New England Revolution

4 takeaways from the Revolution’s 1-0 win over Chicago

Tomas Chancalay's rocket from distance provided the deciding goal.

By Hayden Bird

May 5, 2024

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For the first time in 2024, the Revolution got a result on the road. In fact, thanks to an absolute rocket from Tomas Chancalay, New England took all three points in a 1-0 win over Chicago Fire FC on Saturday night.

It was hardly a dominant performance from the visitors, who largely struggled to create goal-scoring chances. But for a last place team, any path to a win is a welcomed sight.

Here are a few takeaways:

Chancalay is finally finding his form.

Chancalay has, like so many members of the Revolution squad, experienced an up-and-down start to 2024. Though he tallied several goals in New England’s brief CONCACAF Champions Cup run, the 25-year-old Argentine winger was scoreless through his first eight MLS appearances.

A spectacular goal in the opening minute against Inter Miami last weekend was overshadowed by Lionel Messi’s eventual domination, but it at least marked a return to the scoresheet.

With his confidence apparently on the rise (though with Chancalay, confidence to shoot from distance is rarely in short supply), the winger appeared lively for much of the night against Chicago.

In the 62nd minute, he latched onto a loose ball following the flick-on header from striker Giacomo Vrioni. Cutting inside from the right wing, Chancalay found plenty of space and produced the singular moment of quality to separate the two sides.

If he can continue to pick up confidence, not merely in his finishing ability but playing within the structure preferred by new head coach Caleb Porter, Chancalay could end up producing a few more big goals for New England in the coming weeks.

It was a vital win, but warning signs remain.

Since arriving in New England prior to the season, Porter has tried to install a positional game built out of a 4-2-3-1 formation. It differs from the previous strategic plan under Bruce Arena, in which the Revolution played much of a transitional game on counterattacks.

This has proven to be a difficult process, with many of the Revolution’s best attackers falling habitually back into their old ways.

The last several games have begun to produce displays that more accurately reflect what Porter wants, but his team is yet to consistently produce goals from the intended tactics.

Case in point: Chancalay’s goal, while a welcomed sight, was a one-off thunderbolt. It was not the result of some flowing passing sequence or exquisite Carles Gil through-ball. It came from a long ball that Vrioni nodded vaguely in his teammates’ direction (with Chancalay then doing the rest entirely on his own).

Porter was certainly not complaining about a fantastic gift produced by one of his most talented players, but he might still have a few questions about the other 95 minutes of the game in which New England generated comparatively little from open play. As a professed student of analytics, Porter will undoubtedly be aware that Chicago left the field without a win but having amassed superior xG (1.29 vs. 0.89) to their opponent.

As limited a metric as xG can be, it’s indicative in this case of the Revolution’s mixed success in finding paths to goal. In order to build on the win, New England has to continue improving within the specific aims of Porter’s gameplan.

Aljaz Ivacic looked the part.

Acquired at the transfer deadline from Portland, goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic was not asked to make too many difficult saves on Saturday with one very important exception.

In the 74th minute, Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri uncorked a seemingly unstoppable free kick toward the top corner of the goal. But in a save reminiscent of ex-Revolution goalkeepers both Matt Turner and Djordje Petrovic, the 30-year-old Slovenian acrobatically tipped the ball over the bar to deny Chicago’s Designated Player.

It was an extremely difficult save to make, but Ivacic delivered to preserve New England’s one-goal advantage. Moments like that have been in short supply for Porter’s team in the first quarter of the season. As the final score eventually demonstrated, these are the slim margins that separate teams in MLS.

If he can maintain a level of consistency in the next few weeks, the starting goalkeeper job will belong to Ivacic for the foreseeable future.

Henry Kessler showed why he can play in Porter’s system.

An attribute that Porter clearly wants from his center-backs is the capacity to not only defend, but also be comfortable in possession. Dave Romney, has seen limited action in recent weeks despite playing every minute in 2023. Much of that is likely down to Romney’s inability to consistently connect progressive passes in the team’s buildup.

Questions about whether or not Henry Kessler could do this have lingered, but the 25-year-old provided a few answers on Saturday. Along with calmly dispossessing multiple Chicago attackers in threatening positions in the first half, Kessler also refused to simply clear the ball back to Chicago, instead looking for open passes.

On several occasions, he carried the ball forward, helping to connect defense and midfield and calm the game down after a Chicago attack. By game’s end, Kessler completed the most passes (45) with the greatest accuracy (90 percent) of anyone on the team.

If he can keep doing anything close to that, Kessler will certainly keep a solid place in the Starting XI.