Wilfrid Kaptoum stepped up in Matt Polster’s absence

Wilfrid Kaptoum had played only 91 minutes so far this MLS season but he was tasked with a tough job to do on Saturday night. Kaptoum had to replace Matt Polster in the New England Revolution midfield.

Polster missed Saturday’s 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati due to yellow card accumulation. Kaptoum along with Tommy McNamara were tasked with commanding the midfield.

The Cameroonian midfielder played 64 minutes on Saturday and completed 22 of his 24 passes and had 36 touches. Kaptoum also had three interceptions.

Overall, Kaptoum looked much more comfortable out on the pitch. He was able to get by defenders and also made some quality plays in the defensive half.

Bruce Arena was asked about Kaptoum’s performance after the match and he thought that the midfielder did a good job.

“Played a good game,” Arena said about Kaptoum. “You know, he is a good passer. Obviously, not having many minutes in him, his fitness was going to be a factor. So, we got a good, I think 65 minutes of him. I don’t know exactly, but he did a good job – good, solid job in place of [Matt] Polster.”

Along with Kaptoum, the midfield as a whole had a solid match. McNamara scored the game-winning goal, and Maciel played 26 minutes and recorded 26 touches along with completing 22 of his 25 passes. The Brazilian looked quite comfortable and put in one of his best performances. His ball to Brandon Bye helped set up the goal from McNamara.

Kaptoum’s performance was a good first step for the midfielder after a mediocre start to his MLS career in 2021. The 25-year-old only appeared in 21 games and played 892 minutes. Kaptoum also scored a goal and an assist last year.

Revs fans will be hoping that this is the start of a long run of good play from Kaptoum as the 2022 MLS season marches on.