Preview | New England Visits Inter Miami II on Sunday
New England Revolution II (7-6-4; 26 pts.) will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to take on Inter Miami II (7-7-3; 25 pts.) in a key matchup between the fifth and sixth place teams in the Eastern Conference. Sunday’s game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET at DRV PNK Stadium and streams on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Revolution II fell to Toronto FC II, 2-0, last weekend as Academy goalkeeper Max Weinstein made his professional debut in net. The Montpelier, VT native made five saves in his first professional appearance as Academy forward Brandonn Bueno also made his debut, entering as a sub in the 82nd minute. Academy graduate Colby Quiñones made his first appearance with the squad since June 4, logging 21 minutes as a substitute while Academy forward Malcolm Fry made his first Revs II appearance since the team’s season opener on March 27.
“We started off the game really strong actually. We kept the ball for the first 15 minutes, and we really had Toronto on their back heels. I think what we can really take away, especially for this weekend, is to try and actually keep the ball more,” defender Sean O;Hearn stated. “A lot of times, in the first 15 minutes like I said, we kept the ball, but after that we started going long and kind of got impatient with our build and I think if we keep the ball more, we’re one of the hardest teams to play against in the league and we can really pin teams back and we can really counter press and create opportunities off of our defense as well as our offense.”
Revolution II owns a 1-1-0 record vs. Inter Miami II this season, recording a 1-0 win at home and a 2-0 loss at DRV PNK Stadium on June 4. Revolution midfielder Dylan Borrero made his first appearance with New England in the match, logging the full 90 minutes and recording a team-high four shots with two on target. Goalkeeper Jacob Jackson made eight saves in the match.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, Revolution II currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern conference, tied at 26 points with fourth place Toronto FC II. Only five points separate the second and sixth place teams in a tightly contested Eastern Conference. Four of Revolution II’s final seven games come against Northeast Division opponents, facing Rochester and New York City once each with two games remaining against Philadelphia.
“Focusing on ourselves really, about the things that we feel we can improve upon. We know Miami very well. They’re a good team,” head coach Clint Peay said. “I think the challenge of going down there sometimes can be the heat and the humidity, so we just have to be smart in how we approach the game from a physical standpoint, but also how we execute and how we manage the game and take our chances when they’re there. That’s going to be important.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST INTER MIAMI II:
· Revolution II looking to improve upon their fifth-place positioning in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining in the regular season.
· Homegrown midfielders Noel Buck and Esmir Bajraktarevic returning to the team following their call-ups to the U-19 U.S. Youth Men’s National Team.
· Forward Marcos Dias adding to his team-leading five goals and 38 shots on the season.
· Academy graduate Colby Quiñones making his 45th appearance with Revolution II.
· Midfielder Michel making his 30th start with New England’s second team.
· New England adding to the 40 players – and 23 Revolution Academy products – who have made their professional debuts with Revolution II thus far.
