New England coach Bruce Arena will take a third shot at becoming the all-time MLS wins leader when he leads the Revolution against visiting FC Dallas on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass.
Arena remains tied with the late Sigi Schmid on 240 career regular-season victories after a 2-2 draw at Portland last Saturday.
Brandon Bye scored just before halftime and Sebastian Lletget added his first goal with his new club after the break, with each goal giving the visitors the lead.
However, although the Revs (0-0-1, 1 point) twice took the lead before settling for a draw, Arena said the Timbers’ ability to come from behind showed an edge that New England lacked.
“I think our preseason was not good enough to get us prepared for that game,” Arena said. “I think Portland was way ahead of us in terms of our preparation. They looked like a fitter team, more synchronized. We have to get better, and that’s certainly going to be our goal this week.”
New England also lost its final game of the 2021 regular season to Miami in Arena’s first shot at the record after the club had already clinched the Supporters’ Shield. The Revs then exited the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals, losing on penalties following a 2-2 draw with New York City FC.
FC Dallas (0-0-1, 1 point), who missed the postseason in 2021 for the first time in four seasons, are in a period of transition under first-year coach Nico Estevez.
In that context, their 1-1 home draw to Toronto FC to open the season was a satisfactory result, with new signing Paul Arriola setting up Jader Obrian’s goal early in the contest.
But between giving back an early lead and then failing to capitalize on late chances, there’s plenty of room to improve, Estevez said.
“We have to be a little bit more patient when we build up our attacks,” he said. “And to have longer possessions to open more spaces and to also create more goal-scoring opportunities.”
Alan Velasco, a 19-year-old attacker signed from Argentina this offseason, should be available for Dallas after visa issues delayed his arrival.
–Field Level Media