last season, has been the main man in goal for the Revs, playing four of five matches. Campuzano has made 13 saves while allowing seven goals.
PENALTIES – There is just something about New England Revolution II matches and penalty kicks. The Revs have conceded three penalty kick goals through the first five matches of the season and have been awarded two, of which they converted. The Revs’ five total conceded and awarded penalties are tied for the most in MLS NEXT Pro with Tacoma Defiance. On the flip side, FC Cincinnati 2 have conceded and scored one penalty, each.
Tyrone Marshall on New England
“New England is a very good team. They are a very explosive team, very good in their transition moments. They will look to step up high and press and they also defend well in a block of 5-2-3. Overall, for us, there are spaces and gaps in the group that we can find and look to exploit, and we have the players to do it. We just need to make sure that we go into the game executing and we’ll lay that plan out for the boys.”
