Revolution defeat Orlando City SC 3-0

ORLANDO, Fla. – The New England Revolution (7-7-9; 30 pts.) defeated Orlando City SC (8-10-6; 30 pts.) at Exploria Stadium, 3-0, on Saturday night. Midfielders Matt Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and defender Henry Kessler provided New England’s goals in the 20th, 51st, and 75th minutes, respectively, as the Revolution recorded a third consecutive shutout for the first time since 2015.

Matt Polster tallied New England’s opening goal in the 20th minute, taking a feed from Tommy McNamara who found the midfielder’s streaking run up the middle of the field. Polster’s first touch put him in behind Orlando’s backline and his second placed was a low shot to Pedro Gallese’s right for his second goal of the season and the seventh of his MLS career.

Orlando nearly pulled level in the 33rd minute when Pato struck a firm shot from inside the box, but Djordje Petrović made a quick reaction to record the save. Petrović recorded three stops as he picked up his fourth shutout in 10 MLS starts. He was aided by the defensive backline of Brandon Bye, Andrew Farrell, DeJuan Jones, and Henry Kessler, who have collectively played every minute of the current three-game shutout streak. The Revolution have now played 368 minutes without conceding a goal from open play.

In the 51st minute, Wilfrid Kaptoum doubled the Revs’ lead with a first-time finish hit with pace into the near corner. McNamara picked up his second assist on the play, giving him three career games with multiple helpers. Henry Kessler then tacked on the third goal, his third in MLS, with a header in the 75th minute following Carles Gil’s corner kick. Gil logged his 12th assist of the season, currently second most in MLS, as he moves up to third place on the Revolution’s MLS assists chart.

With the win, the Revolution’s league-leading 21st on the road since the start of 2020, including playoffs, New England extends its unbeaten streak against Orlando City to nine games The victory was the club’s first in regular season play at Exploria Stadium and its second overall. The Revs’ record in the all-time regular season series with Orlando moves to 6-2-7.

The Revolution return home to Gillette Stadium for a meeting with D.C. United, led by new manager Wayne Rooney, next Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET on WSBK-TV38, myRITV and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Before the Revs’ next match, midfielder Carles Gil will represent the Revolution at the 2022 MLS All-Star Game in Minnesota against the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, Univision). Gil will also participate in the 2022 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge on Tuesday night, Aug. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2, TUDN).