The Bent Musket Roundtable: The best moment of 2021

2021 was quite the year for the New England Revolution.

From starting the year with Matt Turner’s rise through the United States Men’s National team ranks, Carles Gil dropping more dimes than a person with a hole in their pocket, Adam Buksa finding his form, Tajon Buchanan being sold to Club Brugge, and of course winning a Supporters’ Shield. That’s only just the start too.

There are plenty of moments to choose from so here is what the staff of The Bent Musket had to say.

Sam - The sale of Tajon Buchanan

This might seem like a weird choice but I think every single Revolution fan was happy when it was announced that Tajon Buchanan would play for Club Brugge in 2022.

Buchanan continued his impressive play that started towards the end of 2020 and was dominant on the ball. There wasn’t a defender that could stop him and the confidence was oozing out of him.

There was a sense of pride knowing that Buchanan would be headed for Belgium. Revolution fans could see him flourish on the international stage and even in Champions League play.

Due to the overwhelmingly positive reaction, this is without a doubt my moment of the year.

Seth - Matt Turner’s emergence with the U.S. National Team

Turner made his international debut on Jan. 31 and saved a penalty en route to the USMNT beating Trinidad and Tobago 7-0. The New Jersey native went on to be the first-choice goalkeeper during Gold Cup. Here, he collected five shutouts and was ultimately named the “Best Goalkeeper” in the tournament. Despite sometimes playing backup to Zach Steffen, Turner ended the year with nine international clean sheets, which is the most-ever for a U.S. goalkeeper.

Turner is now a legitimate option to start at the 2022 World Cup and that’s exciting, especially since he’s worked so hard to get there. Revs fans have always known how good Turner is, but now the secret is out.

Now let’s get someone to sell Matt Turner jerseys.

Greg - Henry Kessler’s Time Wasting

In a season with so many high points, the one that stands out to me happened down in Chester, PA. The Revolution were clinging to a 1-0 lead in a game where the odds were stacked against them. They were playing without Gustavo Bou and Matt Turner, Carles Gil was playing on limited minutes returning from injury, and Arnor Traustason had been red carded in the 59th minute. As the Philadelphia Union were in a race against time to bring the score level and salvage a point, Henry Kessler’s used his creative side to kill a few more seconds.

The game itself was a good representation of the full season: The Revs finding a way to get the result despite injuries, missing players, and having their backs against the wall. But Kessler earned himself a moment that Revolution and Union fans alike won’t soon forget.

Josh – Raising of the Supporters’ Shield title

November 7th, 2021. A day I think will stick with me and many others for the rest of our lives.

After a grueling 34 games, the Revs were able to cement their names in the MLS history books as they were finally able to get their hands on the Supporters’ Shield title and claim their first piece of Major League Soccer hardware.

The sting of a 1-0 loss to Inter Miami CF quickly subsided after the whistle blew as crews began setting up for the presentation of the Supporters’ Shield while the energy within Gillette crescendos.

I vividly remember the sound of Sarge’s voice echoing, the sound of fans throughout the lower bowl cheering, the sight of confetti raining down on the pitch as the players celebrated their hard fought and deserved accomplish. Being their in person to experience something like that was truly awe-inspiring.