FOXBORO – The New England Revolution played to a 1-1 draw with Nashville SC on Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium in their Leagues Cup 2024 group stage finale.

New England claimed a 5-4 victory in the subsequent penalty shootout to earn the additional point on the night. Bobby Wood netted his first goal of 2024, while Jack Panayotou registered his first assist this year and second goal contribution of the tournament, clinching New England a place in the Leagues Cup 2024 Round of 32 as the East Group 5 winner.

New England captured the lead early with Wood getting a foot on the end of Panayotou’s cross in the third minute. The goal was Wood’s first of the season, as the Hawaii native made his fourth straight start. Panayotou, who scored the winner in the first group stage game against Mazatlán FC, has now found the scoresheet in both Leagues Cup 2024 matches. Nashville’s Sam Surridge equalized in first-half stoppage time, evening the score just before halftime.

The Revolution and Nashville battled to a scoreless second half, with Aljaž Ivačič posting three of his four saves on the night in the final 45 minutes. Ivačič had two crucial saves for New England in the second half, including a stop on a deflected Nashville blast in the 61st minute. The Slovenian made another diving save in the 79th minute, before making one stop in the shootout to help secure the win for New England.

The Revolution’s defensive line featured Brandon Bye and 16-year-old Homegrown player Peyton Miller on the wings, with Xavier Arreaga and Dave Romney in the middle. Miller, making his third straight start for the club, was replaced in the second half by defender Will Sands, who made his club debut after being acquired from Columbus in a trade on July 31.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots have withdrawn from the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes. Of the reported teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns remain. However, it seems that Aiyuk is dead set on going to Pittsburgh, while the 49ers need the right compensation to move him.

The Steelers and 49ers have gone back and forth about the trade for months, but only now are the 49ers receptive to these offers. Pittsburgh appears to be the front-runner in the sweepstakes, as Aiyuk has the leverage to veto a trade.

Aiyuk wants to be one of the top receivers in the NFL, which means over $30 million annually. While the Patriots were seemingly willing to pay him and gave the 49ers a package they liked, Aiyuk’s refusal to sign a long-term contract with the Patriots held it up. That is why Aiyuk is not in Cleveland or New England.

With all that in mind, if the 49ers are going to move Aiyuk, the Steelers seem like the natural landing spot. He could pair with George Pickens to create a dynamic wide receiver duo on the outside and put a bow on what appears to be a completely reshaped offense for Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Patch PM CT brings you the breaking and trending news stories from all across Connecticut each weeknight. Here are those stories:

A total of nine people, 2 from CT, died in a single-vehicle out-of-state crash, including a 5-year-old child. A news outlet called it “the deadliest crash…in recent memory.”>>>Read More.

“When troopers attempted to stop the BMW, several items were thrown from the vehicle and later recovered, which included a backpack containing approximately $52,000 in $20 bills, a mobile hotspot, and an iPhone,” police added.>>>Read More.

The restaurant chain plans on keeping its Connecticut location despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to a report.>>>Read More.

A grand opening date for Burlington’s new store has been announced. This will represent the company’s 16th CT location.>>>Read More.

“It appears that a house was struck,” by gunfire, police noted. “The victim was inside and then stepped on glass, causing injuries to his feet.”>>>Read More.

K-9 Officer Kane fell ill on Sunday, and after round the clock treatment and testing was found to have cancer.>>>Read More.

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