The Black-and-Red continue their road trip when they travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Revolution on Saturday, April 22. With records of 2-3-1 and 2-3-2, respectively, United and New England are both looking to return to .500 and regain positive momentum when they meet in the Eastern Conference clash.
United return to the road looking to rebound from last weekend’s loss at Red Bull Arena. Following two consecutive home wins against the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC, in-form United struggled with injuries against the Red Bulls and were unable to string together their third win in a row. The Black-and-Red will attempt to return to the win column and capitalize on New England’s susceptible back line, which is tied for the third-worst goal differential rate in the Eastern Conference.
"Away games in this league are very tough," head coach Ben Olsen said of Saturday's match in Foxborough. "It's a place we've been able to get points historically, though, and we're looking to do that."
The Revs will be playing their third match in a week when they host United at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. Jay Heaps’ side suffered a 3-0 loss against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park last Saturday, but will be pushing to maintain their perfect home record when they host the Earthquakes on Wednesday night and United on Saturday night.
Last season, Olsen’s side secured an impressive seven points in their three meetings with New England. United fought to a 0-0 draw in an early-season match in Foxborough, but later earned two dominant home victories and shutouts against the Revs at RFK. In the sides’ April 23 meeting, Lamar Neagle converted a penalty in the 33rd minute to open the score, while Luciano Acosta scored the Black-and-Red's goal of the season en route to a 3-0 victory.
The Revs returned to D.C. and fell for the fifth consecutive time at RFK on June 25. Neagle was again instrumental in United’s attack, as the midfielder netted a goal in the 20th minute and set up Sean Franklin for a second just seven minutes later. The 2-0 win gave Olsen’s squad much-needed midseason points and continued United’s streak of dominance against New England at RFK, where the Black-and-Red have not lost to the Revs since 2013.
Historically, United hold a significant edge over the Revs, with a 32-26-11 head-to-head record. Saturday’s match will be the 70th meeting between the sides and the first of two matchups this season. United host New England on Saturday, August 26, in the second match of a three-game homestand.
Both sides will be fighting for pivotal wins on Saturday. United are searching for their first road win of the season and attempting to regain their form before traveling to Atlanta next weekend, while New England are looking to pick up another win before going on a difficult two-game road trip of their own.
"It's a different feel on away games but we have to keep the same mentality," midfielder Ian Harkes said of Saturday's matchup. "We have to go in there with confidence and bounce back."
