Matt Polster performs well in his return from illness

Matt Polster was only expected to play limited minutes in his return from illness, but an injury to Wilfrid Kaptoum required him to play more.

Kaptoum was subbed off in the 24th minute after a non-contact injury. Arena didn’t have an update after the game, saying, “We’ll have to wait, I’m sure, a couple of days before we understand where he’s at.”

Down a midfielder, Arena opted to insert Polster, who missed Saturday’s 1-0 win over D.C. United due to illness. The defensive midfielder performed admirably considering the circumstances.

“Polster played very well tonight,” Arena said. “He’s been out. I think he was out eight or nine days as a result of Covid and I thought he came in and played more minutes. We thought he was going to give us 20-30 minutes and was forced into [playing 66 minutes] and he did an outstanding job.”

Polster had 37 touches, five recoveries, three clearances, and two interceptions. He was 22/26 (85%) on accurate passes,

An under-the-radar moment came in the 48th minute as Polster was instrumental in the New England Revolution’s second goal. Polster made a daring run forward after collecting the ball deep in his own half. A few passes later, Justin Rennicks found the back of the net.

The Revs earned a point after the game finished 2-2. Arena called it “a real good achievement” since they were without Gustavo Bou, Dylan Borrero, Giacomo Vrioni, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, and Maciel. The injury to Kaptoum made things even more difficult.

For now, the Revs are sixth in the Eastern Conference, which would get them into the playoffs. They’ll hope to solidify their place in the standings when they travel to face the Montreal Impact on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30.