Galaxy 2 - Revolution 1: Revs fall in preseason opener

The Revolution opened the 2020 preseason by taking on Western Conference rivals, the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Fresh off his latest stint with the U.S. Men’s National Team, goalkeeper Matt Turner got the nod between the pipes for this preseason friendly. The remaining ten spots included Sinovic, Farrell, Kessler, Bye, Zahibo, Row, Fagundez, Penilla, Bou, and Buksa.

It didn’t take long for the Galaxy to display their offensive skills as they netted the games first goal in the 8^th minute. Cristian Pavon delivered an excellent ball into the box where Ethan Zubak was able to head it in, putting the Galaxy up 1-0.

New Designate Player signee Adam Buksa came close to equalizing the preseason friendly after his header from a Gustavo Bou cross struck the top post and went out.

Cristian Pavon would go on to put the Galaxy up 2-0 in the 34^th minute after easily sneaking a ball past Matt Turner, who stumbled on the turf.

A glimmer of hope arose towards the end of the half as Gustavo Bou found the back of the net after a pass from Adam Buksa.

As the half time whistle sounded, Bruce Arena made two changes to the squad going into the second half. The first being Brad Knighton replacing Matt Turner in goal, and the second being DeJuan Jones taking over at left back and replacing Seth Sinovic.

Numerous changes were made at the 60-minute mark as Simon Leknresser, Justin Rennicks, Nicholas Firmino, Scott Caldwell, Tajon Buchanan, Isaac Angking, and Teal Bunbury entered the match.

Justin Rennicks nearly capitalized in the 76^th minute as his shot in front of the goal was saved. Dejuan Jones also just missed an equalizer as he had a shot saved in the 89^th minute.

As the final whistle sounded, the LA Galaxy walked away with a 2-1 victory in this preseason friendly.

One takeaway from the Revs preseason opener was the fact that both center backs, veteran Andrew Farrell and rookie Henry Kessler, played the full 90 minutes. With 90 minutes of game action under their belts, the two center backs showed that they’re already match fit and were able to gain experience playing beside each other.

We were also greeted with a reminder of how agile Nicholas Firmino can be. Although he did not play for long. Firmino was able to capitalize on every second by showing his energy, enthusiasm, and agility as he weaved and dodged past defenders.

It was also nice to see Gustavo Bou score a goal. With 9 goals in the 2019 season, Bou will look to increase that number as he enters his first full season with the club.

It was exciting to see the chemistry between Gustavo Bou and Adam Buksa begin to take form and ultimately lead to a goal. Although Gil was unavailable for today’s friendly, it will be interesting to see how these three work together during the 2020 season.

The Revs return to preseason action on Wednesday, February 12^th as they will face off against the Colorado Rapids

Remember to check out The Bent Musket for all game recaps and the latest Revolution news, and let us know your thoughts on what you liked or didn’t like from the Revs first showing of the preseason!