FOXBOROUGH, MA– The New England Revolution (13-8-5, 47 pts.) were held to a 2-2 draw in a back-and-forth match versus Austin FC (9-6-12, 33 pts.) in a match on Saturday night.
The match kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts to a crowd of 26,213.
Let's make it a good LDW ??
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 2, 2023
The team started their lineup in a 4-3-3 formation with Earl Edwards Jr. starting in net with a backline of (left back) Ben Sweat, (center backs) Dave Romney, and Omar Gonzalez, along with (right back) Andrew Farrell. The midfield spots were manned by Ian Harkes (left midfield), Mark-Anthony Kaye (right midfield), and Carles Gil (central attacking midfield). The forward roles were manned by Tomás Chancalay (left wing), Nacho Gil (right wing), and Giacomo Vrioni as the lone striker.
Defender Andrew Farrell returns to the lineup after missing the past matches due to a muscle strain.
Defender DeJuan Jones returned to the bench and was available for selection in tonight’s match after missing a few games with a right leg injury.
Midfielder Matt Polster was unavailable for tonight’s match as his wife Brittany has gone into labor. The pair are expecting their second child together.
Protect the ? pic.twitter.com/hBPtB4li7d
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 2, 2023
Prior to kickoff, the Midnight Riders unveiled a TIFO showcasing the young talent within the Revolution Academy ranks that have progressed to the first team.
The TIFO, which is a nod to The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright” showcases Jack Panayotou, Damian Rivera, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Noel Buck with Justin Rennicks in place of Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Peter Townshend with Ringo Starr.
? Homegrown ? pic.twitter.com/EnbzZJ8s52
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 2, 2023
The match began with Austin FC starting from the center circle. Austin FC midfielder #10 Sebastián Driussi played the ball backward to goalkeeper #1 Brad Stuver, who elected to launch the ball up the field.
New England had the first chance of the match in the 4th minute when Carles Gil’s corner kick into the box found defender Dave Romney for a volley attempt that went just over the crossbar.
Just 3 minutes later, New England had yet another scoring chance when midfielder Nacho Gil won the ball and found his brother Carles Gil open inside the Austin FC box. His effort was met by a save by #1 Brad Stuver.
Austin FC’s first chance of the match came in the 9th minute when #24 Nick Lima’s right footed delivery found the head of #10 Sebastián Driussi’s head, but his effort went just wide of the left post.
Entering the 27th minute, Austin FC took the 1-0 advantage.
First-time finish from @EmiRigoni! ? pic.twitter.com/AbgE7LngZD
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) September 3, 2023
Midfielder #6 Dani Pereira played the ball to the right of the field to find #8 Alex Ring. He then elected to play the ball wider to find #17 Jon Gallagher. His delivery into the box found the foot of #7 Emiliano Rigoni for a bouncing chipped ball that went over the head of Revolution goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. The goal is Rigoni’s 4th goal of the season.
Foxboro, Massachusetts: New England Revolution goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. (36) can’t make the save an Austin FC goes up 1-0 in a MLS game between the New England Revolution and Austin FC at Gillette Stadium on September 2, 2023. (c) Burt Granofsky
Entering the 28th minute, just 1 minute and 30 seconds after Austin FC’s goal, New England levelled the match.
????????? with his first for the club!#VamosNERevs pic.twitter.com/bovNq4gzO6
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 3, 2023
Straight off of kickoff, Midfielder Nacho Gil received the ball from Ian Harkes and played it forward to his brother Carles Gil. Carles then won a 50/50 ball and played it forward to Ian Harkes, who elected to send a low-driven ball into the box toward Giacomo Vrioni. Due to Vrioni’s run, Austin FC defenders #3 Julio Cascante and #24 Nick Lima collided, and left Tomás Chancalay wide open at the back post to shoot the ball past goalkeeper #1 Brad Stuver. This is Tomás Chancalay’s first career MLS goal.
Foxboro, Massachusetts: New England Revolution midfielder Tomas Chancalay (5) and New England Revolution defender Omar Gonzalez (3) celebrate a score in an MLS game between the New England Revolution and Austin FC at Gillette Stadium on September 2, 2023. (c) Burt Granofsky
Entering the 33rd minute, New England had yet another scoring chance when Giacomo Vrioni’s close-range effort was met by a fantastic save by goalkeeper #1 Brad Stuver which led to a corner kick.
After the 45+1 minutes, the match entered halftime level with a scoreline of 1-1.
HT: The score is level! 45' more to go to find the winner.#NEvATX | @SantanderBankUS pic.twitter.com/G6sIdxBSUp
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 3, 2023
The second half began with New England starting from the center circle. Forward Giacomo Vrioni played the ball backward to defender Dave Romney, who sent the ball up the field for a contested 50/50 ball.
Just one minute into the second half, New England gained the 2-1 advantage.
Chancalay came to play ? Make it two on the evening ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/6fcteNNyt0
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 3, 2023
Midfielder Carles Gil elected to take a short corner kick and played the ball into the feet of his brother Nacho Gil. While closely defended by Austin FC midfielder #6 Dani Pereira, Nacho took a touch to his left and then launched a right-footed cross into the box which found the head of Tomás Chancalay, who managed to outjump defender #21 Adam Lundkvist for his second goal of the match, and his second goal of the season.
In the 54th minute, Revolution forward Tomás Chancalay was issued a yellow card for a harsh foul on Austin FC defender #21 Adam Lundqvist.
In the 57th minute, Revolution midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye was issued a yellow card for a harsh foul on Austin FC midfielder #6 Dani Pereira.
Foxboro, Massachusetts: Austin FC midfielder Sebastian Driussi (10) and New England Revolution midfielder Nacho Gil (23) battle for the ball in an MLS game between the New England Revolution and Austin FC at Gillette Stadium on September 2, 2023. (c) Burt Granofsky
With a freekick in the 58th minute, Austin FC had yet another chance when midfielder #10 Sebastian Driussi’s freekick was met with a save by goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. and out for a corner kick.
Just 10 minutes later, Austin FC had yet another amazing opportunity to level the score when midfielder #6 Dani Pereira elected for a long-range volleyed effort that struck the right post and out into the box. It was eventually cleared by Omar Gonzalez.
In the 71st minute, Revolution head coach Richie Williams made his first two changes of the match by substituting forward Giacomo Vrioni and midfielder Nacho Gil and replacing them with forward Bobby Wood and midfielder Noel Buck.
Foxboro, Massachusetts: New England Revolution head coach Richie Williams looks on in an MLS game between the New England Revolution and Austin FC at Gillette Stadium on September 2, 2023. (c) Burt Granofsky
Austin FC had yet another chance in the 83rd minute when midfielder #33 Josh Wolff’s long-range shot was met with a diving save by Revolution goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. and out for a corner kick.
In the 87th minute, Revolution head coach Richie Williams made his third and fourth change of the match by substituting midfielder Ian Harkes and forward Tomás Chancalay and replacing them with defenders Christian Makoun and DeJuan Jones.
New England’s last chance of the match came entering the 90th minute when Carles Gil almost chipped goalkeeper #1 Brad Stuver from an impossible angle.
Foxboro, Massachusetts: New England Revolution defender DeJuan Jones (24) races down the sideline in an MLS game between the New England Revolution and Austin FC at Gillette Stadium on September 2, 2023. (c) Burt Granofsky
As the match entered the 90th minute, the 4th official indicated that there would be a minimum of 3 additional minutes of stoppage time.
In the 92nd minute, Revolution head coach Richie Williams made his fifth and final change of the match by substituting midfielder Carles Gil and replacing him with midfielder Tommy McNamara. Due to Gil’s substitution, the captain’s armband has been passed on to defender Andrew Farrell.
The hasty decision at the 93:20 mark to attempt to go-for-goal at close to 60 yards out by Christian Makoun lead to a misjudgment of game management that would come back to bite the Revolution.
Entering the 94th minute, Austin FC leveled the match.
Lovely half-volley from Alex Ring! ?
pic.twitter.com/0NTrSQhKp4— Austin FC (@AustinFC) September 3, 2023
After a right footed delivery by Austin FC defender #24 Nick Lima, the ball was met by Omar Gonzalez, Dave Romney and Austin FC midfielder #10 Sebastian Driussi. After it was not cleared, Austin FC midfielder #8 Alexander Ring took the ball out of the air with his right footed and unleashed a left-footed volley into the bottom left of the net past Revolution goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. This is Ring’s first goal of the season.
Foxboro, Massachusetts: Auston FC celebrate an extra-time equalizer in an MLS game between the New England Revolution and Austin FC at Gillette Stadium on September 2, 2023. (c) Burt Granofsky
Shortly after kickoff following the Austin FC goal, the match ended 2-2.
Final. We'll see you on the road next week in MN. ?#NERevs | @SantanderBankUS pic.twitter.com/oSTjjGiRFj
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 3, 2023
In regard to historic marks, midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye surpassed 11,000 career MLS minutes.
The New England Revolution now remain the only unbeaten team at home this season in MLS. They currently hold a home record of 10 wins, 4 draws, and 0 losses.
The New England Revolution (13-8-5, 47 pts.) head out to Saint Paul, Minnesota to face MLS Western Conference side Minnesota United (9-9-8, 36 pts.) in an MLS Match on Saturday, September 9th. The match kicks off in Allianz Field at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
(Editor’s Note: For more of Burt Granofsky’s photos, click on the link)
New England Revolution
Austin FC
