The Revs needed three points
The New England Revolution needed three points on Saturday night against CF Montreal and once again they failed to secure a victory.
New England entered its penultimate home match of the season in 10th place, three points out of a playoff position. Montreal on the other hand has already clinched a playoff spot.
The Revs rolled out a lineup featuring Gustavo Bou and Carles Gil on the attack but Justin Rennicks was the lone striker up top. Christian Makoun and Jon Bell also entered the starting XI.
The bench featured some prominent names with Dylan Borrero making the match-day squad for the first time since July 16. Giacomo Vrioni and Nacho Gil also made the bench.
So what do you need to know about Saturday’s match? Here are three thoughts.
1 – Gustavo Bou loves the wing
With Rennicks the lone forward, Bou played more of a supporting role on the wing and it seemed to benefit his play. Bruce Arena said prior to the match that he doesn’t view Bou as a natural forward.
Arena on Rennicks: “He’ll bring energy. Gustavo Bou is not a natural forward. Rennicks is a little bit more comfortable there” #NERevs
— Seth (@SethMan31) September 17, 2022
With his new role, Bou was able to float more and find open pockets of space. Overall the 32-year-old looked a lot more comfortable. He had a few shots that flew more like rockets and had one of his best games since returning from a leg injury.
2 – Too Little Too Late
New England got back Borrero who came on in the 63rd minute. Borrero looked good showing some speed and physicality but also showed some rust seeing that he hadn’t played in two months.
Vrioni is another player who has recently returned from injury. The striker made his third consecutive appearance off the bench. Saturday was the first time that all three current Designated Players were on the field together.
Vrioni added a physical and vertical element to New England’s attack but the Revs weren’t able to find the back of the net.
3 – It’s all over
I mean we already said that this team wasn’t making the playoffs but this loss solidified it. New England needed a win on Saturday and they failed to show up.
The Revolution had their chances but simply failed to convert. They had the chance to go up early but missed the opportunity.
Carles Gil might have been right when he said that they didn’t deserve to make the playoffs. New England time after time failed to show up when it mattered the most.
So that’s all folks. While not mathematically eliminated, the Revs are not making it to the postseason.