FOXBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — The halfway point is as good a time as ever to check in on New England’s favorite soccer team. The Revolution’s 2022-23 campaign has placed them firmly in playoff position, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference with 27 points. The Revs’ record stands 7-3-6 even with a recent slip in form. New England is winless in the last five matches, with three draws and two losses since May 13. Let’s get to know the most important pieces on the team.

1) Goalkeeper Djordeje Petrović

The 23-year-old Serbian was the team’s MVP last season, when he finished second in MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting. He’s a favorite to win the award this year. In the Revolution’s most recent match, a scoreless draw against NYCFC, you’d have seen something that has become perplexingly routine at this point – Petrović making spectacular saves to keep his team in the game. He had five saves en route to his sixth clean sheet of the season, good for third leaguewide. Don’t miss a chance to see opposing attacks run into the brick wall named Petrović at Gillette this season: the keeper has been rumored to have drawn interest from top-tier European clubs, namely Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester United.

2) Attacking Midfielder Carles Gil

Another name that you’re sure to hear on your broadcast is attacking midfielder Carles Gil. Before joining New England in 2019, the 30-year-old Spaniard played for high-profile European clubs such as Valencia and Aston Villa. Gil led the Revolution to the all-time MLS single-season points record and the club’s first Supporters’ Shield in 2021, when he was named the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player. He has become a MLS superstar in the past five years tallying the third best assist rate in league history. When Gil is on the field, everything moves through him – he leads the squad in goals and assists with five each.

3) Midfielder Noel Buck

One of the most exciting young players in the entire MLS has been a Rev since he was twelve years old. Buck joined the Revolution Academy in 2017. The eighteen-year-old phenom just graduated high school last week, months after becoming a regular starter for head coach Bruce Arena. MLS pundit Taylor Twellman – a New England Revolution legend – believes Buck has one of the brightest futures of any young player in the MLS and it’s easy to see why. The Arlington, Mass. native has a great sense of the field for a player his age, with vision and creativity beyond his years. He has the potential to be heavily involved with the U.S. national team in the near future.

4) Veterans

Other valued players on the Revolution are defenders Dave Romney and DeJuan Jones. Romney has played every minute for New England after being acquired in a trade last offseason from Nashville SC, while Jones is one of the league’s top left backs and is looking to surpass 10,000 minutes played with the Revs in their game this upcoming Saturday. Also, forward Bobby Wood and midfielder Latif Blessing have proven to be important additions, both having impactful first campaigns with the Revolution. 

5) Up-and-comer

A name to watch out for is Giacomo Vrioni, a 24-year-old forward who briefly played for Juventus before a loan to Austrian Bundesliga side WSG Tirol. Vrioni scored 17 goals in 2021-22, second in the league, but has struggled in his transition to America. The Italian has scored just three goals in thirteen games, winning only four starts from Arena.

Up Next:

The Revolution now prepare for Inter Miami CF, the team that started their recent skid. The Revs haven’t won since falling 2-1 in South Beach on May 13 and are looking to snap back into form Saturday at 7:30 p.m. New England is unbeaten at Gillette Stadium this year. On paper, Inter Miami is a perfect ‘get right’ game, as the club currently sits dead last in the Eastern Conference. Miami has lost five straight since beating the Revs and fired coach Phil Neville last week. More importantly, Inter Miami signed arguably the best player of all time, Lionel Messi. However, the Revs will avoid facing the newly-minted World Cup champion. Messi’s debut has yet to be announced.