The New England Revolution (3-10-1) and the New York Red Bulls (8-3-5) have had a week of training to reconfigure their starting lineup for Saturday night’s second meeting of the season (7:30) at Gillette Stadium.
The Red Bulls took the first match 4-2 between these two original MLS franchises at Red Bulls Arena on May 11 in Harrison, N.J.
Revolution head coach Caleb Porter and Red Bulls’ shot caller Sandro Schwartz, both of whom are in the first season with their respective teams, have seen injuries and international callups take a toll on their rosters.
The Revolution lost sniper Tomas Chancalay to a knee injury against NYCFC on May 25 while homegrown forward Esmir Bajraktarevic (USA U-23), midfielder Noel Buck (England’s Elite League Squad) and goalkeeper Heinrich Ravas (Slovakia) have been called up for international duty.
Porter has been exploring his limited personnel options in training but will not announce his deployment until 30 minutes before game time.
“Yeah, not a lot of options, it’s the thinnest we’ve been, obviously, with Nacho (Gil) out long term, Tomás out,” said Porter. “Obviously, we’ve got Esmir gone and we had been playing Noel Buck as well out there. He’s played there in the past.
“We don’t have a ton of options, but we’ve got some ideas we’ve been working all week on. I won’t disclose that, but we do have a couple of ideas on that.”
The obvious option for Porter is to play forward Dylan Borrero for 90 minutes on the left flank. Borrero missed the first eight games recovering from a torn ACL on his left knee he suffered in a 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati on April 29, 2023. Borrero played a season-high 89 minutes at Nashville and led the team with three shots on target and recorded his first assist since March 2023. There were 11 minutes of stoppage time in the second half at Nashville.
“As far as Dylan and where he’s at physically, he’s getting better and better each week,” said Porter. “Not just the physical side, but his playing form.
“He’s a very talented player and talented players, they come back quicker. It’s more natural for them just to play, right? He is a very good player.
“He’s very smart, very technical. He’s got it all, and he’s young. I think it’s important for people to realize that he is a young kid, still developing, so his future is certainly bright.”
The Red Bulls have lost five crucial players from all three areas of the pitch. Forward Lewis Morgan, who leads the Red Bulls in goals (9), shots (43), shots on goal (21) and game-winning goals (3), is off competing for Scotland.
Midfielder Emil Fosberg, the Red Bulls’ playmaker who leads club in game-winning assists (2) and fouls sustained (23), and defender Noah Eile are in Sweden. Goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who leads the club in wins (7), shutouts (3) and saves (39), is protecting the cage for Paraguay. Defender John Tolkin has joined Bajraktarevic with the USA U-23 squad in Kansas.
While the Red Bulls have taken a bigger roster hit, they are in fourth place and in a better position to withstand the temporary loss of players. The Revolution are in last place in the East and every game going forward is a must win.
“They have a few guys that are going to be away on international duty, but their system is like their star,” said Porter. “Basically, the way they play, it is all about their identity and their style of play and they don’t miss a beat.
“They are very well drilled in their first spot and two spots in the depth chart, and they don’t miss too much of a beat. In some ways, they actually get better when they go to the ‘two’ guys, because those guys work even harder.
“Maybe they are not quite as talented, but the identity is still there. So, obviously, we’re juggling a few guys out and they will have a few guys out as well.
“So, it will be about our execution versus their execution. I don’t think there will be a ton of mysteries in what they are looking to do, their shape, and same with us. It is going to come down to who executes better.”