After drawing with NYCFC in their last game, the Revolution will run out at Gillette Stadium again this weekend. Another Eastern Conference rival in the form of CF Montreal will be making the trip to New England. Andrew Farrell is back in contention to start for Bruce Arena, but will he be able to win back his spot?
Andrew Farrell Is Back in Action
How Will the Revs Line-up?
Carles Gil made his first start last weekend since returning from injury and he brought a lot to the field. Not only is he the star player but he brings a certain level of experience that not everyone can boast. Another leader in the dressing room is Andrew Farrell, and he made a cameo appearance in that 1-1 result versus NYCFC.
Bruce Arena kept his cards close to his chest when it comes to the status of the starting centre-backs. “We will make those decisions as we move along. Andrew [Farrell] has been back with us for about a week now.” Dave Romney and Henry Kessler are a formidable duo and so either would feel understandably hard done-by to have to make way for Farrell.
The tea is HOT! ☕️🥵
Join @DJ_Bean and get caught up on everything you need to know ahead of this weekends match against CF Montréal! 🔵🔴
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— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) April 6, 2023
On the other side of this fixture, CF Montreal are struggling to find their feet in 2023 after a mass exodus in the off-season. A number of key players, such as Djordje Mihailovic and Alistair Johnston, made moves to pastures new. On top of that, head coach Wilfried Nancy was poached by the Columbus Crew following their dismissal of Caleb Porter.
Former D.C. United boss Hernan Losada is now in charge and has a major task on his hands. In their last outing, they shipped five to Vanni Sartini’s Vancouver Whitecaps, with the misery being compounded by a Rudy Camacho red card after just 23 minutes. It isn’t all doom and gloom though, the Canadian side edged out the Philadelphia Union in dramatic fashion the week prior, thanks in part to a Romell Quioto brace.
Read More: Nashville SC Defender Dave Romney Reunites with Bruce Arena in New England
The Invaluable Experience of Andrew Farrell
Returning to the topic of Louisville native Andrew Farrell and he has been a cornerstone of the Revolution organization for a decade now. The 31-year-old has surpassed 300 appearances in all competitions, a record like no other.
He hasn’t started once yet in MLS action with Romney and Kessler at the heart of the defence since the season opener versus Charlotte FC. In the media availability, the latter touched on what has been different about 2023. “Team-wise, I think we’re more cohesive this year. In terms of preparation, I don’t think there’s anything drastically different, but definitely more team cohesion.”
Andrew Farrell came in and made two big tackles in less than a minute #NERevs pic.twitter.com/u1Ins0GRiB
— Seth (@SethMan31) April 2, 2023
Kessler has been an ever-present from the dramatic success of 2021 to present day in the squad but last year, he was regularly plagued by injuries. On that note, he said the following, “Last year, it was hard for me to get a rhythm with the injuries, and I think I learned from that.”
Managing expectations is a key part of success and that has proved troublesome through the highs and lows of the Bruce Arena era. In the words of Kessler, “I think it’s different coming off the best regular season ever and coming off missing the playoffs, so those are different feelings.”
One would assume that the Revs’ XI will look largely the same as CF Montreal come to town. Andrew Farrell will serve as a leader on the sidelines even if he doesn’t get into the game. The Revolution’s clash with Hernan Losada’s team kicks off at 7:30pm ET tomorrow night live on the Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Featured image credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports, taken on Sep 17, 2022.
