Revolution 4, Orlando 1: Three thoughts on an important win

The New England Revolution are now unbeaten in 11, which matches their single-season record that was set in 2005. Their latest result was a 4-1 win over Orlando City SC, which came on Saturday night.

The Revs got off to a quick start with Gustavo Bou scoring in the third minute. Cristian Penilla added a second goal just after the break while Carles Gil scored a PK in 60th minute. Diego Fagundez, who came in as a substitute, iced the game with an absolute screamer in the 75th minute.

Orlando got one back via Tesho Akindele but it was too little too late for the visitors

Here are three thoughts from the win:

1. The Revolution’s first goal was a good advertisement for Bou. After collecting the ball in the attacking third, Bou played a nifty back heel to an overlapping Edgar Castillo. The Designated Player then made a curling run that went undetected by three Orlando defenders. The ball returned to Bou, who placed it in the back of the net. Bou has already established himself as a creative attacker that knows how to move and combine. These instincts are what makes him a valuable piece for the Revoilution. Opponents will surely start to take notice, which will open up space for his teammates.

2. The Revs were careless with their passing during the first half. Bruce Arena has brought possession-based soccer to New England, as the players have shown more patience with the ball at their feet. Overall, this has been a positive, but things were off during the first half of Saturday’s game. Whether it was Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye, or someone else, the Revs were too careless when passing the ball in their middle and defensive thirds. This led to several fast breaks that Orlando failed to capitalize on. The Revs improved during the second half but on a different night their negligence could’ve been punished.

3. Orlando’s defending was atrocious. I’ll start this entry by praising the Revs, who have a lot of skill along their front line. Bou, Penilla, Gil, and Teal Bunbury like to interchange, which can be a nightmare for defenders. That said, Orlando looked overwhelmed all night because they weren’t doing the simple things. For example, they weren’t tracking runners during give-and-go’s. They were also giving Revolution players too much space. If you’re going to defend like that then you’re going give up goals. Conversely, the Revs were playing compact soccer, which helped neutralize the Lions.