CARLES, THE CREATOR: HEALTHY GIL LEADS REVS INTO 2021
Despite missing nearly all of the 2020 campaign with a foot injury that
required midseason surgery, Carles Gil’s impact was undeniable upon his
return. The 2019 MLS Newcomer of the Year and Best XI selection captained the Revolution to the Eastern Conference Final with two goals and three assists in postseason play, reasserting himself as one of the league’s
best players. His five combined goals and assists were third most in the
2020 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Gil’s class has been back on display through this season’s first five games.
He submitted a particularly masterful performance against Atlanta on May
1, when he contributed a goal and an assist, and posted game highs in
chances created, good crosses, and good open play crosses. He is already
among the league leaders in a number of categories to open this year’s
campaign:
2021 MLS LEADERS: HOW GIL STACKS UP
Category Gil’s MLS Ranking Total
Chances Created 1st 23
Big Chances Created 1st 7
Chances Created from Set Play 1st 11
Successful Crosses/Corners 1st 22
Primary Assists T-4th 2
Fouls Won 4th 17
The Spainiard’s impact is felt in each third of the field, but his ability to
generate goal-scoring opportunities is elite. Since he arrived in MLS ahead
of the 2019 season, only two players are averaging more chances created
per 90 minutes (with a minimum of 1,000 minutes played):
MLS LEADERS: CHANCES CREATED PER 90 MINS. SINCE 2019
Rank Player Club Chances Created
- Diego Valeri Portland 3.91
- Emmanuel Reynoso Minnesota 3.59
- Carles Gil New England 3.51
Dating back to 2011 — when Opta began tracking key passes as a statistic
— only two other Revolution players have registered at least eight in a
single game, while Gil has hit the mark four times since joining the club
two years ago:
REVOLUTION ALL-TIME LEADERS: KEY PASSES IN A SINGLE GAME
Rank Player Date Chances Created - Carles Gil 7/10/20 vs. MTL 12
T-2. Lee Nguyen 6/8/14 vs. NY 9
T-2. Carles Gil 9/15/19 vs. ORL 9
T-2.. Diego Fagundez 5/5/18 vs. MTL 9
T-2. Carles Gil 11/20/20 vs. MTL 9 - Carles Gil 6/30/19 vs. DC 8
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