PostGame Notes: Revolution Rally for 2-2 Draw at Orlando City SC

Adam Buksa’s second-half brace makes Revolution the third 70-point team in MLS history

ORLANDO, Fla. – One day after winning the 2021 Supporters’ Shield, the New England Revolution (21-3-7; 70 pts.) battled from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at Orlando City SC (12-8-11; 47 pts.) on Sunday night at Exploria Stadium in the club’s final road match of the season. Orlando City’s Nani scored the opening goal of the match with a header in the 39^th minute. The hosts added to their lead in the second half, when Daryl Dike converted on a penalty kick in the 50^th minute. Adam Buksa powered the Revolution to the late rally with an 81^st-minute tally on Gustavo Bou’s assist before delivering the equalizer in stoppage time. DeJuan Jones and Carles Gil logged assists on Buksa’s second goal.

With tonight’s result, New England becomes the third MLS team to reach the 70-point threshold. The Revolution, now on a nine-game unbeaten streak, need just three more points over the final two games to set a new MLS single-season points record. New England completes the road slate of the regular season with a 10-3-4 record, as the club’s 34 away points stand alone as the second most all-time. The Revs concluded the road schedule by winning nine of their last 11 contests away from home. The result also guarantees the Revolution will finish the season with a new team record for fewest losses, while remaining in contention to match the league record of four defeats.

The Revolution are now the 11^th team in MLS history with two 15-goal scorers on the same team. Buksa’s brace gives the Polish striker 16 goals on the season, placing him in a three-way tie for second in the MLS Golden Boot race, one off the league lead (17). He has now tallied in each of his last five starts and own seven goals in his last nine MLS appearances. Gustavo Bou, who trails Buksa by one with 15 tallies, reached the scoresheet for a sixth consecutive match by adding his ninth assist of the season on the first goal.

Carles Gil, who came on at halftime alongside Buksa, registered his MLS-leading 18^th assist of the season. Gil needs just one more assist to tie the club’s record, while he needs only five more chances created to set the league’s new single-season mark.

DeJuan Jones also tallied his career-high fifth assist of the season on Buksa’s game-tying goal. His five helpers are tied for third most among all MLS defenders. As a team, the Revs’ 68 assists on the season set a new club mark, while the team-high goals total improves to 64 (2.0 goals per game).

New England closes the regular season with two home matches, starting with a midweek tilt against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, October 27. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium and airs on TV38, myRITV, 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio. CBS Boston’s exclusive pregame coverage begins with “Revolution Kickoff” at 6:30 p.m. on TV38. 

POSTGAME NOTES

New England Revolution 2, Orlando City SC 2

October 24, 2021 – Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)

Team Notes:

• The New England Revolution rallied on the road Sunday night to draw Orlando City SC, 2-2, moving their record to 21-4-7 (70 points) on the season.
• The Revs’ 70 points are the third most in MLS history – two behind LAFC’s record of 72 (2019).
• New England’s 2.19 points per game pace is on course to set a new MLS record (2.13 – LA Galaxy, 1998).
• The Revolution became the 11^th team in MLS history to feature two players with 15 goals or more in a season, and the first since Los Angeles FC in 2019.
• The Revs’ lead in the Eastern Conference now stands at 21 points, and their lead in the Supporters’ Shield standings is now 12 points over Seattle Sounders FC. No MLS team has ever won its conference by more than 16 points.
• New England’s 34 away points stand alone as the 2^nd most all-time behind the 1998 LA Galaxy (37 pts).
• New England’s unbeaten streak is now at nine games (6-0-3), matching their longest run of the season without a loss.
• The Revs’ 64 goals and 31 first-half tallies both lead the league. New England’s 64 goals and 68 assists are both club record.
• New England now has 68 assists as a team on the season, a new club record surpassing the previous mark of 66 (1998).
• With only four losses on the season and two games remaining, the Revolution are now guaranteed to break the club mark for fewest losses in a season (7 – 2005). Four losses would tie the MLS record for fewest defeats.
• All of tonight’s Revolution goals and assists came from substitutes. New England’s bench owned a combined 46 goals and 43 assists this year – more than 17 and 15 MLS teams as a whole, respectively, entering Sunday’s action.
• Bruce Arena’s Starting XI featured nine changes from the club’s most recent contest on Oct. 20 at D.C. United, matching a season high. Goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Andrew Farrell were the only two Revolution players in tonight’s Starting XI who also started the club’s 3-2 win at D.C. United.

Individual Notes:    

• Bruce Arena moves his career record to 239-135-112, still one win shy of Sigi Schmid’s all-time MLS record of 240 regular season victories. Arena’s record with New England also shifted to 37-14-23 (.655).
• Arena locked up his fourth Supporters’ Shield title on Saturday, passing the late Sigi Schmid for the most all-time.
• Adam Buksa tallied both New England goals on the night, giving him 16 on the year – tied for second-most in MLS and just one back of current Golden Boot leader Ola Kamara (17).
• Buksa, who passed Gustavo Bou (15) for the team lead in goals, recorded his first brace since Aug. 21 vs. FC Cincinnati and has now scored eight goals and two assists in his last nine games.
• Gustavo Bou found the scoresheet for a sixth consecutive game, picking up his ninth assist of the season.
• Bou, who had a team-high three key passes, continues to lead MLS in combined goals and assists (43) since he entered the league on July 17, 2019 and is now tied for the most combined goals and assists in MLS this season (24).
• Carles Gil recorded his MLS-leading 18^th assist of the campaign, moving him within one of tying the club’s single-season assists record (19 – Steve Ralston, 2002).
• Gil added two chances created, giving him 119 on the year and moving him to within five of Diego Valeri’s MLS record (124).
• DeJuan Jones added his fifth assist of the season on Buksa’s game-tying goal, tied for third-most among MLS defenders.
• Andrew Farrell put in another 90-minute shift at center back, recording a team-high eight clearances.
• Jon Bell started for the first time since Sept. 22, recording team highs in duels won (7), tackles (4), and blocked shots (3).
• Maciel made his first MLS appearance since Aug. 28, playing 90 minutes and completing 37 of 39 passes (94.9%).
• Luis Caicedo made his fourth appearance and second start of the season, featuring for 45 minutes and completing 23 of his 24 passes (95.7%).

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Chris Penso.

Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga (AR1); Peter Manikowski (AR2).

Fourth Official: Silviu Petrescu.

Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer.

Attendance: 17,539

Weather: 77 degrees and rain.

Scoring Summary:

ORL – Nani 10 (João Moutinho 1, Júnior Urso 1) 39’

ORL – Daryl Dike (Penalty Kick) 50’

NE – Adam Buksa 15 (Gustavo Bou 9) 81’

NE – Adam Buksa 16 (DeJuan Jones 5, Carles Gil 18) 90’+3

Misconduct Summary:

ORL – Chris Mueller (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 46’

NE – Carles Gil (Yellow Card – Dissent) 87’

New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Christian Mafla (DeJuan Jones 64’), Andrew Farrell ©, Jon Bell, A.J. DeLaGarza (Tajon Buchanan 64’); Luis Caicedo (Carles Gil 45’), Maciel; Arnór Traustason (Gustavo Bou 64’), Emmanuel Boateng (Adam Buksa 45’), Wilfrid Kaptoum; Teal Bunbury.

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Brandon Bye, Henry Kessler, Tommy McNamara.

Orlando City SC: Pedro Gallese; Ruan, Antônio Carlos, Rodrigo Schlegel, João Moutinho (Emmanuel Más 45’); Chris Mueller (Benji Michel 67’), Jhegson Méndez (Joey Dezart 89’), Júnior Urso, Mauricio Pereyra (Andrés Perea 79’); Daryl Dike, Nani © (Tesho Akindele 79’).

Substitutes Not Used: Mason Stajduhar, Kyle Smith, Alexandre Pato, Silvester van der Water.

POSTGAME QUOTES: New England Revolution 2 vs. Orlando City SC 2

CLICK HERE for matchday media assets including photos, highlights, and postgame interview footage.

Revolution Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena

On his thoughts on the team’s performance in the first half:

Arena: “Well, the first half certainly wasn’t good. Having said that, we limited them to, really, not too many chances. We had very little in the attack. I think we gave away a corner kick, which the secondary phase of that resulted in a goal. So that was disappointing, going down 1-0. Conceding a penalty kick to start the second half wasn’t good. We had to throw everything we could at them to try and get back in the game. I thought the changes we made with [Adam] Buksa and [Carles] Gil, and [Gustavo] Bou, [DeJuan] Jones, and [Tajon] Buchanan obviously made a huge difference.”

On the message he conveyed to the team before tonight’s match:

Arena: “We told them it was three points on the road. Not many teams would have walked off that field with a point tonight, so I’ll give them a lot of credit. Having said that, we need to be disappointed with our performance in the first 45 minutes. I think we could’ve been better.”

On DeJuan Jones’ performance tonight:

Arena: “[DeJuan Jones] gave us a lot going down the left side. I guess he’s credited with the assist on [Adam] Buksa’s second goal. He did a good job, a really good job.”

On what Adam Buksa brought to the attack tonight:

Arena: “Obviously, the two goals in the air were huge against a team that was dropping numbers back. We needed to create some chances off crosses and to have Adam in there is an advantage for our team.”

On the chemistry between Buksa and Gustavo Bou:

Arena: “[Gustavo Bou and Adam Buksa] have been together for two years now. They’re good players and they’re around each other now on a steady basis. They’ve developed a good working relationship.”

On rotating nine changes into the Starting XI tonight:

Arena: “I thought it would be extremely difficult to play guys full games on this Sunday and Wednesday. So, now we’re in better shape to play against Colorado on Wednesday. I think if we had played our full team today, it would be real difficult to recover and be ready on Wednesday. It’s obviously a risk. We gambled on it a little bit and we’re fortunate to walk away with a point.”

Revolution Defender Jon Bell

On the team’s mindset in tonight’s match:

Bell: “We felt great. Obviously, it’s a different lineup than usual, giving some of the guys a bit of a rest because we’ve had a busy two weeks. We felt good. We felt confident, especially coming off games that were played the day before [Seattle’s 2-1 loss to Kansas City], we definitely came out with the mentality that we wanted to keep it going.”

On learning they had won the Supporters’ Shield while on the bus ride to the hotel in Orlando on Saturday:

Bell: “It was great. It’s a special moment. It’s not something to take for granted, because only one team gets that title. Obviously, it’s not the biggest prize but it’s definitely something we don’t just take lightly. We’re proud of that achievement because for us, winning that represents consistency, perseverance, determination and hard work throughout the whole season. It’s not just a one-and-done thing, it’s how you go over the course of a MLS season.”

On his emotions when Adam Buksa netted the game-tying goal in stoppage time:

Bell: “I was hyped. I think we were all hyped. One thing about this team is we’re never going to give up, regardless of where we are, the conditions of the game, what the score it. We’re going to play the full 90 and the added time on. Adam does what he does best. He uses his head and he knows how to score. He came in big for us, big time.

On defending Daryl Dike and his own performance in tonight’s match:

Bell: “I think he’s a great player. We talked a little bit after the game. I just told him ‘keep going, keep doing your thing’ because we both represent the DMV, coming from there. He’s a great player. He’s really strong, really physical. You have to defend really smart against him because he has that skill and ability to turn you really quickly. He actually caught me one time with it. Overall, I thought I did pretty well handling it against him. He got the PK, which I couldn’t do anything on that. But overall, I felt like I did pretty decent matching up against him.”

On areas the team needed to improve on after the first half:

Bell: “I think we lacked character going out there. We have to play like how we know to play. We have to play with confidence. I think we were slow. I think the weather might’ve gotten to us a little bit, just with the heat, the rain and everything like that. Coming out in the second half we had to pick it up and get the team back on track.”

On playing at home for the remainder of the regular season and postseason:

Bell: “It’s great. It’s big for us, especially having that homefield advantage throughout. For our team, these next two games dictate how we’re going to start the playoffs right. We want to end the regular season on a win, with three points. We’re not even looking at the record, we just want to win each game. For us we just know that when we get the homefield advantage we just have to protect the house.”

Revolution Forward Adam Buksa

On scoring a pair of goals off the bench and nearly having a hat trick:

Buksa: “It was close. I believe it was close. I’ll take that, because two goals in 45 minutes is a solid result. So, I’m definitely happy to have scored these goals. You want me to describe them, but honestly, I haven’t seen them on the video yet, so I can tell you my feelings. The first goal was a great setup by Gustavo [Bou]. I just was hiding, let’s say, behind the back of the center back, and I managed to get first to the ball in front of [Orlando goalkeeper Pedro] Gallese and just flicked the ball with my left foot. And the second one was just a great cross from DeJuan [Jones] and I jumped higher than the center back, headed the ball in the right way, and it ended up in the back of the net.”

On winning the club’s first Supporters’ Shield:

Buksa: “It was a great feeling. I’ll be honest with you, we were pretty sure that we would get the title this weekend. We weren’t sure if it was going to be either Saturday or Sunday, but we were sure that we would get there and would win the Supporters’ Shield this weekend. It turned out to be a bit easier for us, because we managed to win it on Saturday because Seattle lost, but we play soccer, you’re a sportsman because you want to win trophies and that’s the first Supporters’ Shield for the New England Revolution. I’m very happy to be a part of that. I think we fully deserved to win the title, win the Shield, but it’s not enough because we’re hungry for more. We want to win MLS Cup and our focus goes on the MLS Cup for now. Obviously, we have two more regular season games. We want to end this season in the right way, then get ready for the most important part of the season.”

On his connection with Gustavo Bou:

Buksa: “I think not only with Gustavo [Bou], but with other players, too. But yeah, the last couple of goals were set up by Gustavo, and the relationship that we’ve created works very, very well. The way that works, I think he loves coming in between the lines and he’s very good at it. He can take the ball and deliver fantastic crosses. I wouldn’t say Gustavo is a typical number nine, so he likes getting to the ball and the ball loves him, too. So, with that in mind, I just try to find a space between the center backs of the opposing team and just make the right movement, the right timing, and just get there and finish that up. That’s what has happened a few times so far this season and we believe that it’s all there.”

On the importance of the substitutes’ efforts on the night:

Buksa: “As I’ve mentioned many times, we have a fantastic team with players that have huge quality. And it doesn’t matter if it’s the Starting XI or the players that start on the bench. So, this just proved my opinion of that team, because the first half was a little bit sloppy on our side, we weren’t sharp enough. The second half, Bruce [Arena] made some changes and even though we conceded the second goal, we were still able to bounce back and get the result here in Orlando. I think one point is a good result. So, I would say that we don’t only have four or five good players on the team, we have 25 great players. And having such a difficult stretch that we’ve had for a few weeks lately, you need to have a team of over 20 players that bring quality to the team, and we had that. That’s why we’ve managed to win Supporters’ Shield that quickly and we clinched a playoff spot basically six or seven games before the end of the regular season, which is a fantastic result.”