New York City FC are back home in the Bronx for a meeting with New England Revolution.
For this edition of 'The Away End' presented by Berkeley College & Rennert International, we spoke to Sam Minton, the site manager for Revs blog The Bent Musket.
Hi Sam, thanks for speaking with us. How long have you been a New England Revs fan?
I've been a Revs fan since 2016. I attended my first match with my now fiancée Raquel and her father Milton and instantly fell in love with the team.
What’s been your favorite moment following or covering the team?
That's definitely a tough one so I'll choose two. As a fan, it has to be Gustavo Bou's GWG against the Chicago Fire on August 24th, 2019. I was down on the field when the goal happened and everybody went wild when the ball went in. Also, I got to meet Andrew Farrell that night so that was awesome as well. My favorite moment covering the team is a recent one. The Bent Musket basically started a social media campaign for the Revs to sign Jon Bell. Seth Macomber sent the first tweet and it took off from there. The team used our tweets in a video announcing the signing and Seth got to interview him about it as well.
Honorable mention has to be the recent transfer of Tajon Buchanan to Club Brugge as everyone is so proud of him.
Looking at the 2021 season, the Revs are enjoying a fantastic campaign. What do you put that down to?
At this point, it comes down to their depth. Even without Matt Turner, Henry Kessler, and Tajon Buchanan, Bruce Arena still set this squad up for success. Now without MVP candidate Carles Gil, New England is still finding ways to win. With such a deep squad, the Revs always seem to make the right adjustment to secure three points.
From a tactical standpoint, what strengths should Ronny Deila and his team be wary of heading into the game?
New England's have proven lethal on the counter-attack. With speedsters like Ema Boateng and Tajon Buchanan, the Revs can get up the field fast. The wing-backs like to join in on the attack constantly sending balls into the box for Adam Buksa to head home. Also, Gustavo Bou might be able to score from anywhere on the pitch (If Deila leads NYCFC to victory because of this I'm sorry Revs fans, Bruce Arena didn't call me a tactical genius for no reason).
Are there any areas where you think the Revs can improve?
The only worry area for New England is the backline. While Andrew Farrell and Henry Kessler have done well, the Revs could use some improvement at the back. Also with the wing-backs joining the attack, there are times that they can be out of position providing opponents with a great opportunity on the counter.
If you were to identify New England’s danger-man, who would that be?
Well, it should be Carles Gil but he is over in Spain rehabbing an injury. Then I would say Tajon Buchanan but with him missing the All-Star Game due to medicals needing to be performed for his move to Brugge, he will miss Saturday's game. Right now I would say that Gustavo Bou is the danger-man. He can strike at any moment and has scored some amazing goals in his career.
And finally, for any fans thinking of making the trip to the Boston or Foxborough area in the future, are there any particular attractions you’d suggest checking out?
Well, the stadium is out in Foxborough so if you are in that area I would suggest going to The Hall at Patriots Place to learn about the greatest organization in the NFL. Also one of my favorite soccer stores, WeGotSoccer is about a 5 minute drive away, Finally, the Red Wing Diner is the place to go if you want to grab a bite to eat.
