New England Revolution
“Give Matt Turner some credit. He made some really good saves for them.”
Luca Langoni celebrates after giving the Revolution the lead against Minnesota United on May 16. Via New England Revolution
May 17, 2026 | 10:47 AM
3 minutes to read
The Revolution won a back-and-forth matchup against Minnesota United 2-1 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. New England responded to the midweek loss against Nashville with a hard-fought win against a capable opponent.
Goals from Carles Gil and Luca Langoni overcame Kelvin Yeboah’s lone tally for Minnesota.
Here are the takeaways:
A frantic marathon in the first half
The Revolution welcomed winger Luca Langoni and center-back Brayan Ceballos back into the lineup, giving head coach Marko Mitrović a nearly full strength squad.
Having established a pattern of slower starts in recent weeks, New England flipped the script on Saturday. A lively start was rewarded when forward Dor Turgeman was tripped in the box, resulting in a penalty kick after a VAR decision. Gil calmly converted, and New England led inside five minutes.
While the Revolution created additional chances in the frenzied opening 15 minutes, the home team was unable to fully capitalize. As happens so often across sports, missed opportunities led to immediate regret when New England midfielder Brooklyn Raines was called for a foul in his own penalty box. Yeboah tucked away the ensuing Minnesota penalty, and the game was tied 1-1.
Former Revolution winger Tomás Chancalay returned to Gillette Stadium for the first time since his offseason trade. As always with the enigmatic Argentine, he produced moments of brilliance and probably should have gotten an assist in the 40th minute. Having dribbled past Ceballos, Chancalay cut a perfect cross directly into the goal mouth.
Yet Chancalay’s Minnesota teammates couldn’t apply a finish, and the chance for the visitors to take the lead was wasted.
Due to multiple VAR reviews and injury stoppages, the first half didn’t end until the 12th minute of stoppage time.
Revolution once again turned defense into offense
One of the interesting traits of the Mitrović era in New England has been the team’s ability to create goals off turnovers despite not committing as intensely to a high press.
The system Mitrović seems to use is one that facilitates tight marking with pressing at certain moments. Exactly how the team decides when it presses depends, but taking advantage of loose opposition passes in midfield is already a staple of the system.
This was the case early in the second half on Saturday, when the Revolution unleashed a press after a Minnesota restart in midfield.
Though Raines and Gil were unable to win the ball, they forced a mistake from Minnesota midfielder Nectarios Triantis. When Triantis (badgered by multiple Revolution players) tried to play a back pass, Langoni pounced.
The speedy Revolution winger raced forward, playing a simple give-and-go with Turgeman before firing his shot low into the far corner to give the Revolution a 2-1 lead.
At the time of Langoni’s shot, New England had four players in the box to Minnesota’s three. Though an afterthought amid the goal, it’s a good demonstration of how aggressive the Revolution can be on the counterattack.
Matt Turner did what he does best
The U.S. international drew obvious criticism in the midweek loss for the mistake he made in possession that led to a simple Nashville tap-in. With the World Cup looming, Turner remains under serious scrutiny.
Like the rest of the team, however, Turner’s response on Saturday was emphatic. Though he couldn’t save the penalty kick — Yeboah’s deceptive technique proved effective — Turner made a series of other important stops.
This was especially true in the closing stages of the game, when Minnesota worked several opportunities on goal.
“We were just unfortunate to probably not get another goal. Created a boatload of chances again. Give Matt Turner some credit. He made some really good saves for them,” said Minnesota assistant Josh Wolf after the game.
Exactly what decision U.S. national team coach Mauricio Pochettino makes at the goalkeeper position remains to be seen. Turner is currently seen as being on the outside looking in behind New York City FC (and former Harvard) goalkeeper Matt Freese. Yet for anyone who has been watching the 2026 Revolution, it’s clear that Turner is not only elevating New England to a higher MLS trajectory, but (aside from the Nashville miscue) is playing at a high level.
Fans’ opinion of the national team depth chart is not in question, especially after the supporters’ Tifo banner prior to the game (which was a picture of Turner with the message “Poch take note: There’s only one Matt Turner.”)
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
⚽ Get the latest World Cup news
Receive updates on the 2026 FIFA World Cup
