New England Revolution match preview: Revs look to tame Orlando City SC

The New England Revolution return to action on Sunday as they travel to Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, to take on Orlando City SC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Sunday’s match will be the first time these two clubs will meet during the 2020 season. The last time Orlando and New England met was back on September 14^th, 2019, where both sides played to a 3-3 draw.

Orlando advanced to the semifinals after an unfathomable first-round matchup against NYCFC. A game that saw a quick goal from both sides within the first ten minutes of the match, red cards, and an insane penalty shootout.

On the other hand, the Revolution had a thrilling path to the Eastern Conference Semifinals after picking up a win over the Impact in the play-in round with the help of a 95th-minute blast from Gustavo Bou, and a rather shocking 2-0 victory over the 2020 Supporters Shield winning Philadelphia Union.

Coming into Sunday’s match, Orlando will be without two key members of their roster as defender Ruan and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese will be unavailable after being booked with red cards in their first-round match against NYCFC.

Ruan received a red card in the 87th minute after a deliberate kick to NYC’s Gary Mackay-Steven. Pedro Gallese would receive a second yellow during the penalty shootout for stepping off the goal line. These two absences will have implications on Oscar Pareja’s lineup for Sunday’s match.

With Gallese out, the Lions will likely lean on backup keeper Brian Rowe. Throughout his nine seasons in MLS, Rowe has allowed a total of 16 goals against the Revolution throughout five appearances.

Sunday’s match is scheduled to kickoff at 3:00 PM and is available to view on ABC. Radio coverage is also available on 98.5 The Sports Hub and Nossa Radio USA.