New England Revolution
New England went from almost being down 2-0 to tying the game in a crucial second half sequence.
Carles Gil celebrates after scoring the winning goal for the Revolution. Via New England Revolution
May 10, 2026 | 7:37 AM
4 minutes to read
The Revolution pulled off another comeback win on Saturday, responding to a 37th minute Will Sands own goal with two second-half strikes in a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium.
Goals from Luca Langoni and Carles Gil ensured that New England moved to 6-0-0 at Gillette Stadium in 2026 league matches, the club’s best start to an MLS season at home in its history.
Here are a few takeaways:
An uneven start
New England opted for the same Starting XI as had taken the field in the 1-0 win over Charlotte on May 2. And much like last week’s win, the Revolution took a while to work their way into the game.
With the Union — entering the contest occupying last place in the Eastern Conference — unsurprisingly opting to sit deeper, neither team generated consistent chances in the opening 45 minutes.
It was little surprise then that the opening score came from a bizarre accident resulting in an own goal. After New England failed to properly clear a simple long ball, Philadelphia forward Milan Iloski pounced. But far from having a clear-cut chance, he was being closed down by Revolution right back Will Sands (filling in on the opposite flank for an injured Ilay Feingold).
In a rare bout of bad luck (something New England has seen far less of so far in 2026), Iloski’s early touch bounced off of Sands’s leg as he attempted to clear the ball, and deflected straight into the low corner of the Revolution goal. It was a cruel moment for Sands, but his response impressed his coach.
Milan Iloski slips behind New England’s back line to force an own goal, giving @PhilaUnion the lead!
📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/KM879jVZbB pic.twitter.com/7QmfRnLb2L
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 10, 2026
“I think if you take out those three seconds, where I believe he was unlucky, [Sands] actually had a very, very good performance,” said New England head coach Marko Mitrovic. “Something that was very positive with Will is that the play didn’t affect him in any way. I think that’s the right approach that we have to have — even if you score an [own] goal, that doesn’t mean you are like, ‘Coach, sub me off. I am done for today.’ You have to keep doing your job.”
The pivot point in the game
Though the Revolution began to up the tempo and stretch the field in the second, the game didn’t jump fully to life until arguably the 58th minute. Union winger Cavan Sullivan cut around Sands on the right side of the New England defense, whipping a low cross toward goal.
Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner did well to go get a hand on the cross with a skillful dive, but spilled the rebound right into the path of Union forward Ezekiel Alladoh. Parked right in front of the goal, it seemed Alladoh couldn’t miss doubling Philadelphia’s lead.
At the crucial moment, New England center back Mamadou Fofana showed his excellence (even if his initial marking was not tight enough), lunging with perfect timing in front of Alladoh’s shot and emphatically blocking it practically on the goal line.
Fofana then got back to his feet instantly and leaped in front of a follow-up cross, heading it clear of danger.
Having survived Philadelphia’s best effort to go up 2-0, New England jolted to life. Less than two minutes later, the Revolution had the ball on the other end of the field, and earned a corner kick off a Sands cross. When the initial effort from Langoni was blocked, Gil fed the Revolution winger as he cut inside.
Langoni drove across the box before unleashing an unstoppable curler inside the far post. It was a highlight strike, undoubtedly one of New England’s goals of the season:
LUCA LANGONI CURLS IT THROUGH THE WINDOW AND TO THE FAR POST 🤯@NERevolution level the game in style! pic.twitter.com/me3vZUCKIb
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 10, 2026
Carles Gil scored a captain’s goal to complete the comeback
With the game tied so quickly after it was nearly 2-0, the air seemed to deflate from the Union. The Revolution conversely grew into the game, and it felt like a winner was within New England’s grasp.
Unable to convert several other good opportunities (including multiple sequences in which talented left back Peyton Miller snuck behind the Union defense), New England finally produced a delightful team goal to take the lead.
Beginning with a timely interception from midfielder Brooklyn Raines, a quick passing sequence in Philadelphia’s half of the field culminated with a loose ball popping right onto Gil’s left foot in the box. New England’s 33-year-old captain coolly lashed the ball inside the near post, and the Revolution lead 2-1.
Making magic happen at home 🪄
Carles Gil strikes to give @NERevolution a late lead! pic.twitter.com/gKJYrj6ZWe
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 10, 2026
“With the way that [Philadelphia] plays and to have such a strong re-press moment, something that we were working on, something we always work on, is how we can get from that re-press zone in the fastest way possible and having the intention to play forward,” said Mitrovic of the turnover his team turned into a goal.
“Not that it always works, but on that second goal it was a really good intention to play forward, to secure the ball and get out of the re-press zone, then keep going forward with the mindset to finish the attack. And then we obviously got the goal from that situation.”
It was the fourth time in 2026 (and the third in the team’s last five games) in which the Revolution came from behind to win, a testament to the far-from-flawless yet thrillingly successful start that Mitrovic has made in New England. Entering a high-profile regular season home matchup against first-place Nashville on Wednesday, the Revolution will begin the proceedings in second place in the Eastern Conference.
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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