New England vs Cincinnati: Hosts welcome visitors in top of the table clash

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, New England Revolution, Cincinnati, MLS

Both New England and Cincinnati have had strong starts to the new MLS season, and the two top sides in the Eastern Conference will go toe to toe on Saturday, April 29th.

An early battle for control of the Eastern Conference is beginning to shape up as the two top teams, New England Revolution and Cincinnati, will lock horns on Saturday. The Revs, who will be hosting this showpice match at Gillette Stadium, come into this contest having battled to a 2-1 victory over Hartford Athletic in the US Open Cup earlier this week, and in the league itself, are narrowly ahead of upcoming opponents Cincinnati due to their superior goal difference (+5 vs +2).

Bruce Arena's men successfully saw off Kansas City 2-1 in their last MLS fixture to retain their lead on top of the Eastern Conference table, and do boast a strong record on home turf, with four wins and a draw at the Gillette Stadium so far this term. They will also be encouraged by their dominance in meetings against Cincinnati, with just two losses from their nine meetings dating back to 2018.

Meanwhile, upcoming visitors Cincinnati also secured safe passage into the next round of the US Open Cup thanks to a gritty 1-0 victory over Louisville City. Pat Noonan's side are joint-tied on 20 points with New England at the top of the Eastern Conference, but have picked up the bulk of those points at home, where they have won their first five games. On the road, their record is something else entirely, with just one win from their four played so far this season, and as noted, the Orange and Blue have struggled for results against the Revs.

Although still early in the season, this game could prove decisive in terms of who finishes on top of the Eastern Conference at the end of this term. Will the Revs, playing at home, be able to maintain their solid streak? Or will the Orange and Blue be able to overcome a frustrating hoodoo dating back to 2018 and finally pick up a victory at a familiar ground?

Team news: New England vs Cincinnati

New England: Tommy McNamara, Henry Kessler, Jacob Jackson, and Lucas Maciel are all out for the hosts.

Cincinnati: As for the visitors, they will be missing Kenneth Vermeer, but Yuya Kubo has returned to the fold after a long injury lay-off and could be given some game-time here.

Match facts: New England vs Cincinnati

Cincinnati have won just two of their last nine meetings against New England
The Orange and Blue have won just one of their four road games in MLS so far this season...
...while the Revs are unbeaten on home turf so far (W4 D1)