Match Preview - New England Revolution
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:39pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 0W-1D-0L record against New England Revolution.
The lone meeting between these two clubs to date was back in September of the 2023 season, a 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium that saw an Alex Ring stoppage time goal salvage a point for an Austin FC side desperate to claw their way into the postseason.
New England Revolution Recent Form
Before we get into the recent form, this is our first time seeing the Revs this season, so let’s take our customary look at the history of the opponent.
The Revolution are one of the ten charter clubs of MLS that began play in 1996. New England is the only team in MLS history to have every single one of their league games televised since they began play almost 30 years ago – not sure if that’s relevant at all, but it is an interesting fact!
The Revs are owned by Robert Kraft, noted massage parlor enthusiast and owner of the New England Patriots (who share Gillette Stadium with the Revs), New England won their first major trophy in 2007 when they were the last team standing in the U.S. Open Cup. The following season they brought home the North American SuperLiga title. The SuperLiga was a competition between the top four teams in MLS and Liga MX. While the tournament was abolished in 2010, it laid the groundwork for the current Leagues Cup tournament we have today.
New England won their only Supporter’s Shield trophy in 2021 with a 22W-7D-5L record for a total of 73 points, an MLS record at the time. They were ousted in the Eastern Conference Semifinals that season at the hands of NYCFC (the eventual champions), preventing New England from reaching their sixth MLS Cup final.
While five trips to the MLS Cup sounds wonderful, the Revs have never finished the job – in fact, they have the most MLS Cup finals appearances without a win in league history.
Fast forward to the present day and it seems like the glory of 2021 is in the distant past. Currently, New England is in 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 6W-6D-7L record with 25 goals scored and 23 conceded. The Revs were bounced from the 2025 U.S. Open Cup by the Chicago Fire and failed to qualify for Leagues Cup, leaving only league games to populate the remainder of their schedule.
New England is paced by franchise legend and talisman midfielder Carles Gil, who is one of the more decorated league veterans. Gil’s individual trophy cabinet includes an MLS MVP award, an MLS Comeback Player of the Year award, an MLS Newcomer of the Year award, and two MLS All-Star selections. Gil joined the club in 2019 and is leading the team in goals, assists and overall contributions in 2025. He is the engine that makes everything go for New England and must be accounted for at all times. Keeping the ball off his foot as much as possible is certainly on the scouting report.
Then there’s striker Leo Campana, an established MLS goal scorer who joined the team in December through a trade that sent $2 million to Miami in 2025 GAM, $500,000 in 2026 GAM and an international slot in both 2025 and 2026 in exchange for Campana. Miami also retained a sell on percentage and there are performance-based incentives that could require an additional $750,000 GAM.
Since his arrival in New England, Campana has dealt with multiple bouts of injury and suited up just 12 times in league play totaling 743 minutes, bagging just two goals. He missed extended time from mid May until the last week of June and since returning, he has logged 178 minutes in three contests.
Sporting director Curt Onalfo has steered the team into a 2/4/GAM build in 2025. The aforementioned Gil is a DP alongside Tomas Chancalay. Chancalay is an Argentinian forward who has been dealing with an injured groin of late, but is off the injury report headed into Saturday’s game, adding to the depth available on the Revs front line.
New England has some flexibility headed into the summer transfer window. They’ve only used up just two of their four U22 initiative positions, with those slots being occupied by Ilay Feingold and Luca Langoni. Langoni, formerly of Boca Juniors, has also been dealing with various injuries this season. He has started only six games and recorded two goal contributions. Head coach Caleb Porter has gotten more production out of Feingold that one could reasonably expect for such a young player. Feingold is a jack-of-all-trades player who plays multiple positions for the Revs depending on matchup and need. He is questionable for Saturday’s match and his absence would be good news for Austin FC.
The Revs are far from an offensive juggernaut and prefer to try to control games through possession and limit opponents with a structurally sound defense. You’ll most likely see them line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that does include a bit of a high press. Their press is not necessarily one that they solely want to generate turnovers from, but a tactic that emphasizes corralling counter attacks in addition to creating advantageous opportunities in the opponent’s half when they turn it over.
New England has generated 23.7 xG thus far this season and is outperforming that metric, as well as their xG conceded (28.0) to the tune of 25 goals for and 23 against. They rank in the bottom third of the league in big chances created, goals per match, xG and touches in the opposition’s box.
This is a middle-of-the-road team that doesn’t excel in any facet of the game while simultaneously not providing opponents with a clear weakness to exploit. With a relatively meager offense and sound defense, one would imagine they’d be content finding a point here in Austin as they look to continue their push into the Eastern Conference playoff race and end their three year postseason drought.
Austin FC Recent Form
Well, shit. While Austin FC advanced to the semifinals in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night thanks to their penalty kick shootout win against San Jose Earthquakes, it came at a heavy price. Brandon Vazquez officially tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season and time in the 2026 campaign.
As ZG and I discussed on Episode 239, this is a franchise altering injury that is going to impact nearly all facets of how Austin FC operates during the upcoming transfer window and into the beginning of the 2026 season.
I could make this entire section about the loss of BV, but if you want a better breakdown check out that episode linked above, and be on the look out for a potential follow-up video about his injury timeline and more. You know ZG is in his cave, nerding away.
Tuesday was an ugly affair that saw ATX generate no goals from open play, instead pushing the match to a shootout on the back of two penalty kick goals. The first half was one of the more abysmal single-half performances we have seen this season, as Austin looked lost and without direction. The start of the game saw Austin trying to control possession and play from the back, but the passing was sloppy, the spacing was poor and the connectivity was lacking. To make matters worse, the conservative approach did not limit the chances that San Jose was generating.
After conceding the opening goal to Chico Arango, Austin FC seemed to scrap the gameplan of wanting to build from the back and began taking long shots down the field in the direction of Vazquez and Osman Bukari. Many of those long balls seemed like prayers as opposed to tactical decisions to create advantages. Sometimes they can be both, but to make matters worse, the team looked uninspired to begin a match that should be eliciting a lot of excitement.
Now that I have aired my grievances about that game for the final time, I will point out that I was impressed and proud of the way that the Verde and Black responded in the second half and how they continued to fight long into the wee hours of the night once extra time was underway. The emotional drain that came after the BV injury must have been incredibly difficult to overcome, but the guys found a way to keep fighting, and for that they are to be commended. Furthermore, falling behind 2-1 in the first extra time half presented another situation where this team could have packed it in, but they pressed on and were able to advance in the tournament. I’m thoroughly impressed with their grit on the night and the team now moves into September’s semifinal against Minnesota United.
As mentioned above, things are very much going to change here in the 512 due to the void left by BV9’s season-ending injury. While I do believe that this team is uniquely (albeit unintentionally) equipped to mitigate the loss of Vazquez, it is still a blow to Austin’s playoff chances. The most logical approach is to shift Myrto Uzuni to the striker position and then use a rotation of Jon Gallagher, Jáder Obrian, and Robert Taylor at the left wing spot. Best case scenario, the loss of Vazquez unlocks Uzuni and he finds the form he had in Spain, while the three aforementioned players provide support from the left wing position while also providing three unique skillsets for the coaching staff to implement when they deem fit.
Worst case scenario, Uzuni does not find his form and we struggle even more to score goals than the already league-worst pace that the team has displayed. Regardless of how good our defense is, if this team takes on any more regression offensively, then this will be a lost league season. On top of that, there could be no definitive answer at the left wing position and without a consistent starter, it could lead to Gallagher, Obrian, and Taylor not being able to find their groove and truly impact games.
Only time will tell. With New England coming to town on Saturday, Austin FC has an opportunity to secure a vital three points at home in the aftermath of the BV injury. Doing so may help them actually establish, at least for the more positive fans, their identity going forward.
Injury Report
ATX:
Brandon Vazquez (Out - Knee)
NE:
Ignatius Ganago (Out - Quad)
Ilay Feingold (Questionable - Ankle)
Payton Miller (Questionable - Ankle)
Alex Bono (Questionable - Neck)
New England Revolution Players to Watch
Carles Gil - The unquestioned leader and overall best player for the Revs, Gil is one of the elite number tens in the league. He makes his teammates better and can do a little bit of everything. Gil has 12 goal contributions in his 20 MLS appearances this season and is in the 98th percentile for touches and chances created in MLS in comparison to other attacking midfielders and wingers. New England constantly feeds him the ball in the center of the pitch so that he can have time to assess a defense and try to exploit gaps and disorganization. Don’t let his sometimes passive appearance fool you, he has a very precise shot when he does go for goal and isn’t afraid to uncork some chances from distance. If he can be slowed down, New England will have a hard time generating offense.
Maxi Urruti - With the injuries that New England has suffered, Maxi has once again found himself securing significant playing time. I say he’s a player to watch because it’s going to be fun to witness his return to Austin. I imagine this is a spot where he would relish the opportunity to put one past Bradley Scott Stuver and celebrate in front of his old supporters. Don’t let this man blast an arrow into the stands!
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Who Are You? - What is this team going to look like in the aftermath of the Vazquez injury? Who is going to establish themselves as the primary goal scorer? Many questions need answering and while they all may not come in the first matchup post-injury, the sooner this team can figure out how they can be successful without Superman, the better.
Predictions
ZG - 2-1 Austin FC
E - 2-0 Austin FC
