This weekend’s MLS slate has a potential playoff preview in the Eastern Conference. New England Revolution, currently in third place, host sixth place Orlando City on Saturday night. If the season ended today, that matchup would take place in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. Both sides have enjoyed strong seasons so far and have young players making their mark for club and country.
Match Details
Who: New England Revolution vs. Orlando City
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
When: Saturday September 19, 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT
Watch: Apple TV
Revolution Pushing For Home Advantage In Playoffs
Being a New England Revolution fan has been rough for the last five years. Ever since winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2021, the Revs have only made the playoffs once. In that appearance, they got the five seed and got swept by Philadelphia in the first round. This season is different. New England sits third in the conference and is in a great position to not only make the playoffs but also play at home.
Manager Marko Mitrović has worked wonders in New England. He joined the club in the offseason after a successful stint with U.S. Soccer, coaching the U20s and U23s. Similarly to the previous U20 coach Mikey Varas, Mitrović got off to a great start in MLS. His Revolution team have been comfortably top three in the East for pretty much the entire season and are now pushing for more. They’re only two points behind Inter Miami and looking at recent form, the Revs could easily pass Messi’s side.
Mitrović has made his main transfer policy pretty clear. New England has brought in several players that previously played for their new head coach with the U.S youth national teams. Brooklyn Raines has been an anchor in midfield, Ethan Kohler has locked down a center back spot, Griffin Yow and Marcos Zambrano are options off the bench. Then there’s homegrown star Peyton Miller, who has taken a leap under Mitrović. Miller has five goals and four assists this season playing mainly as a winger, looking like one of the best young players in the league. His great form has been rewarded as Mauricio Pochettino just called him up to his first USMNT camp alongside Raines. New England’s young stars will be key once again this weekend as they look to beat Orlando.
Orlando Looking To Bounce Back From Cup Exit
Everything has gone almost perfectly for Orlando City in the second half of the season. They’ve climbed from 12th in the conference all the way up to sixth and now are in a great spot to make the playoffs. However, their campaign took a hit on Wednesday night. Orlando were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup in the semifinals by a Columbus Crew side that is languishing towards the bottom of the table in MLS. It’s a setback for Martin Perelman’s side but it does mean they can fully focus on the league.
Antoine Griezmann has been at the center of Orlando’s second half surge. He’s scored seven goals and provided two assists in his last six league matches, four of which were wins. In total he’s contributed to 11 goals in just 10 MLS appearances, putting up MVP level output. Griezmann is third in the league in goal contributions since the World Cup break, only behind Lionel Messi and Cavan Sullivan.
Griezmann wouldn’t be able to score all those goals without someone setting him up. 19 year old striker Justin Ellis has adopted that role. Ellis has flourished since Griezmann’s arrival and the pair form the most lethal strike partnership in the league. The homegrown has provided an assist in each of the last five matches for Orlando City. He’s now hit double digit assists on the season and is quickly rising in the MLS leaderboard. Ellis also earned his first USMNT call up and will represent the Stars and Stripes this upcoming international break.
Match Prediction
Both clubs have been fantastic lately and will be tough outs come playoff time. The first time they faced off this season ended in a wild 4-3 win for Orlando. I don’t anticipate that many goals on Saturday but it will be a close match that could truly go any direction. I’m going to sit on the fence and predict an entertaining draw.
Prediction: New England Revolution 2-2 Orlando City
Braden Hines is a writer and data analyst with a passion for U.S. Soccer. Runs American Ultras Talk on YouTube and X. Works for Carolina Ascent FC and Syracuse Men’s Soccer.
