Bou could take the Revs to the next level

In just his 3rd game with the New England Revolution, Gustavo Bou, the Revs’ newest addition, has already shown fans why the Revs loosened up the purse strings and brought him in to be a focal point of their attack. After netting a goal on three shots on goal in his first MLS appearance on July 17th against the Whitecaps and then adding an assist in his second showing, the club made good use of their week of training heading into Saturday night’s game against Orlando City SC.

Despite the impressive stat line through two games, Bou had looked out of place a few times in his first two games in the MLS, but having a full week of training proved to be beneficial as the Revs looked to feed their newest weapon throughout Saturday night. “I am happy and we are getting good results. We still have work to do to get to the level of play we are looking for, but it’s much easier to work when you are getting good results. Personally, I feel good. I’ve been here two weeks and played three games so far, and hopefully we keep this streak of good results going”, commented Bou when asked how he’s adapting to the league and his new team. Despite still adjusting to the league and getting to know his teammates there were times on Saturday night that Bou made defenders look foolish. The goals he’s buried haven’t just been ordinary goals either. His first was a rocket off of a Gil corner on July 17th against Vancouver.

Saturday night saw a beautiful back heel flip from Bou to Castillo, who fed it back to Bou who put two quick moves on Orlando defenders to notch his 2^nd goal in three games.

The Revs attack was already greatly improved with the team playing with new found confidence under head coach Bruce Arena, but Bou takes them to another level. The Revs other designated player Carles Gil has eight goals and nine assists, including a goal and an assist in each of the last three games, and goals by Diego Fagundez, Teal Bunbury, Antonio Delamea, and Cristian Penilla have helped the Revs to outscore their opposition 10-1 over the last three games. Keep in mind that this is a team that had a goal differential of minus 19 through the first twelve games of the season. Over the last eleven games the Revs have amassed an impressive plus 14 goal differential bringing their season total up to a minus 5.

The Revs currently sit in the 7^th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, a spot that nobody could have predicted just ten weeks ago when the team was spiraling down what felt like an insurmountable pit of misery. The team is riding an eleven game unbeaten streak (which ties the franchise record set in 2005, with wins in their last three contests. Bruce Arena has turned this team from the laughing stock of the league into a serious playoff contender. His trust and confidence in his players is exactly what this squad needed, it’s clear that they’re having fun and playing creative soccer. The Arena hiring has already paid off in terms of instilling hope back into a fan base that has hit rock bottom, and if La Pantera can keep up this pace he will prove to be well worth the investment as well.

Do you think Bou has lived up to the hype through three games? Comment with your thoughts!