A 2-1 win over Toronto FC last night has moved the New England Revolution up to second in the Eastern Conference standings. Bobby Wood and Giacomo Vrioni were on target at Gillette Stadium as the Revs further close the gap on a high-flying FC Cincinnati side. It wasn’t all rosy in Foxborough though with an injury to Gustavo Bou raising a few eyebrows…
Wood and Vrioni Fire Home in the Absence of Gustavo Bou
Nine Points from Nine on a Home Stretch
Three points from a possible 15 was a fairly underwhelming return from the games prior to this home stretch. With two consecutive wins on home soil now becoming three, the Revolution’s fortunes are on the up and up. Bobby Wood rejoined Carles Gil at the top of the scoring charts and he was also credited with the assist for Giacomo Vrioni’s strike.
In spite of the positive result, head coach Bruce Arena wasn’t best pleased with the display from his squad. “We had a poor game and were fortunate to get three points. I give Toronto a lot of credit, they played hard and they made us earn the three points.”
Needed nine from the homestand. Got nine from the homestand. #NERevs
— Jeff Lemieux (@jeff_lemieux) June 25, 2023
The Revolution found themselves behind in the eleventh minute as Deandre Kerr headed beyond the reach of Djordje Petrovic. This is the third of the season for the 20-year-old who is being given plenty of chances by Bob Bradley and those chances are clearly being repaid.
The two sides went into the break on level terms after Bobby Wood fired home an equalizer. His strike partner Gustavo Bou was then withdrawn at half-time with what Arena confirmed to be “a little muscle discomfort.” Vrioni came on in his place and the former Juventus man was the one to score the decisive goal as the Revs jump above Nashville SC into second place in the East.
Read More: Bobby Wood Speaks to the New England Press for the First Time
Gustavo Bou Lasts 45 Minutes at Gillette Stadium
As previously mentioned, this positive result was marred by the loss of Gustavo Bou to injury. The Argentine striker thought he’d added to his tally for the season prior to being substituted, his smart flick counted for nothing though as the linesman’s flag thwarted him.
When asked about only making two changes in this one, Arena said the following. “We were winning the game and we’re missing a lot of players. We don’t have the right players available to close out a game. That’s not the transfer window, that’s the players we have on our roster. They get healthy, then those things take care of themselves.”
Word is Bou taken off with “precautionary tightness.”#NERevs https://t.co/Al3RkNC89O
— Jeff Lemieux (@jeff_lemieux) June 25, 2023
Going back to Gustavo Bou in particular and it wasn’t long ago that he returned to action after a previous injury. It now remains to be seen how long he will be sidelined this time around, but the starting spots will likely fall to Wood and Vrioni up front. when asked about the latter, here is what Bruce had to say. “He got the winning goal. He’s still learning in this league and with our team. He’s got a ways to go, but he works hard and is making progress.”
It may not have been a classic performance but the three points are the priority at the end of the day. Next up for the Revolution is a huge game as 1st place in the East takes on 2nd– Cincinnati versus New England. Who will prevail in that must-watch fixture? Only time will tell…
Featured image credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports, taken Apr 29, 2023.
