New England Soccer Today

Gameday: #NEvNY

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For the first time in nearly eight years, the Revolution (0-1-3, 3 points) will host a rare Friday night match at Gillette Stadium where they’ll meet longtime foe New York Red Bulls (1-2-0, 3 points) for the first time in 2016. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.

The Revolution, who last played host on a Friday back on Jun. 6, 2008 vs. FC Dallas (which was actually the second game of a soccer doubleheader that included a Brazil-Venezuela friendly), head into the match hoping that the fifth time’s a charm when it comes to win no. 1. Meanwhile, the Red Bulls will be looking to build off of their thrilling 4-3 comeback win over the Dynamo two weeks ago at Red Bull Arena.

Friday’s match will be nationally-televised on UniMas.

For live updates, be sure to follow @nesoccertoday on Twitter throughout the evening.

What’s at stake? After falling short in each of their first four, the Revolution hope that a full week at home will lend itself to a winning performance on Friday. On the other side of the pitch, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch is no fan of the artificial turf at Gillette Stadium, so taking a point from Friday’s match will probably suit him just fine.

Biggest question: Can the Revolution finally start capitalizing on their opportunities in front of goal? After scoring three times in their season-opener in Houston, the locals have only tallied once over the course of their last three. With Lee Nguyen back from U.S. National Team duty, the hosts hope to end their finishing woes against a makeshift Red Bulls backline.

Weather: Mother Nature certainly wasted no time with those April showers, which passed through the area during the morning. According to the National Weather Service, a few stray bands of rain are forecast for this evening with temperatures expected to be in the high-50s at kickoff.

Referees: You can’t accuse the Professional Referee Organization of not having a sense of humor. For the first time since last year’s controversy-filled knockout round tie at RFK Stadium, referee Mark Geiger will be the man in the middle for a Revolution match. On April Fool’s Day. Joining Geiger for the occasion will be Brian Dunn (AR1) and Logan Brown (AR2). The fourth official will be Marcos de Oliveira.

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