New England Revolution 5 Inter Miami 0: 3 thoughts

It was a hot night in Fort Lauderdale as the New England Revolution faced off against Inter Miami.

This was the first matchup between Miami and the Revs. New England looked to have an undefeated record against David Beckham and Phil Neville’s squad.

Prior to the game, Bruce Arena hinted at making some changes on 98.5 the Sports Hub and that’s exactly what he did. He made six changes with Christian Mafla, Jon Bell, A.J. DeLaGarza, Tommy McNamara, Arnor Traustason, and Teal Bunbury entered the starting XI.

So after New England’s successful night in Florida, here is what Revolution fans need to know.

1 - Arnór Traustason cools down Miami

It was a big night for Arnór Traustason as he bagged his first goal donning the crayon flag.

The goal was well deserved as Traustason earned the free kick that he ended up scoring on. It was a quality header into the left corner of the net.

With Traustason notching his first goal in MLS, he has the potential to establish himself in the starting XI. The Icelandic midfielder wasn’t just doing well on the attack, he did well pressing opponents and winning balls.

But that wasn’t all for the 28-year-old. In the 35th minute, he snagged his second goal of the season.

Hopefully this is just the start for Traustason as he looks to become a permanent fixture in the starting XI.

2 - Carles Gil has another MVP caliber performance

Somehow Carles Gil continues to find a way to impress Revolution fans.

Once again he dominated and controlled the game in the midfield. In a match that featured Blaise Matuidi, Gonzalo Higuain, and Rodolfo Pizarro, Gil was far and away the best player on the field.

The Spaniard continued to show his skill on the ball and added to his amazing assist total so far in 2021. With 11 assists in 15 games, Gil is showing to the rest of MLS that he is without a doubt an MVP favorite. That is the sixth-most assist in a single season for New England and there’s still plenty of games left to play.

Once again New England fans need to be reminded just how lucky they are to be able to watch Gil dominate in a Revolution uniform.

3 - Maciel masterclass

Maciel didn’t score any goals but he was a menace in the midfield.

There were numerous times were the Brazilian midfielder picked the pocket of Miami players. His defensive effort against Matuidi sparked the attack that led to New England’s second goal of the game.

Seeing Maciel’s rise from Revs II to the first team is nothing short of impressive. While he has had a few mistakes, he has made nearly a seamless transition.

When he is on the field there’s this sense of calmness to Maciel’s game. He never looks stressed and never looks in over his head. As Jon Bell said, “He’s a baller.”

With how young he is, Maciel could be donning a Revolution uniform for quite a while as well.

Wednesday