Get to know the matchup in Keys to the Game, presented by Honda:
Home Sweet Home
Following a tough 2-1 loss at Columbus, the Red Bulls return to Harrison to host New England on Saturday. New York has found success at Red Bull Arena in 2023, only losing once at home since May 9 and playing to an overall home record of 4-2-4.
In its last two matches in Harrison, New York battled back from two goals down to tie Charlotte FC and toppled Atlanta United, 4-0.
The Revolution, who have been nearly perfect at home, have not been as strong on the road. The team is a stellar 7-0-3 at home but just 3-3-4 away from Gillette Stadium.
In the all-time series with the Revolution, New York has found a ton of success at home. The club is 26-12-10 across all competitions when hosting New England.
With all of these factors in favor of the Red Bulls heading into Saturday, will the team be able to use their homefield advantage to get themselves back into the win column?
Rising Stars
Both New York and New England’s sides have an arsenal of young talent that have been making the difference in the teams’ performances.
For New England, 18-year-old Noel Buck has been a solid part of the Revolution’s midfield, scoring two goals and recording an assist so far this season. With his consistent efforts, Buck was named to Team of the Matchday bench twice and made the team itself once.
Accompanying Buck for the Revolution are Esmir Bajraktarevic (18) and Jack Panayotou (18). The two homegrown players have made consistent appearances off the bench and have been an important part of New England’s attack.
For the Red Bulls, young stars Cameron Harper (21) and Daniel Edelman (20) have risen to become critical pieces of New York’s starting lineup. Edelman recorded his first goal of the season in New York’s last home match against Atlanta. The goal was assisted by Harper, who has become a versatile player along the Red Bulls’ back line. The two were named Young Players of the Matchday after their performances, and they continue to produce consistent results for New York.
22-year-old Frankie Amaya has also been a standout in New York’s last two matches, recording a goal and an assist in each. With a brace off the bench against Atlanta, the midfielder earned himself Team of the Matchday.
With so many up-and-coming stars on the pitch, it will be interesting to see if the teams’ young players make the difference in the match on Saturday night.
Missing Pieces
With several key players unavailable on both sides for Saturday’s match, the players who aren’t there may matter as much as the players who are in determining how the two sides will clash.
New England has been a mainstay at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, with an offensive side that boasts 35 goals this season – the fourth-most in the MLS.
Still, they will be missing captain and leading goal-scorer Carles Gil on Saturday night due to yellow-card accumulation. Gil has tallied seven of the Revolution’s goals, and he is tied for third in the league with nine assists.
For New York, the Red Bulls are still without defender John Tolkin and forward Cory Burke – both have been out on international duty for New York’s last three matches.
During that time, however, the Red Bulls were able to notch a four-point week and a clean sheet against Atlanta – pointing to a team that has stepped up to fill in any gaps left by Tolkin and Burke.
Absences will be felt on the pitch on Saturday night – how will New York and New England adapt in their bid for three points?
