MLS: New England Revolution vs Washington United! Artificial turf home advantage? The visitors aren’t buying it!

Today’s first MLS game to talk about:New England Revolution vs Washington United!

The home side New England is a well-established strong team, and in the 2021 seasonthey broke the MLS all-time scoring record.

The visitors Washington United have long been underperformers, finishing last in the league last season in a miserable fashion.

This season, New England has continued their tradition as a formidable home team,achieving a 72.7% home win rate while remaining unbeaten.

Although Washington United welcomed Rooney’s return and improved their results, they still rank far below New England, who sit second in the Eastern Conference.

Most fans might worry — if Washington United lose to New England at home, what about away games?

But I’m not too concerned.

The last time Washington United lost to New England, there were many reasons behind it.

The main reason was that defensive core Parson was called up for national duty.

Washington United play with three central defenders; what happens if they can’t field all three?

Rooney chose to have defensive midfielder Durkin fill in, and that’s where things mainly went wrong.

The first goal conceded: Durkin was clearly confused, unsure of his positioning and role, and was easily beaten by the opponent who scored.

The second goal: Durkin made a small own-goal mistake, failing to coordinate with the aerial defender Williams, blocking each other’s way, and neither cleared the ball — such an error is unacceptable for a three-center-back team.

Actually, Washington played well in that match, with very similar attacking stats between the sides; the main issue was Durkin’s poor performance.

Note: Washington was basically without their key player Fontas.

This designated player, last season’s top scorer and MLS All-Star forward, had suffered a serious injury and had just returned in that match, playing only briefly as a substitute and not fully fit.

Washington United invested heavily to sign him and Benteke to form a “tall and fast” striking duo; without him, their attacking power was significantly weakened.

Now he’s in good form, and in the previous game, he even combined indirectly with Benteke. Washington United’s frontline quality is higher than it was in the last meeting with New England.

As for New England,they are missing two key players from the last encounter: midfielder Burke and defender Kessler.

Burke, who scored the winning goal, was the MVP of that match, while Kessler led in tackles and passing accuracy; both played important roles on the field. Without them, New England will likely decline somewhat.

Also, while others fear the artificial turf at Gillette Stadium, Washington United might not be intimidated.

In a previous video, we introduced how Vancouver Whitecaps developed a long-ball tactic against their artificial turf home, minimizing ground passes and focusing more on aerial attacks, leading the league in crosses.

Who’s second in crosses? Washington United,led by Rooney, as expected.

Moreover, New England, a team relying on positional play, usually struggles against five-defender “bus parking” teams.

Chicago Fire and Cincinnati, also five-defender teams focusing on long balls, both escaped New England’s home ground this season unharmed; how about Washington United?

Additionally, don’t overlook thatNew England have played three games in eight days, while Washington United have played one less match,meaning there is a significant difference in physical freshness.

Overall, with a style that suits them and better stamina, can Washington United satisfy their fans? What do you think? I hope they can at least secure a point!

Alright, for today’s other matches, I will still send you written analyses this evening. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Let’s “watch and understand the game” together — see you then!

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