FOXBORO – After more than a month of hosting FIFA World Cup games under the moniker of Boston Stadium, some normalcy returned to Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night as the New England Revolution played its first game in 60 days and drew Toronto FC, 0-0, in front of an announced crowd of 11,000.
The ambience was never going to match what transpired here over seven World Cup matches, where the average number of goals per game was 4.25 and every game was a full house.
Yet, MLS is back. And so too is the artificial turf.
The natural grass that had been installed for the World Cup and the first half of the Revolution season is long gone, and it took both teams a beat to adjust to the new surface Wednesday night. The turf doesn’t provide passes with the same zip as grass, and ball movement can be unpredictable on the bounce.
To the naked eye, players seem to move slower, too.
It took 27 minutes for the first scoring opportunity, with Toronto’s Daniel Salloi firing over the bar.
New England captain Carles Gil returned fire six minutes later, shooting wide of the left post from outside the box. Gil tried again in the 43rd minute – first slamming a rocket off the underside of the crossbar with his right foot, then recovering possession and forcing a sprawling save from Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran with his left.
Both sides featured heavy squad rotation. New England lined up with Peyton Miller, often a left full back, at right wing, and Matt Polster, a holding midfielder, at right back. Luca Langoni and newly acquired striker Wilson Harris started on the bench, but entered as substitutes deep into the second half.
Josh Sargent, a veteran of the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the United States, also started on the bench, but entered at halftime for Toronto.
Bringing on Sargent swung momentum the visitors’ way early in the second half, providing structure and a target at the top. Salloi had another effort blocked in the 48th minute, then Jonathan Osorio fired off the right post from the top of the box less than two minutes later; Sargent headed Alonso Coello cross off a corner kick inches wide (76th)
The Revolution (8-5-2, 26 points) remain fourth in the Eastern Conference and host Atlanta United at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Original article
Comments