{"id":48402,"date":"2023-11-07T13:32:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T18:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=48402"},"modified":"2023-11-07T13:32:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T18:32:18","slug":"matt-polster-bold-game-2-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2023\/11\/07\/matt-polster-bold-game-2-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTargeting Their Players to an Extent\u201d May be the Only Response to Carles Gil Treatment According to Matt Polster Ahead of Game 2 for the Revs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The New England were well beaten in the first game of the MLS playoffs, being left dejected come full-time. A longer layoff may well have served as a benefit as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjz14WawrKCAxVqgf0HHXtPBkQQFnoECA0QAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Flastwordonsports.com%2Fsoccer%2F2023%2F10%2F27%2Fclint-peay-previews-playoffs-revs%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw25gnoWzDKDuHEVLFJ_Ovj0&amp;opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clint Peay<\/a>\u2019s side look to bounce back in front of their own fans. It is do or die for the Revs and midfielder Matt Polster spoke with some authority ahead of the game.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Matt Polster Lays Down the Law Ahead of Game 2 vs Philly<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Looking Back at the Disappointment from Subaru Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Everything quickly unraveled for the Revolution in Pennsylvania at the end of October. The home side were three goals to the good by half-time and to make matters worse, Carles Gil had been forced off with an injury as well.<\/p>\n<p>There are major concerns amongst the fanbase as to the availability of Gil ahead of this return leg but Clint Peay provided some much-needed optimism. When asked about the Spaniard, Henry Kessler and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwim_JePwrKCAxWmTkEAHZXaCwYQFnoECA4QAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Flastwordonsports.com%2Fsoccer%2F2023%2F07%2F06%2Fspfl-midfielder-harkes-joins-revs%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw377PU_h5JTQgDAUTfdxa39&amp;opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Harkes<\/a>, his answer was short and sweet: \u201call available\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ONTO GAME 2 OF ROUND ONE\u26a1\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/DOOP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#DOOP<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PHIvNE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#PHIvNE<\/a> 3-1 | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PlanetFitness?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@PlanetFitness<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/09XzdkGsrL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/09XzdkGsrL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhilaUnion\/status\/1718403583341658442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, midfielder Matt Polster dissected the defeat in the press conference and had this to say. \u201cI thought we were good in the first 15 minutes and then we made a mistake, and it was difficult from there to get back into the game. No excuse for that, but I thought we were good at the start of the game. I thought we were very aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was a slither of positivity in the second half when Gustavo Bou found the back of the net as he continues to be the driving force for New England against the Union. The Argentinian striker scored both of the goals in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2023\/10\/22\/revs-beat-upcoming-playoff-opponents-philly\/\" target=\"_self\">the decision day win<\/a> and that is what the team need to draw from- they\u2019ve beaten Philly once on home soil so why can\u2019t they repeat this feat?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=newssearch&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiR6qmYwbKCAxXiQUEAHd8YA5oQxfQBKAB6BAgOEAE&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Flastwordonsports.com%2Fsoccer%2F2023%2F10%2F28%2Fjacob-jackson-exclusive-interview-revs%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw34OjJmq8x2ssXYZdtbBP0e&amp;opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Exclusive Interview: Jacob Jackson Talks MLS Cup Playoffs, Loving Life As A Goalkeeper, His Passion For Golf And Much More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Matt Polster Makes Bold Statement Regarding His Captain<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwimlMGrwbKCAxUIh_0HHcPrAm4QFnoECBAQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Flastwordonsports.com%2Fsoccer%2F2022%2F10%2F11%2Fexclusive-interview-matt-polster%2F&amp;usg=AOvVaw20Hs61J36dZ_oiJXrsEevt&amp;opi=89978449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Polster<\/a> certainly wasn\u2019t pulling any punches when speaking to the media ahead of this do-or-die fixture. The standout comment was regarding the treatment of Gil from the first game and how he and his teammates can respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to be more aware, and maybe even a little more forceful, on our side as players to maybe do something similar. We need to start targeting their players to an extent, obviously not to hurt like what happened to Carles, but protect him and make sure it\u2019s not okay just to keep hitting our players.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Polster offers the caveat that he isn\u2019t advocating violence but instead saying that the Union\u2019s physical approach worked so why shouldn\u2019t the Revs return the favour.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jim Curtin announces Kai Wagner will not travel to New England. <\/p>\n<p>No verdict yet. <\/p>\n<p>Curtin declines further comment. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/doop?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#doop<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/nerevs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#nerevs<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MLSCupPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#MLSCupPlayoffs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thegoalkeeper\/status\/1721936129262276669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 7, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Carles Gil\u2019s availability is up in the air for one reason whilst Kai Wagner will miss out for a different reason entirely. The German fullback was accused of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/U90official\/status\/1719385148901425162\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">racially abusing Revs\u2019 forward Bobby Wood<\/a> in the recent meeting but no punishment came in the moment. As reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thegoalkeeper\/status\/1721936129262276669\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Tannenwald<\/a> amongst others, Union boss Jim Curtin has announced that \u201cWagner will not travel to New England\u201d even though he has been training in the meantime.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Peay gave his scouting report on the upcoming opposition and what he expects from Curtin\u2019s men. \u201cIt&#8217;s a game where they can be a little bit more conservative, but I expect at a minimum, they&#8217;re going to be combative. They&#8217;re going to hit you on the counter. Whether they play with a back four, back five, who knows? Obviously, they&#8217;ve done both in two different games, consecutive games, so it&#8217;s really hard to predict exactly what they&#8217;ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really have nothing to lose\u201d is the official line from Polster and that feels like the ideal attitude to have here. It is as simple as win or go home and so the Revs have their playoff fate in their own hands.<\/p>\n<p>Featured image credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports, Oct 28, 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New England were well beaten in the first game of the MLS playoffs, being left dejected come full-time. A longer layoff may well have served as a benefit as Clint Peay\u2019s side look to bounce back in front of their own fans. It is do or die for the Revs and midfielder Matt Polster [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3891,"featured_media":48403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7],"tags":[2895,5684,3716,3694,891,4470],"class_list":["post-48402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-revolution","category-union","tag-carles-gil","tag-clint-peay","tag-gillette-stadium","tag-gustavo-bou","tag-jim-curtin","tag-kai-wagner"],"modified_by":"Jamie Rooke","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3891"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}