Bruce Arena says NYCFC “outplayed” and “outcoached” weakened Revs

There isn’t much you can take away from Saturday’s game between the New England Revolution and New York City FC, according to Revs head coach Bruce Arena.

The Revolution played on the narrow confines of Yankee Stadium without regular starters Carles Gil, Tajon Buchanan, and Brandon Bye. Gustavo Bou only played the second half after returning from the All Star Game on Thursday. Matt Polster entered in the 57th minute as he makes his way back to full health.

In short, it wasn’t a full-strength Revs team who lost 2-0.

“I don’t take a whole lot out of [the game],” Arena told media. “I hate losing the game. We never prepare our team to lose the game, but given the circumstances it was going to be difficult.”

NYCFC struck first when Maximiliano Moralez played provider for Valentin Castellanos. The Argentine striker was originally deemed to be offside, but Kevin Stott pointed to the center circle after reviewing the play.

The Cityzens doubled their lead in the 55th minute when Moralez found Castellanos at the far post.

Despite having 12 shots, the Revs ended the night with only one attempt on target, which is proof that the Revs struggled.

“They outplayed us, no question about that,” Arena said. “They outplayed us on the night and deserved to win. If you look at eleven matchups on the field, they probably won all of them. Let’s say ten, ten field players. They outplayed us all over the field. They outcoached us too.”

The Revs will have another opportunity to face NYCFC on Sept. 11. The third meeting between the two clubs will be important since playoffs are looming.

“Obviously, we have great talents on top who can win us games, but if we don’t play as a team, it’s hard to beat a team especially like New York City FC which is really, really talented,” Andrew Farrell explained. “So, we’re disappointed with the result. We got another opportunity against them later in the year, in two weeks.”