New England Revolution
“I don’t like to lose games, but there 100 percent are some positive takeaways from this game that we can build on for the coming games.”
Brayan Ceballos’s return to the lineup was one of the takeaways from the Revolution’s 1-0 loss to the Red Bulls. Via New England Revolution
March 1, 2026 | 10:29 AM
3 minutes to read
The Revolution lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday afternoon. New England has now opened the 2026 season with back-to-back defeats.
A frenetic tempo set by both teams did not ultimately produce too many goal-scoring opportunities in the matchup. The difference in the game was provided by a back-post finish from 17-year-old Red Bulls forward Julian Hall (assisted by 16-year-old New York midfielder Adri Mehmeti’s flick-on header).
Here are a few takeaways from another tough day at the office for the Revolution:
Bolstered back line held in a tough first half
Entering the second game of the season following last Saturday’s 4-1 loss against Nashville in the opener, the Revolution happily welcomed back center-backs Brayan Ceballos and Mamadou Fofana (who each missed the Matchday 1 loss). Right back Ilay Feingold was brought back into the Starting XI, with winger Luca Langoni also handed his first start of the season. Dor Turgeman shifted to center forward with Leo Campana unexpectedly ruled out with a lower body injury.
Having correctly anticipated that his team would need to “match [New York’s] intensity from the very beginning until the very end” in a pregame press conference, Revolution head coach Marko Mitrovic could only watch as the relentless Red Bulls press all but monopolized possession in the first half (73-27 in New York’s favor).
This placed pressure on the Revolution back line. Fortunately for New England, Ceballos and Fofana were largely up to the task, thwarting a number of close calls that might have resulted in goals a week ago. For all of the Red Bulls’ possession, Michael Bradley’s team failed to create many clear opportunities. In that sense, Mitrovic’s team managed to match Red Bulls’ intensity (if not their ability to keep the ball).
Revolution struggled with Red Bulls’ press
The possession disparity in the first half was the clearest indicator statistically, but New York’s press was tangible in real-time to anyone watching the game. The number of times New England connected more than two consecutive passes felt distinctly rare.
The Revolution’s usual outlet, Carles Gil, struggled to find both time and space for much of the night, completing an unusually low 71 percent of his passes (29 of 41). Along with making some uncharacteristically poor touches, Gil was also pressured constantly. Though the Spaniard still delivered some recognizably expansive passes (especially as the game progressed), he was largely held in check.
Aside from Feingold (who led the team in touches and charged forward on multiple occasions to cause momentary panic in New York’s marking), the Revolution lacked dynamism in the attack. Much of it could be attributed to the Red Bulls’ defensive intensity, but New England continues to search for consistent impact from any of its forwards.
Opportunity knocked in the second half, but New England couldn’t answer
Even before New York’s goal, the irony was that the momentum seemed to be shifting. While it would be hard to say that any portion of the game was definitely in the Revolution’s favor, the game felt at least more evenly matched as the second half ebbed along. The Red Bulls’ press proved impossible to sustain for 90 minutes.
“It’s very difficult to sustain that intensity with what [New York] is doing,” Mitrovic said afterward. “We knew that as long as the game goes, we would have more and more space for us.”
Sure enough, the moment arrived in the 68th minute, when a good exchange between Gil and Feingold set the latter down the right and into space. With Turgeman stretching New York’s back line, Feingold looked to pull the ball back with his centering pass to the top of the six-yard box.
But as has been the case for New England in recent seasons, the club’s attacking players were unable to maximize the opportunity. Substitute midfielder Jackson Yueill and winger Griffin Yow failed to communicate with each other as Yow appeared to run into Yueill. The result was a botched finish from Yueill and a save by New York goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
Having missed their best chance, the Revolution failed to produce any late magic. Still, despite falling to a second defeat in as many games to start the season, Mitrovic kept his eye on the long term.
“They are a team that plays with unbelievable intensity and, really, congrats to them,” he said of New York. “They’re a great team, and it was a great test for us in terms of how we can sustain our intensity through the whole game. That one moment on the set piece defined the game. [We had] some situations, especially in the last 15-20 minutes in the second half, where we could have converted and scored a goal. We didn’t. I don’t like to lose games, but there 100 percent are some positive takeaways from this game that we can build on for the coming games.”
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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