Recap: Revolution 3 - 2 FC Cincinnati

The New England Revolution returned to action on Saturday as they traveled to TQL Stadium to take on FC Cincinnati.

Three changes were made to the Revolution lineup from last week’s 2-2 draw against Atlanta United as Omar Gonzalez, Wilfried Kaptoum, and Damian Rivera return to the starting lineup. Henry Kessler and Matt Polster were not on the eighteen-man roster as Polster served a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. Kessler did not travel to Cincinnati due to an undisclosed injury.

On a brighter note, Jon Bell and Gustavo Bou returned to the gameday roster as the duo returned from their respective injuries. New arrival Dylan Borrero featured on the bench as the Colombian midfielder looked to make his first appearance since arriving from Atlético Mineiro earlier this month.

Cincinnati came into Saturday’s match looking for revenge as they were knocked out of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup by the Revs in the Round of 32 after a dominant 5-1 victory at Gillette.

Mother Nature had an impact before the starting whistle blew. Thunderstorms in the area forced a weather delay. After a near 90-minute delay, they finally got to play some soccer.

DeJuan Jones looked to get the Revs offense rolling in the 17th minute as he drove across the top of the 18-yard-box. Once Jones created some space, he pulled back a shot towards the right side of the net. Roman Celentano dove to his left to attempt a save, but it wasn’t enough as it sailed past him. It looked like DeJuan was poised to net his second goal of the year, but it was just a tad too far to the right as it bounced off the woodwork and out into Cincinnati’s box.

Ian Murphy attempted to clear the ball out of the box, but his clearance fell right to Brandon Bye. Bye touched the ball forward and analyzed the field before sending a cross into the box where it found Sebastian Lletget. Lletget leaped into the air and scissored the ball into the back of the net. The crowd inside TQL Stadium was stunned silent as Lletget netted his second goal of the regular season and gave the Revolution a 1-0 lead early in the match.

The Revolution backline was caught ball watching in the 26th minute as Luciano Acosta’s pass to John Nelson led to a lobbed a cross inward to Brandon Vázquez, who headed the ball into the back of the net to level things 1-1.

Adam Buksa pulled a rabbit out of his hat in the 43rd minute as Bye sent a low-driven pass to Buksa just outside the 6-yard-box. On pure instinct, Buksa back heel flicked the ball into the net while not even looking. It was absolute class from the Polish striker as he extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games and collected his 9th goal in the past seven outings.

One substitution for the Revs came before the second half began as Gustavo Bou returned to the pitch for the first time since the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal against PUMAS on March 16th.

Álvaro Barreal wasted no time leveling things in the 58^th minute as he received Dominique Badji’s pass inside the box and took advantage of the lack of pressure as he sailed the ball into the top left corner of the net.

Then a pair of substitutions came in the 64th minute as Borrero made his first appearance as he came on for Rivera. Maciel also entered the match as he replaced Kaptoum.

Jones looked to give the Revs the lead in the 67^th minute as he sent a shot towards the top left corner of the net. The post denied Jones for a second time as it bounced off the woodwork and out for a goal kick.

Some concern came in the 79^th minute as Adam Buksa appeared to be in some discomfort as the medical staff came out to tend to him. After a few moments on the pitch, Buksa slowly made his way off the pitch but Buksa did not return to the game as Ema Boateng replaced him in the 80^th minute.

Jon Bell ended up making his first appearance since March 19th’s match against Charlotte FC as he subbed on for Omar Gonzalez in the 83rd minute.

Just as it looked like the game was going to end in a 2-2 draw, Bye drove into the box in the 89th minute. As it looked like Bye was going to shoot, he laid it back to Tommy McNamara, who put a rocket of a shot on frame. Celentano attempted to get a hand on the ball, but it was not enough as the ball dipped at just the right time to crash into the back of the net.

It was a historic night as their 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati gave the Revs their club-record seventh-straight MLS match with multiple goals.

The Revolution return to action on Wednesday, May 25th, as they travel to Belson Stadium to take on New York City FC in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN+.