Leagues Cup 2024 | Group Stage
New England Revolution vs. Nashville SC
Tuesday, August 6 | 7:30 p.m. ET
Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Mass.
Watch: FS1 and FREE on Apple TV
English Talent: Chris Wittyngham (play-by-play), Lori Lindsey (analyst)
Spanish Talent: Oscar Salazar (play-by-play), Jaime Macias (analyst)
Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub, SiriusXM FC Channel 157 (English) 1260 AM Nossa Radio (Portuguese)
English Talent: Brad Feldman (play-by-play), Clyde Simms (analyst)
TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
With Tuesday night’s match set to wrap up the group stage of New England’s Leagues Cup 2024 campaign, the question at the front of everyone’s mind will be around which scenarios will see the Revolution advance to the knockout round. The Revs’ 1-0 win over Mazatlán F.C. to open the group stage put them in a promising position to move on, but Mazatlán’s own 2-0 win over Nashville SC last Wednesday means that there is still a spot to play for in the Round of 32 when the Boys in Gold come to Foxborough.
A win for New England would guarantee them top spot in their East 5 group, as would a regular-time draw, regardless of whether the Revs won or lost the ensuing penalty shootout. A loss by one goal would still see New England through to the next stage, but it would have them drop to second in the group behind Mazatlán. But if the Revolution were to lose by two goals or more, Nashville would swipe away their ticket to the knockout round on goal difference.
If the Revs do move on, their opponent in the Round of 32 will then be determined by whether they claim first or second in the group, and potentially by how scenarios resolve in other groups, as well. Importantly, New England could finish second in the group and yet still host their Round of 32 encounter, as home-field advantage in Leagues Cup 2024 is determined not by group outcome but by pre-tournament seeding based on the previous season’s results.
CURRENT FORM
New England Revolution
15th in MLS Eastern Conference (7-14-2, 23 pts.)
Last Result | 1-0 win vs. Mazatlán F.C.
After a depleted Revs side played out a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas to bring the MLS campaign to a pause, New England opened their Leagues Cup 2024 group stage with a 1-0 win at home over Mazatlán F.C. The victory came courtesy of Homegrown midfielder Jack Panayotou’s first senior goal for the Revolution, scored off the bench with help from fellow substitute Ema Boateng, who was himself making his first appearance in weeks after an injury.
With their tournament fate still in their own hands, New England’s attention now turns to Nashville SC – a team they have already faced and beaten once this season, a 2-1 road win that sparked a four-game winning streak through the month of June. With head coach Caleb Porter still missing key pieces from that run to injury, many of the Revolution’s young players and depth pieces will need to step up once again to get a result over the Boys in Gold.
Nashville SC
12th in MLS Eastern Conference (6-11-8, 26 pts.)
Last Result | 2-0 loss vs. Mazatlán F.C.
Nashville SC’s showdown with Mazatlán F.C. last Wednesday didn’t quite turn out how head coach B.J. Callaghan would have hoped. Taking the helm of the team for the first time, the one-time interim head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team saw his Boys in Gold fall 2-0 to Los Cañoneros, leaving them with a steep hill to climb to try to advance to the Round of 32.
Anything can happen in a single soccer match, and, putting recent results aside, it is important to remember that this is a Nashville team that fell only to Inter Miami CF in the final of last year’s edition of Leagues Cup, with a number of the key players from that run still plying their trade at GEODIS Park. Hungry to repeat last year’s tournament run and eager to impress the new boss, this Nashville team will show up to Gillette Stadium ready to give everything they have for a win on Tuesday.
KEY PLAYERS
Revolution defender Peyton Miller
With the secondary transfer window open, first-year head coach Caleb Porter has the opportunity to continue to shape the New England Revolution according to the vision he has for the club. When news broke last week that veteran left back DeJuan Jones would be departing Foxborough for Columbus, Porter explained that the trade was a difficult one to make, but that his confidence in the move was bolstered by his confidence in breakout Homegrown defender Peyton Miller.
Now, at 16 years old, Miller looks primed to inherit the starting spot at left back, and in his recent run of appearances he has shown himself well worthy of the role. The Connecticut native would have been credited with his first MLS assist against FC Dallas but for an own-goal ruling, and the young man will be determined to keep performing well on both sides of the ball against Nashville and perhaps win his first official credit on the scoresheet.
Nashville forward Sam Surridge
Leading his team with eight goals on the season, English striker Sam Surridge will be looking to make the difference for Nashville on Tuesday night. He has struggled to find the back of the net more recently, though, scoring only three goals in his last eight starts in all competitions, and should be expected to be hungry to improve that record against the Revs.
The erstwhile English Premier League forward scored the first two goals of his MLS career against New England last October, but thus far has not yet notched a goal at Gillette Stadium. In fact, the Revolution are unbeaten at home in three all-time matches against Nashville SC (1-0-2), a streak Surridge and his teammates will be fighting to break to save their Leagues Cup campaign.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter on the team’s mentality in preparing for Nashville SC:
“It was good to get that first three points in the first game. Obviously, we know the other result. Mazatlán beat Nashville 2-0, so a win or a draw gets us through. So, that’ll be our mindset- to get a result to advance.”
Porter on the club’s announcement of record signing Luca Langoni from Boca Juniors:
“He’s dynamic. We need to get more service into the box. We feel like Giacomo [Vrioni], when he gets service can score and finish. There are times we get into half spaces, and we need a little bit more precision. He’ll bring that. I really love that he’s a hard-working player on both sides of the ball. That’s important in our game model. He comes from a very historic club. He has been under massive pressure to perform, so his mentality is going to be excellent. Everything about him we liked, and we felt that he fits really well into our game model as a winger, a dynamic winger that will penetrate, get service, and create goals. We need to score more goals. We feel like he’s a very talented young player that will come in and help us score more goals … We’re hoping [to have him in Foxborough] as soon as possible. We’re optimistic in the next several weeks. It just all depends on the paperwork, the visa, and immigration, that process. But we’re definitely hoping to get him by Montreal [on August 24] at the latest.”
Porter on the acquisition of defender Will Sands and how he fits into the team:
“I know Will very well. I like his age, he’s 24. He’s very hungry. He fits really well, kind of in a back four, at left back. He’s left-footed, good defender, a really solid depth piece. We feel that with Peyton and Will that we have the left back position covered. And again, with the assets that we acquire that allows us to add one or two really good pieces.”
Porter on what he expects from Nashville under new head coach B.J. Callaghan:
“They are a team in transition. They are changing philosophies. They went from Gary Smith, who did very well, obviously took them to playoffs four years and created a game model that was based on a stingy defense, a good mentality, and good organization without the ball. They are moving into being a team that wants to decide the game with the ball, so you couldn't have, probably, more polar opposites in terms of philosophies. You can see that there is still a transition kind of happening. B.J. is obviously a good coach, so you can see every week they get a little bit better and a little more comfortable. But we feel like we kind of know what they are about at this point in time with what they are looking to do on both sides of the ball. So, we've prepared for those things and they have very talented players: [Hany] Mukhtar, [Sam] Surridge, [Jacob] Shaffelberg is a handful, and [Alex] Muyl. They have a lot of good midfielders and again, a pretty deep backline as well, and goalkeeper. They still have very good players. I think the players are still getting comfortable in the new way that they're playing, which has led to, obviously, them not getting results recently. But my message to my team was they are still a very talented team and more than capable. Mukhtar is one of the best players in the league, so he can change a game in any given moment, and Surridge is a good goal scorer. So, those two guys in particular, we’ve got to really be mindful of.”
Revolution goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič on the importance of getting a result against Nashville:
“We have to win, right? We want to advance, obviously. I think a tie is enough too but when you go into the game you always want to win, and we’re going to do that.”
Ivačič on the extra days of rest the team got after beating Mazatlán F.C.:
“It was great timing. I think we needed these days off just to recharge and rest, especially not just physically but mentally too. It was good. We are ready now and looking forward.”
Revolution midfielder Matt Polster on Nashville’s drive for a result after a difficult run of form:
“They are going to be eager to find a way to get a win. With any new coach coming into a team, you want to find your first win. Unfortunately, they didn't do that against Mazatlán, so they will want to find a way to do it against us. They are going to be eager to come here and try and win, so we have to find a way to balance things and to bring our A-game to make sure we find a way to win ourselves.”
Nick Boonstra -
