FOXBOROUGH – For New England Revolution midfielder Tommy McNamara, Saturday night’s first ever Leagues Cup match against Liga X side Mazatlán F.C. was an opportunity to “cement who we are.”
Inundated with injuries and anchored at the bottom of the MLS table, the Revs did just that with the help of homegrown talent Jack Panayotou, who recorded his first MLS career goal in the 69th minute. Panayotou scored the lone goal in a 1-0 Revs win.
“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of,” Panayotou told reporters following the match. “I’ve imagined the feeling and it was even better than I could have imagined. So when I scored, I didn’t even know what to do. I was overcome with emotions. It was a great moment.”
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The Leagues Cup, a month long tournament between the MLS and Liga X sanctioned by Concacaf, is in its second straight year of competition. Coach Caleb Porter appreciates that competitions like these bring “a different type of game” in terms of intensity.
“Just the street smarts out of these DMX teams,” Porter said. “Obviously the talent as well…it’s fun and it’s great for us to get that first win.”
One of the Revs’ best first-half chances came 31 minutes in when Ian Harkes blasted a convincing shot from outside the box that flew far left. Then, just before the first half’s close, McNamara tried his luck netting the ball with a header coming off a Brandon Bye cross. But the 11-year veteran couldn’t quite complete the sequence.
“I thought first half they clearly had a plan just to sit in and force us to break down their block, look for counters,” Porter said. “I thought there were times we could have played quicker in that first half.”
Ghanaian midfielder Emmanuel Boateng and 20-year-old Cambridge native Jack Panayotou came in for MacNamara and Mark Anthony-Kaye halfway through the second half, a substitution that would prove beneficial for Porter.
“Obviously the subs that came in gave us a lift,” Porter said. “It’s great to have (Boateng) back. You can see what he brings the table.
“I really thought about starting Jack in the game, actually … we’re pleased he went in and I thought (he) gave us a spark.”
After nearly 70 minutes of play, Panayotou tapped the ball in off captain Mathew Polster’s cross from the left post, with Boateng netting a secondary assist.
“Coach just told us to be direct, to go at people, try to change the game,” Panayotou said. “And I told (Boateng), I was like, ‘I have a feeling we’re gonna, we’re gonna make something happen this time.’”
Carles Gil (calf), Tomas Chancalay (knee), Noel Buck (quad), Nacho Gil (leg), Dylan Borrero (hip), Giacomo Vrioni (calf), and DeJuan Jones (hamstring) remain tethered to the injury list, contributing to the lack of roster depth crippling the Revs.
“By the Nashville game, we’ll get a few more back,” Porter said. “By Montreal especially, you know, hopefully we’re full strength.”
Prior to Saturday night’s clash, New England and Mazatlan had both been struggling in their respective leagues. The Revs lost four of their previous six matches and the Gunners, 17th in Liga MX Apertura, only collected one point from their last four games. Next up, Nashville SC will return to Gillette looking to avenge their 2-1 defeat to the Revs on June 1.
