New England Revolution 0 Nashville SC 0: 3 thoughts

Revolution fans got to experience life without Carles Gil

Wednesday night was a dreary night over Gillette Stadium. Clouds covered the sky and Carles Gil wasn’t on the pitch.

So let’s not waste any time let’s take a look at the starting XI.

As our own Seth Macomber reported, Carles Gil is not in the lineup. On the more positive side of things, Henry Kessler, Tajon Buchanan, and Matt Turner all returned to the starting XI after returning from international play.

Also of note, Maciel returned to the matchday lineup finding himself on the bench while Jon Bell is still out due to a lower-body injury.

So here are the three things that Revolution fans need to know about Wednesday night’s match.

1 – Tajon at 10

Tajon Buchanan returned to the lineup but it wasn’t in his usual position. Buchanan replaced Carles Gil in the No.10 role for New England.

Overall Buchanan did a quality job. He was still able to use his pace to create opportunities and was also able to test Joe Willis with some shots. In the first half, the Canadien had 33 touches for the Revs.

Returning from international play, Buchanan looked like he hadn’t lost a step. With fans wondering where he can play in New England’s new-look formation, Buchanan proved that he can be flexible. Whenever Gil is healthy

2 – Gustavo gets his shots

Also with Gil out, Gustavo Bou needed to have an increased presence on the pitch. He was the captain for New England and was also responsible for taking free kicks. The striker needed to make an impact on the attack as well.

While it might not have shown up on the scoreboard, Bou did make an impact. He led the Revs in shots, but unfortunately, none were dangerous enough to test Joe Willis. Also, New England looked like a completely different team on set pieces. With Gil on the ball, there was always a chance that they score, the same can’t be said for Bou.

Bou’s best moment came in the 90th minute as he sent a dangerous ball into the box but Teal Bunbury wasn’t able to head the ball into the net.

This was the theme for New England as a whole on Wednesday night. They were able to get shots but they weren’t from dangerous areas.

So while it was a solid performance from Bou, he needs to be better with Gil out for some time. If not Revolution fans could see the club drop points.

3 – Andrew Farrell makes history

Center back Andrew Farrell tied Shalrie Joseph as he made his 254th start. When his next start occurs, he will be the club leader.

Farrell has been the iron man for New England this season. He has yet to miss a minute so far this season.

On Wednesday night, Farrell had a solid performance. He made some crucial clearances and once again looked solid on the backline. When presented the opportunity he even had a decent sized run into the attacking zone in the first half.

Even without Gil, this is a game that New England should be winning, especially with the starting XI that Nashville started the game with. Dropping points in MLS is never a good thing.

New England will get a chance for retribution as the Revs go up against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday.