Noel Buck earns rave reviews in MLS debut

Saturday was a special day for the New England Revolution and it will be a day that Noel Buck rememberers forever.

In New England’s 1-0 win over D.C. United, midfielder Noel Buck made his debut replacing Damian Rivera in the 62nd minute. In 27 minutes played, Buck completed 86 percent of his passes and had 11 touches while helping the Revs secure the victory.

Head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena was quite impressed with the youngster’s play.

“Noel Buck was very good,” Arena said. “I was very impressed. A very competitive kid for 17 years old. His passing was excellent, a great ball he pulled to Carles [Gil] to push him through to goal. I’m assuming that’s his first game with the first team. That’s an excellent first performance.”

For Buck, Saturday night was a dream come true.

“I mean, it’s a dream really,” he said. “It’s a dream come true. And, you know, I’m happy I can go out and secure the three points.”

While August 13 will hold a special day in Buck’s heart, he is already focused on building off his debut.

“It’s important, in my opinion, not to sit too much on it,” Buck stated. “Tonight, I can enjoy it, enjoy that I made my debut and I played well. But overall, it’s on to the next and it doesn’t mean anything if I can’t keep doing it.”

Buck won’t have a lot of time to celebrate his debut as New England heads to Canada to play Toronto FC on Wednesday. A mid-week game could mean that Buck gets another opportunity to show off his skills at the MLS level.