With a ‘turning point’ victory over Red Bulls, Carles Gil, Revolution bought more time to grow

In the 26th minute on Saturday, though, Gil was taken down by Raheem Edwards about 28 yards from goal. After more than a minute of lining it up, Gil cranked a shot into the upper left corner of the net.

There has probably never been a better free kick converted at Gillette Stadium since the venue opened as CMGI Field in 2002. The timing could not have been much better, as the Revolution (1-3-1, 4 points) seemed on the brink of a crisis in confidence.

They had to survive an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting equalizer, and it wasn’t until the seventh minute of added time and Gil’s penalty kick decider that they secured the first win of the season.

But Gil’s first goal indicated the Revolution were capable of making their own breaks for a change.

Before the match, coach Caleb Porter called Saturday a “turning point.” The slow start to the season, combined with last year’s mostly disastrous performance, had raised questions about the coaching staff, management, and players. Despite the team’s record, there is evidence Porter has set the Revolution up for improvement, but all the planning and preparation go to waste unless marquee performers live up to their billing.

For the Red Bulls, that meant Emil Forsberg and Choupo-Moting, who combined on their goal. For the Revolution, that means Gil.

“We can build on that and I think the confidence will bubble up a little higher now, even more,” Porter said. “And it’s just great to see those guys in the locker room get rewarded for their hard work. You saw from the start, even after four games, under pressure, ‘The sky is falling.’ The guys just stayed focused and stayed bought in, and we performed really well.”

This developed into an eventful contest, and what happened at the start and in the final minutes demonstrated preparedness. Off the opening kickoff, the Revolution did not give up possession until well into the second minute of play, showing they could be composed on the ball and set the tone.

When it came to the 93rd minute, they were still going strong, Ignatius Ganago earning the penalty kick on what turned out to be the Revolution’s final attacking foray in a 100-minute-plus match.

In between, Porter’s emphasis on defending paid off. Central defender Tanner Beason made an impressive debut, filling in for Brayan Ceballos (undisclosed injury) and Wyatt Omsberg (hamstring), and goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic made a diving save after Forsberg found Mohammed Sofo in the 73rd minute.

The Revolution have surrendered six goals (1.2 per game), a defensive record that has kept them in contention in every match. They limited Forsberg’s impact via holding midfielders Matt Polster and Alhassan Yusuf. Forsberg did get loose and set up teammates, but forcing him to dish off is the lesser of evils. It was far better to take chances with less-ruthless Red Bulls than allow Forsberg an opening.

As for the offensive emergence, starting two young outside backs — Ilay Feingold (20) and Peyton Miller (17) — improved the width and gave life to Gil’s give-and-goes.

Another Porter move came through in the shape of right winger Luis Diaz. Porter won the 2020 MLS Cup with Diaz on the right wing for the Crew, and he considers him possibly the speediest player in the league. Diaz’s role is to provide a late-game, straight-ahead spark, piling pressure on an opposing wing that has been chasing Luca Langoni for 80-some minutes.

Sure enough, the sequence leading to the penalty kick occurred on the right side, and Diaz twice drew Red Bulls into cautions within a 10-minute span.

The Revolution, though, remain a work in progress going into next Saturday’s visit to FC Cincinnati. The roster is short on strikers, though Leo Campana and Tomás Chancalay are expected to return soon, and there is still chemistry to be developed. Many of the team’s key players only joined the team in Florida in late January, have been in the area for a few weeks, and are still adjusting to circumstances.

The Revolution depend on Gil and holdovers such as Polster for direction, but other leaders should emerge.

“We’re not out of the woods, yet,” Porter said. “It’s a win, it’s great. The players’ confidence can bubble up a little bit. They leave with a good feeling. We get a couple goals. People stop talking about us for a week. Yet, we have to go and get a result in the next game, too, because it’s just one result.”