Caleb Porter has praised New England Revolution's performances in recent weeks but admitted they are still working hard to improve their finishing, as they prepare to travel to Nashville SC.
New England sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with seven points having won just two of their 13 games so far this season.
More worryingly, the Revolution have scored just nine goals this campaign, and have failed to score in either of their last two defeats.
Porter said he is pleased with the progress his team are showing in their performances, but it would not matter if they could not hit the back of the net.
"It's easier when you can show them the film and there are a lot of positives, but it's tough when you're not getting results because the confidence isn't sky high," the Revs head coach said.
"These guys have had a great mentality and great attitude. They've come every day to training to work and improve, and we've focused a lot this week on the final third. I really feel that's the missing piece right now.
"The players know we're playing well from box-to-box, but to win games, you have to actually score a goal."
Nashville, meanwhile, sit in ninth, occupying one of the playoff spots after a four-game unbeaten run.
Interim head coach Rumbani Munthali earned his first win in charge with a 2-0 victory over FC Cincinnati in midweek.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nashville – Hany Mukhtar
The Revolution are one of just five teams Hany Mukhtar has faced but never scored against in MLS.
He has only played more games against Cincinnati (six) and Philadelphia (five) without scoring against them than he has against New England (four).
New England – Carles Gil
New England's goal difference dropped to -17 following their defeat to New York City FC last Saturday.
The Revs have scored just nine goals all season, split among four players, with Gil their top scorer on four.
MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE SC WIN
Nashville defeated New England 3-2 in the last meeting between the sides in October 2023. The first five encounters featured five total goals - also split 3-2 - in favour of the Boys in Gold.
Nashville are unbeaten in four straight MLS matches (won two, drawn two) following a 2-0 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday.
It has been nearly a year since the Coyotes have won consecutive league matches, last doing so during a four-match winning run between May and June last season.
The Revolution are the fifth team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to lose 10 of their first 13 matches of a season, and the first since Montreal in 2018.
No team in the post-shootout era has recorded 11 defeats in their first 14 matches of a season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nashville – 51.2%
Draw – 24.8%
New England – 24%
Columbus Crew v Sporting Kansas City: Vermes looking to improve 'soft' defending
Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes wants to see a better defensive display when they travel to Columbus Crew in the MLS on Saturday.
Sporting KC sit second from bottom in the Western Conference, having won just three of their 19 games so far.
After back-to-back losses to LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake in which they conceded four goals in both, Vermes admitted they needed to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
"I can't deny the fight of the guys, but defensively, it's too soft," he said. "Unfortunately, it's similar to what happens in a lot of games.
"We can be fighting back in a game and give away a nothing goal. There's a ton of chances that could put us way ahead, but we can't be giving up the goals that we give up. That's it; that's the game."
Columbus, meanwhile, are right in the mix in the Eastern Conference, sitting sixth with 27 points.
A 2-1 defeat to Inter Miami snapped their four-match winning streak in the MLS, but head coach Wilfried Nancy is confident they can quickly put that result behind them.
"It has been good games, good performances," head coach Wilfried Nancy said. "[The last game] was also a good performance, but we were not good at certain moments. This is again something that we did well. We have grown a lot regarding these kinds of games."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez
Cucho attempted 10 shots in the Crew's defeat to Inter Miami on Wednesday, his third game with at least 10 shots since making his MLS debut in July 2022.
All other players in MLS have three total games with 10+ shots in that time (Raul Ruidiaz, Hany Mukhtar, Julian Carranza, one each).
Sporting Kansas City – William Agada
Agada scored two of Kansas City's three goals on Wednesday, his fifth multi-goal match for Sporting. Only five players have recorded more multi-goal games in the team's history.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
This will be the Crew's first regular-season home match since losing to FC Cincinnati on May 11. Columbus are winless in four straight MLS home matches after winning 12 of their previous 14 home league games.
Kansas City have lost nine of their last 10 regular-season matches (W1), including losing six in a row on the road in league play. This is the first time in the post-shootout era (since 2000) that Sporting have lost nine times in a span of 10 such matches.
However, Kansas City have lost just one of their last 12 matches against Columbus (W7 D4) dating back to October 2012, though three of the last four meetings have ended in draws. This will be the first meeting between the sides in Columbus in one day short of five years (June 23, 2019).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 64.2%
Draw – 19.1%
Sporting Kansas City – 16.7%
Poland 1-3 Austria: Baumgartner and Arnautovic get Rangnick's men up and running
Austria got off the mark at Euro 2024 with a 3-1 victory over Poland, with second-half goals from Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic deciding an entertaining contest.
Austria flew out of the traps in Berlin as Poland struggled to get an early foothold, and Ralf Rangnick's team led within nine minutes. Phillipp Mwene delivered a pinpoint cross from the left, and Gernot Trauner powered his header home at the near post.
Poland should have levelled within nine further minutes, only for Nicola Zalewski to lift a wild effort over the crossbar. However, they did get their equaliser on the half-hour mark.
A fortunate deflection off Trauner saw the ball fall to Krzysztof Piatek, who kept his composure to slot into the bottom-right corner and reward Poland's improvement.
Having missed last week's defeat to the Netherlands with a thigh injury, Poland talisman Robert Lewandowski was introduced from the bench on the hour mark, but it was Austria who regained the lead seven minutes later through Baumgartner.
Arnautovic dummied Alexander Prass' ball infield, allowing Baumgartner to send Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way with a composed finish from the edge of the box.
Arnautovic then made the points safe from the penalty spot with 12 minutes remaining, converting into the bottom-right corner after Marcel Sabitzer had raced clear and been felled by Szczesny.
Austria should have had a fourth late on as Konrad Laimer shot across the face of goal after rounding Szczesny, but their victory means avoiding defeat against the Netherlands next Tuesday would likely send them through to the last 16.
Data Debrief: Arnautovic on the spot
At the age of 35 years and 63 days, Arnautovic became the third-oldest player to score a penalty at the Euros, after Ivica Vastic (38 years, 257 days) and Cristiano Ronaldo (three penalties scored at the age of 36).
A surprise inclusion after being benched for Austria's 1-0 loss to France, the Inter man led the line impressively, winning seven of his nine total duels and drawing three fouls.
Garwin Tulloch, USG on board as Portmore United announce new leadership, board of directors
Many-time Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Portmore United have added United Sports Group (USG) and Garwin Tulloch to its ownership group, as the club continues to chart a course towards reclaiming its glory days at the pinnacle of the nation’s top-flight league.
USG is a consortium comprising Tina Matalon, Ryan Reid, Khary Robinson, Duncan Stewart and Jackie Lechler, all prominent and successful Jamaican business leaders across various sectors, while Tulloch is a director of Kemtek Development & Construction Company Limited.
Kemtek, a family business, and one of Jamaica’s leading home construction companies, boasts major investments in the development of commercial and residential properties across various Jamaican communities including the sprawling metropolitan Portmore community.
For Portmore United, the addition of these new investors will strengthen the operational and financial capacity of the club, which is one of Jamaica’s marquee clubs and the most successful in the JPL, having won seven titles –the first two as Hazard United in 1993 and 2003.
The JPL has increased in popularity over the years and even more so in the post pandemic period, under the Chris Williams-led Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL). During this time, the PFJL has seen tremendous growth in the League’s commercial viability and the economic prospects of the Clubs.
This expansion of an increasingly sophisticated investor pool facilitates the collective vision of the PFJL and the JPL clubs, which is to enhance the financial and operational capacity of the Clubs. The path to achieve that includes leveraging existing revenue streams like sponsorships, player sales, broadcasting, digital media, merchandizing and increased gate receipts, through additional investments in infrastructure, something that USG’s Khary Robinson is pleased to be a part of.
“United Sports Group believes that this strategic investment will further empower Portmore United Football Club to achieve even greater football success and become a catalyst for positive community development. Our leadership group is committed to delivering the time, strategic support and capital to enable the PUFC brand to maximize its potential in the sporting industry commercial space,” Robinson said.
Tulloch echoed similar sentiments.
“Football has remained one of my great passions and the desire to give back to the community through the sport has always been a driving force for me personally. My association with the JPL through Kemtek sponsorship of the League, led me to an association with the principals of Portmore United Football Club,” Tulloch shared.
“From the onset I was impressed with the vision and professionalism across the organization and the decision to invest was a no brainer for me. It is an association that I’m confident will yield great benefits to the various stakeholders of the Club,” he added.
Consequent on the additional ownership compliment, Portmore United’s new Board of Directors, will see Tulloch serving as chairman, with Garfield Sinclair, Peter Baker, Khary Robinson, Clinton Brooks and Garth Pearce, the memebers.
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