After playing to a 1-1 draw at Toyota Park back in June, the Fire and New England Revolution battled to another stalemate Saturday (Sept. 22) at Gillette Stadium, each taking a point from a 2-2 result in Foxborough. Below are some of the most notable takeaways from the match:
Vintage Katai
After his blistering 6-week stretch of scoring in June and July gave way to a relative dry spell in the month of August, Aleksandar Katai on Saturday reminded everyone the difference-maker he can be on the attacking end with two moments of brilliance. First, Katai pickpocketed the Revs' Brandon Bye in the 19th minute and danced through several waves of defenders, ultimately depositing his left-footed shot into the opposite side netting for his 11th goal of 2018 and second in as many games (VIDEO). The second half then saw him answer a New England goal with a line-splitting diagonal run into the attacking third, cleverly playing Raheem Edwards in behind to set up a Revs own goal (VIDEO). Katai managed to unlock the New England defense on several other occasions en route to being named Krakus Man of the Match for the evening.
Eyes on 31
With both teams pressing for a winner in the game's late stages, play was interrupted in the 88th minute when Fire star Bastian Schweinsteiger, while in possession of the ball from his spot at centerback, went to ground clutching his jaw in obvious pain. That came only a few minutes after a sideline collision between Schweinsteiger and Revs newcomer Guillermo Hauche, and set New England's Scott Caldwell on a charge toward the Fire goal with a chance that was fortuitously snuffed out by Johan Kappelhof. Once back on his feet, Schweinsteiger exited the match in obvious pain, and his status for the upcoming midweek tilt at NYCFC (Wednesday, 6 PM CT, ESPN+) remains to be seen.
State of Mind
Both clubs were no doubt left wanting more from the match as the late-season push for a playoff spot continues. Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic described his team as "unsatisfied" with the point, while also commending the spirit on the pitch and in the locker room that has helped the Fire string together a three-match unbeaten streak. Raheem Edwards echoed that sentiment in his postgame reaction:
"The fight of the team was good," he said. "Obviously, we wanted to win, but it’s not good enough to get a draw. We need points to try to make the playoff push, but the fight was great, so we can take that towards the next five games.”
More from the Match
- Head coach Veljko Paunovic fielded the same Starting XI that earned the 4-0 home win over Orlando City SC six days prior.
- Veteran forward Yura Movsisyan entered the game in the 80th minute to notch his debut in a Fire shirt. Movsisyan has now played 139 MLS regular season matches for three different clubs.
- The Fire extended their unbeaten streak in the series against New England to six games (4-0-2).
- Click here to view complete stats and player performance data from the match.
