About a third of the way into the 2021 season, the New England Revolution have emerged as the top team in the Eastern Conference and a Top 5 team in Major League Soccer.
Before the MLS enters a brief break for summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, five players from the red-hot Revs have positioned themselves to be named this team’s top players at this point in the season.
No. 5. New England Revolution defender DeJuan Jones
New England Revolution head coach Bruce Arena put an emphasis on upgraded the team’s attacking capabilities this year, but his defensive unit has played a strong role as well, helping the team stay atop first place in the Eastern Conference.
Defender DeJuan Jones, after a terrible red card against Chicago Fire FC, has stringed together a solid stretch of games to put him in the top five on NE.
He’s only found the back of the net once, but he complicates the team’s strategy of dominating ball possession with 23 interceptions; a team high. On June 23, Jones scored his second MLS goal and was named to MLSsoccer.com’s Team of the Week.
He has started 12 games this season and should continue to be a key defensive piece going forward.
No. 4. New England Revolution midfielder Adam Buksa
Though he may be overshadowed by the success of certain Spanish midfielder, Adam Buksa has provided scoring as an underrated forward for the Revs. Buksa has benefitted from the Revs’ exceptional passing ability, but he struggles to be more successful with his chances.
The 24-year-old Polish forward has only scored on five of his 41 shots this season, but those five give him the second-most goals on the season, behind Gustavo Bou.
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In May, Buksa had a three-game scoring streak, including two game winners. He ‘s fourth in the MLS in shots, so he needs to adjust his shot selection. With help from Carles Gil’s playmaking and improved shot accuracy, he has a real chance at surpassing ten goals this season, which would help New England reign on top the Eastern Conference.
No. 3. New England Revolution forward Gustavo Bou
Gustavo Bou had been on a hot-streak before the Revs recent game against Chicago, tying his career-best scoring streak with four games. His play has him tied for fifth in the MLS for goals with six, which leads the team, and has tallied two assist on the season so far.
In his MLS career, the Argentine forward has scored 20 goals with seven assists in 43 regular season games since joining the Revolution in 2019. In pattern with his consistency for the club, Bou has been accurate with his shots this season. His six goals have come off of 25 shots for a 24 percent scoring average. It’s highly likely he’ll reach double-digit goals before the season is over.
No. 2: New England Revolution goalie Matt Turner
The Revs up-and-coming goalie, Matt Turner, had started all of the New England’s games to open the season before being called to the U.S. Men’s National Team for summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 27-year-old is one of the best shot-stoppers in the MLS right now. He’s racked up 41 saves through the season so far.
Though he’s a bit inexperienced at the top levels of American soccer, he’s learning with a commanding presence.
Turner has shown to be a good shot-stopper, allowing only 15 goals in 12 games, and deals well with aerial shots. He’s turned in three shutouts and ranks among the Revolution’s top-three goalkeepers all-time in goals against average, wins, saves, and minutes played in net.
No. 1: New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil
The top New England Revolution player of the 2021 season is no other than midfielder Carles Gil. He was voted the MLS Player of the Month in June and for good reason. He leads the entire league in assist and blows away the competition in key passes with 61 (Second-most is 34).
After a free kick stunner in his recent game against Chicago Fire FC, he has furthered his MVP claim.
Gil now has two goals and ten assists this year. He tallied five assist in June, making key passes on all but two of the seven goals scored that month.
Alongside Andrew Farrell, he has played the most minutes on the club and has started all 13 games this season. If his success continues, Gil will certainly receive a large number of first-place votes, and he’s the Resolution’s most valuable player this far into 2021.