New England aims for seventh consecutive victory over fellow MLS original club
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (2-4-1; 7 pts.) will visit D.C. United (2-4-0; 6 pts.) on Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. ET match at Audi Field. The contest airs locally on WSBK-TV38, myRITV, Cozi TV, 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio in Portuguese.
New England travels to the nation’s capital following a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC last Saturday at Gillette Stadium. Adam Buksa opened the scoring, and his 2022 MLS account, with an eighth-minute header. Buksa’s 10 headed goals (regular season and playoffs) are more than any other MLS player since his arrival in MLS in 2020. The Poland National Team forward, who has tallied three goals and two assists in all competitions this season, enters Saturday’s match with four goals in seven games played against D.C.
New England doubled its lead against Charlotte when Matt Polster netted his first goal of the season. Polster, who surpassed 10,000 career minutes played on Saturday, registered his first goal-and-assist performance in MLS. Veteran defender Andrew Farrell collected his 275th league start, while goalkeeper Brad Knighton recorded his first victory of the season. Knighton, set to collect his 85th MLS appearance, has compiled a 1-1-2 record against D.C. with one clean sheet.
The Revolution have registered victories in the last six meetings with D.C. United dating back to 2020, the longest winning streak in the series between the two MLS original clubs. New England is unbeaten in the last nine games against D.C. with a 6-0-3 mark since 2019. Bruce Arena, who coached D.C. to two MLS Cup championships in 1996 and 1997, aims to build on a 13-4-8 record against his former club.
D.C. United, winless in four straight league games, enters Saturday’s match under new leadership after Chad Ashton was installed as interim head coach earlier this week. The Black and Red surrendered a 2-0 lead en route to a 3-2 loss to Austin FC last weekend, before a 3-0 win in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. Forward Ola Kamara, who finished tied for first in the MLS Golden Boot Race last season, will miss Saturday’s game due to a one-game red card suspension.
Match 8 at D.C. United
Date: Saturday, April 23
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: WSBK-TV38, myRITV (Rhode Island), Cozi TV (Western Mass.)
Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Charlie Davies (analyst)
English Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub HD2
Portuguese Radio: WBIX 1260 AM “Nossa Radio USA”
MATCH PREVIEW SOUND: Interview footage with Bruce Arena and midfielder Emmanuel Boateng previewing Saturday’s match is available for download HERE.
STORYLINES: Click HERE to view the Revolution’s Game Notes for Saturday’s match at D.C. United. Here are a few top storylines to watch for on Saturday’s match:
- New England extending their series-best six-game winning streak and nine-game unbeaten streak vs. D.C. United.
- Bruce Arena building on his 13-4-8 career record against D.C, United.
- Forward Adam Buksa adding to his team-best four goals scored over seven career appearances against D.C. United.
- Midfielder Carles Gil remaining the club’s leading scorer this season and ranking among the league leaders in chances created (3rd), progressive passes (2nd), shot-creating actions (4th), and fouls won (T-4th).
- Defender Omar Gonzalez registering his 250th MLS appearance.
- Defenders Brandon Bye and DeJuan Jones holding their positions among top-ranked defenders in chances created (T-5th – 9). Jones also ranks tied for first among defenders with two assists.
- Forward Justin Rennicks, a Homegrown Player from South Hamilton, Mass.,potentially featuring in the Starting XI for the fourth consecutive match.
