When FC Cincinnati and the host New England Revolution clash on Saturday, not only will it be a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, but it will be the first match in MLS history between two teams that have accumulated at least 20 points in the season’s first 10 games.
“You have two teams that have been strong early on in terms of results,” Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. “I’m guessing that if you asked opposing head coach (Bruce Arena) what he thought about that (stat,) there wouldn’t be too much thought going into it. I think we’d both say that our teams can be better, can improve.”
FC Cincinnati (6-1-2, 20 points) have already matched their total season point output from the 2021 season after defeating the Portland Timbers 2-1 last Saturday. Sergio Santos opened the scoring in the 34th minute and assisted on Brandon Vazquez’s 58th-minute goal.
Players like Santos and Vazquez are showing that they can put the ball in the back of the net, which bodes well for Cincinnati’s future. It especially is key as the team prepares for the eventual departure of forward Brenner.
FC Cincinnati announced this week they agreed to a club-record transfer with Udinese of Serie A in Italy for Brenner. The 23-year-old star — who has scored 27 goals in 72 appearances — will remain with Cincinnati until the European transfer window opens in July.
As for New England, Giacomo Vrioni’s first-half brace proved to be enough as the Revolution (6-1-2, 20 points) posted a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City last Saturday.
Vrioni’s three goals lead the Revs, but another name to keep an eye on is winger Dylan Borrero. He missed the Sporting KC match due to a red card, but he has two goals and an assist in seven matches and could potentially be back in the lineup Saturday.
“We’re trying to find a little bit more consistency to his game,” Arena said. “He can have very, very good games and I think we’re pushing him to be a little bit more consistent from game to game, and if he does that, he’s going to be a very good player in the league.”
–Field Level Media