Carles Gil masterclass jumpstarts New England Revolution's season | OneFootball

By Harrison Hamm

Before Matchday 6, the New England Revolution had no goal-scorers or wins this season.

Carles Gil changed that in brilliant fashion on Saturday.

WATCH: Carles Gil GOLAZO kicks off Matchday 6

Carles Gil

Midfielder · New England Revolution

The Spanish playmaker was the undisputed star of New England's 2-1 home win over the New York Red Bulls, scoring a brace to give head coach Caleb Porter's side a much-needed three points at Gillette Stadium.

“That's what you need from your top player,” Porter said of the 2021 Landon Donovan MLS MVP following the club's first victory of the year.

Vintage performance

Gil opened his season account with a magisterial free kick in the 28th minute, wrong-footing goalkeeper Carlos Coronel with a curling upper-90 strike. Then, with the score tied in second-half stoppage time, he converted a penalty kick to secure the result for the Revs.

“That first goal was a thing of beauty,” Porter said. “He got in good spots today. He was goal dangerous – that’s the key.

"He's got to make sure he's always finding the hard spaces between the lines, the places where he can create goals. He did that today."

Off the mark

The Revs had previously only entered the scoresheet through an own goal two weeks ago in a 2-1 loss at New York City FC. They had just one point in their first four games, a 0-0 draw at Nashville SC during MLS is Back weekend.

Gil’s stunning free kick gave them the lead, only for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to equalize late in the first half. Despite a variety of chances, the score remained tied until Gil’s 97th-minute penalty kick broke the deadlock.

“It was a deserved win against a good team,” Porter said. “It’s important to get a result. We feel like every game, we’re there.”

Grasping for points to get their season back on track, New England looked for their captain to come through. As he's done so many times throughout the years, Gil delivered.

Now, the Revs will look to continue their newfound momentum when visiting FC Cincinnati on April 5 (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

“We can build on that. I think the confidence will bubble up a little higher,” Porter said. “The guys stayed focused and stayed bought in.”

WATCH: Carles Gil brace leads Revs to first win of 2025