Two recent Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award recipients will clash on Saturday night (8:30) when the New England Revolution (2-10-1) engage Nashville SC (4-4-7) at Geodis Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

Revolution rainmaker Carles Gil captured the award during the club’s record-breaking 2021 campaign while Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar took home the trophy in 2022.

“Yeah, Hany Mukhtar is a very good player, one of the best players in the league, and he’s extremely dynamic,” said Revolution head coach Caleb Porter. “They (Nashville) are kind of playing him a little bit lower with more of a free role.

“They are kind of playing a 4-3-3 where he can come and get the ball a little bit deeper and have a little more freedom to create and drive out of midfield. He’s a great one-v-one player, very dynamic, and a good goal scorer when he gets in the box.”

Although their skills are similar in terms of creating scoring opportunities and finishing plays, there has been a statistical disconnect between the teams this season. Nashville has scored 19 goals in 15 games for a 1.27 goals per game average while the Revolution are last in MLS with nine goals in 13 games for a 0.69 average.

Mukhtar leads his club in assists (6) and shots (40) and is tied with former Revolution striker Teal Bunbury (2014-2021) for second with three goals. Sam Surridge leads Nashville SC with five goals.

Gil leads the Revolution with four goals but his one assist is an indictment on the club’s collective inability to finish plays. The one aspect where Gil and Mukhtar share common ground is the hostile attention they command on the pitch. Mukhtar has sustained 31 fouls suffered while Gil has felt the sting of 25 in two less games.

“They have a lot of really good, hard-working players and athletic players around him, but he is the one for sure that can kind of unlock a team individually,” said Porter. “They have other good players, they’ve got a ton of depth.

“They have been in the playoffs every single year, so they are a very consistent team. The big difference I’m seeing is they are playing out a little bit more, and they are pressing a little more aggressively.”

The last-place Revolution are in eminent danger of sliding into irrelevancy before the midpoint of the MLS season. The game at Nashville is the separation point of the Revolution’s four home games in five matches. The Revolution were shut out in consecutive losses to the Philadelphia Union (3-0) and New York City FC (1-0) at Gillette Stadium.

If the Revolution have any hope of salvaging their season, the turnaround requires three points against Nashville and the subsequent two home games against New York Red Bulls (June 8) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (June 15).

“It’s easier when you can show them the film and there are a lot of positives,” said Porter. “But yeah, it’s tough when you’re not getting the results because ultimately, the confidence isn’t sky high when you’re not getting results.

“These guys have had a great mentality, a great attitude. We focused a lot this week on just the final third, because I really feel like that’s the missing piece right now. We’re in all the spots you need to get in, in our sport, to create goals. We’re in those spots time and again.

“It’s always going to come down to the player, his quality, his decision. The players know that we’re playing well box to box. But to win games, you have to actually score the goal and find the right detail in the final third.”

The Revolution’s anemic offense took two serious hits in the past week. Attacking forward Tomas Chancalay, who leads the team with 47 shots and 15 shots on goal, suffered a knee injury in the 10th minute against NYCFC and Porter has ruled him out for an indefinite time.

“We’re still evaluating it,” said Porter. “Doctors are looking at it and looking at previous injury history. There’s something in there for sure.

“He’s going to be out for at least the next couple of weeks while we continue to evaluate what it is. There is something there in the knee, it could be minor or it could be major, we don’t know yet. They’re trying to evaluate that.”

Chancalay’s usual replacement, homegrown Esmir Bajraktarevic, will miss the Red Bulls’ game while off competing for a slot on the U.S. Olympic team in Kansas City.