Revolution Blank Fire 1-0 for 10th Home Win in Front of Record Crowd

Matt Polster scored in the 26th minute and goalkeeper Matt Turner made six saves as the New England Revolution blanked the Chicago Fire 1-0 on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. The win, played in front of a season-high crowd of 34,506, gave the Revolution their 10th home victory of the season and moved them a step closer to home-field advantage in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.




SHUTOUT AT GILLETTE


New England (16-10-4, 52 points) entered the night sitting third in the Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of fourth-place Chicago, and the tense first half reflected the stakes. After Chicago thought it had opened the scoring in the 12th minute only to have Philip Zinckernagel flagged offside, the Revolution struck first when Peyton Miller sparked an attack down the right flank, combined with captain Carles Gil, and set up Polster for a first-time finish inside the left post.


Turner did the rest. The six-save shutout was his sixth clean sheet in 30 starts this season. Chicago pressed hard after the break, firing 19 shots, but Turner turned away every serious threat, including a tipped effort over the bar in the 81st minute, to preserve the lead through stoppage time.




POLSTER HURTS HIS FORMER CLUB


The goal carried extra meaning for Polster, who began his MLS career with Chicago in 2015. It was his second goal of the season and his first ever against the Fire in his 10th regular-season meeting with his former club. He also finished the night with a 92.3 percent passing accuracy, per the club's match notes.


The assists told their own story. Gil's setup was his team-leading 11th of the season, and the 18-year-old Homegrown winger Miller earned his seventh, a career high, his third assist in two matches this week. Miller, who surpassed 5,000 career minutes played for the Revolution across all competitions on Saturday, led the team with three shots.


Chicago's loss was softened by the standings. The Fire (14-10-6, 48 points) still clinched a second straight playoff berth thanks to Orlando City's victory over D.C. United elsewhere in the league, but the defeat dropped them to 5-5-5 on the road and snapped their momentum after a midweek loss to the Philadelphia Union.




PLAYOFF RACE: WHAT'S NEXT


The timing could not be better for New England. Just four days earlier, the Revolution clinched their own spot in the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati, and Saturday's result tightened their grip on home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference race. Reaching 10 home wins is a mark the club has now hit for the sixth time in the post-shootout era, and only Nashville SC had reached it first in MLS this season.


The Revs also hold the season tiebreaker over Chicago after winning both meetings, taking the Fire 2-1 on Sept. 13 in Chicago before Saturday's shutout at home.


New England hits the road next weekend, visiting the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Oct. 24, with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Subaru Park. The Union are in the middle of a club-record 14-match unbeaten streak, so the Revolution's chase for home-field advantage gets its stiffest test yet.

Location: Boston, MA, USA

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