The New England Revolution will face long odds when facing defending MLS Cup champions Atlanta United on Saturday in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.
The Five Stripes, who have already captured U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup titles this season, can count on a significant home-field advantage and performing before an expected near-70,000 crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Plus, Atlanta United took a 3-1 win over the Revolution two weeks ago to end the regular season, and has not lost to New England in six meetings since the team's founding in 2017.
But the deck is not totally stacked in the single-elimination game, since the Revolution hold a wild card: sporting director/head coach Bruce Arena, the league’s all-time playoff wins leader. Arena has guided two teams (D.C. United and Los Angeles Galaxy) to a 32-11-6 postseason record, ahead of the late Sigi Schmid (26 wins), Dominic Kinnear (15), Bob Bradley (14) and former Revolution coach Steve Nicol (12).
