Marko Mitrovic insisted his team do not need to deliver an early statement of their MLS title credentials ahead of facing Eastern Conference leaders Nashville SC.

Just two points separate New England and Nashville at the top of the standings after the Revolution left it late to beat the Philadelphia Union last time out.

Carles Gil's 87th-minute winner was the difference at Gillette Stadium, as New England extended their unbeaten league run to seven matches (W6 D1).

Wednesday's clash with Nashville will be a repeat of their opening match of the 2026 season, with the Coyotes led by Sam Surridge's brace in a 4-1 win on home turf.

And though New England have improved since that defeat, Mitrovic acknowledged the tough test that awaits against a team he described as "one of the best" in the league.

"I don't think about statements to be honest," Mitrovic said. "It's another game for us in terms of having a great opportunity to see where we are as a group right now.

"We can compare it against Nashville because we played them in the first game of the season, and they are definitely one of the best teams in the league, in terms of everything.

"No matter what, whenever you face Nashville, it's one of the hardest challenges. We're looking at the game from that perspective, not because of the standings or statements."

Nashville, meanwhile, had to come from two goals down to rescue a point against D.C. United, with substitute Warren Madrigal scoring twice in the space of 13 minutes late on.

It's now back-to-back draws in league play for Nashville, whose MLS stalemates came either side of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final exit to Tigres UANL on May 5.

Nashville have three more games in the space of 10 days ahead of the break for the World Cup, with their clash against New England followed by two home ties against Los Angeles FC and New York City FC.

B.J. Callaghan insisted his players are only thinking about the things they can control, amid that busy schedule.

"It's hard for us to think about it, but it is what it is, and I know that's a cliché," he said. "It's seven games in 23 games, and we just continue to work and focus on the next game.

"None of the group are trying to think about things we can't control. We knew after last week we were coming home, and the idea was to have a good, intense performance.

"We didn’t do that for only 45 minutes. We'll regroup, we'll recover, we’ll review the game, and we'll get ready to go to New England."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

NE Revolution – Carles Gill

Gil was involved in both of New England's goals (one goal, one assist) in their win over Philadelphia on Saturday.

It was the Spaniard's 12th regular-season match with a goal and an assist, with only Diego Fagundez (15) and Lee Nguyen (13) recording more in the Revolution's history.

Nashville – Warren Madrigal

Madrigal scored both of Nashville's goals in their draw with D.C. United last time out, and he will be key for the Coyotes again here.

It was the 39th multi-goal game by a Nashville player, second most in MLS since they joined the league in 2020, behind only fellow 2020 debutants Inter Miami (51).

MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE WIN

Nashville opened their 2026 season with a 4-1 victory against New England in February, after beating the Revolution 3-2 last June, at home. The Coyotes have never scored three or more goals in three straight matches against a single opponent across all competitions.

Callaghan's side came from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw with D.C. last time out. It was just the second time all season that Nashville faced a deficit in a regular-season match, with the other being the team's only defeat, a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire in April.

New England have, however, won their first six home matches of the season for the first time in club history.

This is the Revs' sixth six-match home winning streak since the start of the 2014 season, though the club's only seven-game home winning run came in 2004-05.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

NE Revolution – 32%

Draw – 25.9%

Nashville – 42.1%