New England Revolution

3 takeaways from the Revolution’s 4-0 Champions Cup win over Alajuelense

Despite giving Carles Gil the night off, New England still managed a lopsided scoreline.

By Hayden Bird

March 6, 2024

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The Revolution rebounded from the home loss against Toronto over the weekend with a comprehensive 4-0 dismantling of Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense on a rain-soaked Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.

The win places New England in a commanding position heading into the return leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup next Thursday in Costa Rica. Escaping without even conceding a single away goal — and on a night when Caleb Porter decided to leave Carles Gil on the bench — it ended up being a nearly perfect night for Revolution supporters.

Goals from Nick Lima (his first with the Revolution), two from Tomás Chancalay, and 18-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic rounded out a dominant performance.

Here are a few takeaways:

Revolution overcame slow start.

At the outset, Alajuelense attempted to impose themselves on the game, barging New England off the ball and choking off space in the middle of the field.

Both teams were expected to use versions of a 4-2-3-1, but New England, minus Carles Gil, played more of a 4-3-3 with Matt Polster, Mark-Anthony Kaye, and Ian Harkes playing in a deeper midfield than the Revolution normally use.

Alajuelense’s early aggression was typified by an incident in the 17th minute when Costa Rican left back Ian Lawrence went up for a header and extended his right forearm, connecting with the nose of New England winger Nacho Gil.

Gil was left bewildered and sporting a bloody nose after the play. Lawrence escaped with a yellow card, but in retrospect the clash may have helped wake up the Revolution offense.

Over the next 10 minutes, the flow of play swung New England’s way. The passing tempo, which started inconsistently and tentatively, began to tick upward. The first flashpoint came via a pair of Harkes shots, the second of which was barely blocked on the goal-line.

The breakthrough came when both outside backs connected on a perfectly executed cross. Esmir Bajraktarevic’s back-heeled pass in the left channel found DeJuan Jones sprinting to the touchline. Jones picked out right back Nick Lima at the back post.

Unmarked, Lima smartly side-footed his volley into the far corner to give the home team a lead.

Midfield pressing allowed New England’s defense to transition quickly into offense.

One of the themes of the night was that — especially after the opening 20 minutes — New England consistently forced Alajuelense into committing turnovers.

The second Revolution goal resulted directly from such a scenario. Harkes battled to win possession near midfield, shielded the ball well, and eventually picked out Gil on the right wing.

The 28-year-old Spaniard earned a measure of revenge for his earlier bloody nose, feeding Chancalay at the near post. The Argentine, who Porter said afterward has “never seen a shot he can’t make,” promptly tucked his first-time chance into the near post to double New England’s lead.

The second half offered more of the same. After Gil won possession inside Alajuelense’s half on the left wing in the 50th minute, he sprinted upfield and eventually tried to pick out the run of Bajraktarevic. The ball instead found the hand of Edward Cedeño inside the box (and Chancalay quickly dispatched the penalty kick into the net for his second goal).

“I thought we were good in transition today,” Porter said after the game. “We knew that would be important because we’re playing a team that does want the ball and they want to be in the front half. We saw at times that maybe they could be vulnerable in transition. I think we were good in that phase of the game.”

Rotation paid off. Will there be more to come?

Amid a busy stretch of games — this was the fifth for New England in the last 15 days — Porter was able to give his captain a valuable night off while still getting an important win. Center back Henry Kessler, still working his way back to full fitness from injury, was also left on the bench.

And after not starting against Toronto, Lima looked fresh on Wednesday, producing his best game since being traded from Austin FC in the offseason. The 29-year-old added a goal and an assist.

Jonathan Mensah, rotated in for Kessler, performed well in unsung roles. He was part of a solid foundation that stood strong in the early moments of the game when Alajuelense were briefly on the front foot.

The question will be if Porter is able to eventually give Polster, Jones, and Dave Romney a rest (possibly Chancalay as well). Each has factored into all of New England’s games so far this season, but will eventually need time to recharge.

Polster, normally a metronome of consistency, committed some uncharacteristic turnovers on Wednesday, perhaps a sign of fatigue. Fortunately, New England appear to have depth in center midfield. Harkes has looked sharp in the minutes he’s been given so far this season, with Noel Buck and Kaye also providing options.

The lineup decisions will come fast for the Revolution, who play again on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) in Atlanta prior to the second Champions Cup matchup next Thursday (March 14) in Costa Rica at 8 p.m.