Revolution seeks to get back on track against Atlanta United

New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil, right, runs with the ball as Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi defends during a match earlier this season. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Get over it and move on.

That’s the message New England coach Caleb Porter delivered as he prepared the Revolution for Wednesday night’s (7:45 p.m.) game against Atlanta United FC at Gillette Stadium. The game is the middle of a three-game stretch in eight days for the Revolution.

The Revolution’s rise to relevance after four straight wins took a major blow with Saturday night’s 5-1 home loss to the defending MLS champion Columbus Crew at the Razor.

The team derailed New England’s winning streak with three unanswered goals in the first and two more gut-wrenching blows in the second to complete the Revolution’s worst 11-game beating this season.

“We have to get back on track quickly,” Porter said. “We showed video, there were details we had to fix (because) it was a game we didn’t execute in those details.

“When you win, sometimes you can get carried away and get a little casual. Against good teams, if you get overconfident and don’t execute, you’re going to get punished. They certainly punished us. We’ve got to erase that, put that behind us and get ready for Atlanta.”

The Revolution were hampered early on by missing top scorer and playmaker Carles Gil and dynamic forward Dylan Borrero due to minor injuries. Porter is hopeful both players will be back on the pitch for AUFC, but their status is uncertain.

The Revolution (6-11-1) sit in 14th place and Atlanta United FC sit in ninth (6-8-6) but are separated by just five points in the MLS East Division. AUFC is one of the teams the Revolution intend to overtake in the second half of the season for one of the final playoff spots.

“It would have been nice to beat Columbus, but actually, in a way, it’s the most important game because you can’t lose to teams that are around you and giving them points,” Porter said.

“They’re in the playoff race, so it’s important that we bounce back. I reminded the guys that we’ve won four in a row and we’re playing really well. We can’t forget that. But we’ve got to use this last game as a little wake-up call and keep reminding ourselves that we’ve got to get better, keep getting better.”

Atlanta United FC holds the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, allowing the Revolution to push their way into the playoffs with a successful second half of the season.

“The playoffs are always in the back of your mind,” local midfielder Noel Buck said. “But I think the main goal is just to win and keep moving up the standings, keep putting up points and winning after winning.

“We really want to qualify for the playoffs. It wasn’t a good start to the year and we really want to fix it. We’re all angry and eager to continue and get a better result on Wednesday.”

Like the Revolution, Atlanta United FC has a first-year head coach. Rob Valentino has changed the roster while making structural and personnel changes, and he works for an organization that isn’t afraid to spend money. AUFC has one of the most rabid fan bases in MLS and averages a league-best 47,526 fans per game.

AUFC has scored 28 goals in 20 games, an average of 1.40 goals per game, while conceding 25, a plus-three goal differential. Atlanta United FC scored four of those goals in a 4-1 home win over the Revolution on March 6, New England’s second-worst loss of the season.

Thiago Almada has become the focal point of AUFC’s attack following Giorgos Giakoumakis’ move to Cruz Azul of Liga MX on June 16. Almada leads the club in goals (6), shots (56), shots on target (21) and yellow cards (5).