There is still time for Greg Vanney’s side, but not much room for another flat night.
Lozano did at least offer encouragement. He scored his first goal since arriving at the club and completed 90 minutes for the first time. Vanney believes the bigger picture matters as much as the finish itself. “I still think he is working to create a connection with all the players. It’s a team that is forming and needs to form very quickly,” the coach said.
The visitors appear to be bringing the sharper edge.
That recent uptick matters because New England look balanced rather than dependent on one hot streak. They have been scoring, managing games well and arriving with a level of confidence the Galaxy are still trying to rebuild.
“People are used to seeing him produce big numbers in goals and assists. But I’ve said many times that we are not here to create big numbers for Carles; he is here to help us produce numbers as a team,” Marko Mitrovic said of Carles Gil.
Even so, Gil remains New England’s reference point, with eight goals and eight assists. Lozano, meanwhile, is the Galaxy’s fresh source of hope - a proven attacker who appears to be settling in fast enough to change the mood.
Saturday feels bigger than a standard interconference fixture. If the Galaxy are serious about closing the gap, this is the moment to show it; if the Revolution win again, the next storyline may be whether they can turn strong form into a genuine conference charge.