Mitrovic unaware Revs had sealed playoff berth as Chicago clash takes on postseason edge
Revolution book postseason as Mitrovic keeps his head down
The New England Revolution have secured a place in the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs with five regular-season games still to play, sitting third in the Eastern Conference. Yet head coach Marko Mitrovic confessed he had been completely oblivious to the milestone achieved in midweek.
New England edged FC Cincinnati 3-2 on Wednesday, a result that mathematically guaranteed their postseason spot. When told of the achievement, Mitrovic was candid: "I didn't even know, to be honest! It might sound silly, but I'm not checking what's going on around the league. We don't talk about the playoffs."
According to a FotMob league table snapshot fetched on 2026-10-15, the Revs sit third in the Eastern Conference with 49 points from 29 matches and a goal difference of +7.
"Every game will feel like the playoffs"
With seeding now the only thing left to settle, Mitrovic expects a relentless, postseason-like atmosphere for the remainder of the campaign — starting with Saturday's trip to the Chicago Fire.
"Every game now has a high level of urgency for the teams around it, and you know, at the beginning of the season everyone can see the time that lies ahead, but there is no time left now," he said. "I feel like now, every game will feel like the playoffs. I think that the last two or three games before the international break, it already felt like teams were playing with a high level of urgency.
"And now everyone's competing to survive and there's no hiding behind that. Every team has to match that intensity that everyone else has."
Fire one point from joining them
Chicago arrive just one place and one point behind New England in the standings and require only a single point to clinch their own playoff berth. Their midweek outing, however, ended in a 3-1 home defeat to the Philadelphia Union.
Maren Haile-Selassie had put the Fire ahead at Soldier Field, but Jack Elliott's red card in first-half stoppage time opened the door for Philadelphia to rally, with Milan Iloski and a brace from Bruno Damiani turning the game around.
Revs riding youth and experience
The midweek win over Cincinnati showcased New England's blend of youth and quality. United States international Peyton Miller provided two assists for Dor Turgeman, either side of a Joshua Wynder strike.
Playmaker Carles Gil also reached a notable landmark, his assist for Wynder's goal taking him to 10 for the season. The 33-year-old is just the second player in MLS history to register at least 10 assists in six consecutive seasons, after Preki (eight).
What to expect on Saturday
Chicago's Robert Lewandowski will be eager to rebound after mustering just one shot — with an expected goals (xG) value of 0.1 — against the Union. Despite the midweek loss, the Fire were up against a Philadelphia side on an eight-match winning run and played the entire second half with 10 men, so confidence should not be dented ahead of the visit of New England, who have four wins and two defeats in their last six MLS games.
The Revs have managed nine wins, two draws and three defeats at home this campaign, while Chicago hold a record of five wins, five draws and four losses on the road. Opta's win probability favours New England at 39.4%, with the Fire at 34% and a draw at 26.6%.