Fort Lauderdale CF will travel to take on New England Revolution II this Friday at 5 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium. The match will air live on ESPN+.
“The first game of the season seems a long time ago now. I think the team has progressed in a really good direction,” said head coach Darren Powell. “I think from the first game to this game we’ve certainly grown as a group of individuals and collectively as a team, so we’re excited to test ourselves against a talented New England team.”
In Fort Lauderdale’s last match, the team narrowly fell 1-2 on the road to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC as the hosts claimed a late winner in their home opener. The match, however, was marked by a pair of milestones for the team as defender / midfielder Harvey Neville made his professional debut and defender Ethan Hardin scored his first professional goal. Midfielder George Acosta, meanwhile, notched his USL League One-leading fourth assist in the match.
Friday’s match will be the second between Fort Lauderdale and New England in 2021, with the sides meeting in the USL League One season opener on April 10. Fort Lauderdale fell to a close 0-1 defeat at DRV PNK Stadium in that match.
The sides also met in Oct. 2020, with New England claiming a victory at Gillette Stadium in that match.
Following the match, defender Modesto Mendez and forward Dairon Reyes will join the Cuban national team for a pair of FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches, as the duo was called up earlier this week.
New England will enter the match after a week off, with the team last playing on May 16, drawing 2-2 with Chattanooga. So far this season, New England has put together a record of one win, two losses and one draw.
