Carles Gil was born in Valencia, Spain, playing his academy years at his hometown club. He made a move to the Premier League, playing for Aston Villa from 2015-2018. Gil's time in the world's best league was stamped by a screaming finish against Bournemouth. He ended up transferring to Deportivo La Coruna, before landing in the United States. On January 30, 2019, the New England Revolution signed Carles Gil as a Designated Player. He was acquired for a club record fee of $2m, though fans were unsure about the signing due to his recent resume. Any of his doubters gave up the act rather quickly.
New England opened their season against FC Dallas, where Carles Gil introduced his magical left foot to Major League Soccer, scoring a debut goal. Despite losing 3-2 to Toronto FC, Gil showed some of his character. No. 22 pounded his penalty kick into the top corner. He scored a second goal later on during some confusion inside the TFC box, celebrating with a VAR motion to signal that he was unhappy with the referees, something he has continued to do. He started his MLS career as a goal scorer, but he is really known for his assists and chance creation. His first assist was a perfect cross for a Jalil Anibaba diving header at the back stick. Tajon Buchanan picked Gil out in the box to settle it and casually place it into the corner against San Jose. In a visit to play Zlatan's LA Galaxy, Gil assisted both Revs goals in a huge road win. He assisted Cristian Penilla for the first, then sent Teal Bunbury in on goal for the second.
In July, the attacking midfielder went on a stretch of scoring in four straight games. In DC at Audi Field, his rebound attempt was turned home with the weak foot. Ahead of the following match against Vancouver, the Revolution acquired Gil's partner in crime, Gustavo Bou. In the duo's first match together, Gil set up a corner kick for Bou at the top of the box to volley in with velocity. Gil added one of his own with a quick shimmy and curler. He then took his time to pick out the upper right corner to score his seventh of the year. He stayed perfect from the spot and scored for a fourth consecutive match. After one game without a goal, he returned to scoring by equalizing in Seattle. His assist against Chicago marked his third straight game with a helper. In a 3-3 thriller with Orlando, he assisted two goals, including a lovely clip over the top for Penilla. In the 97th minute, the Revs completed a two-goal comeback in Portland through a Gil penalty. It was a great first season for Carles, but Atlanta knocked them out in the playoffs. Gil was named the 2019 Newcomer of the Year and made the MLS Best XI.
The 2020 season was an ugly one for many players, Carles Gil included. He assisted Bou in the first match back from the pandemic. Gil suffered an Achilles injury, keeping him out for an extended period of time. He came back at the right time. He earned an assist on a Bunbury goal. The Revs entered the playoffs as a huge underdog looking to damage. They did a ton of damage, eventually knocking out the Supporters' Shield champion Philadelphia Union. First, Carles Gil laced a first-time volley in their knockout round victory over Montreal. In the aforementioned win over Philly, he assisted both goals. The first went to Adam Buksa on a set piece. Minutes later, he set up Tajon Buchanan's capper. In the following postseason match, Gil opened the scoring by going right down the middle from the penalty spot. He assisted a Bou goal that sent them through to the ECF. The incredible darkhorse run ended at the hands of the eventual MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew.
The 2020 New England playoff run foreshadowed what was to come for the team in 2021. They stayed red hot. Gil stepped into a full playmaking role, assisting a whopping 18 assists. He would have likely challenged for the MLS assists record if not for another injury, forcing him to miss all of August. He scored his first of the season against Atlanta United on May 1st, beating Brad Guzan from the spot. In an unbelievable five-game stretch, Gil assisted a goal in every game, for a total of 8. His secondary assist led to a match-winner for Adam Buksa. Gil was a part of a triple DP goal that Buksa finished off. Gil's free kick in Cincinnati found the head of Buksa once again. In the next match, he crossed one in to Jon Bell and set up the Tommy McNamara winner. He recorded a hat trick of assists in the next fixture with the Red Bulls. He chipped a perfect ball in for Buchanan to unlock the defense. The second was a great showcase of vision to find DeJuan Jones, then the last one was lobbed into the Foxboro sky for Gustavo Bou.
In a shocking home loss to Toronto FC that seemingly came out of nowhere, Gil attempted to bring his team back with a miraculous free kick. In a visit to South Beach, Carles assisted two more goals to Arnor Traustason and then to Buksa after doing a little dance against future teammate Christian Makoun to get the cross in. In another 3-2 win over the Red Bulls, Gil added yet another pair of assists. In September, he won the Revs a match at Soldier Field in the most dramatic of fashions. In stoppage time, he used some stepovers to beat his man and roof a right-footed game-winner. During a visit to the nation's capital, Gil put a defender on the turf en route to a wonderful curling finish. His final goal contribution of the regular season was a secondary assist against Orlando, overcoming a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2. The Revs won their first ever Supporters' Shield. They were forced to wait nearly three weeks before playing their first playoff game against NYCFC, and it hurt them. Carles Gil did everything he could. He assisted Buksa's equalizer on a set piece, then grabbed a secondary helper on the 118' Buchanan goal. After the heartbreaking exit, Gil was named both the 2021 Comeback Player of the Year and the Landon Donovan MLS MVP.
Heading into the 2022 season, the Revs sold Tajon Buchanan, Adam Buksa and Matt Turner, a trio of key pieces to the team. It showed, but the only consistent force was Carles Gil through it all. In the first game of the season, Gil set up a Brandon Bye headed goal just 40 minutes in. In the home opener, he earned and then converted a penalty against FC Dallas. It seemed like another good start, but everything just went downhill from there. He picked his spot on a penalty down in Charlotte, though they handed The Crown their first MLS win. He did so again in Fort Lauderdale. The Revs lost 3-2 to Real Salt Lake after leading 2-0, then choked a 3-0 series lead against Pumas UNAM in the CCL. Things were starting to get ugly. In another rough loss in the nation's capital, he assisted Brandon Bye, then served one up for Adam Buksa. This match started a stretch of six straight matches recording an assist in all competitions. In the US Open Cup, the Revs poured it on FC Cincinnati. Gil scored a hat trick, the first from the spot, the second a deflected strike from outside the box, then the third was slotted into the top left corner.
In Atlanta, Gil picked out the run of Adam Buksa at a near impossible angle. The Revolution did have some good moments in 2022, including a Gil left footed switch that turned into an Adam Buksa back heel goal during a 3-2 victory in Cincinnati. In June, he stepped into another classic curler from long range. In a loss to NYCFC that included three first half penalties conded by New England, Gil assisted two times. In their most cohesive MLS victory of the year, the Revolution knocked off Orlando 3-0 on the road, Gil assisting once to Henry Kessler. He made the 2022 MLS All-Star team, playing one half against Liga MX. Gil's volley gave NE the lead against DC United. The Spanish magician curled a left footed shot into the upper 90 against the Galaxy, in the same exact spot he has so many times before. His final mark on the season was a penalty conversion in Houston. Gil assisted 14 goals in what was the team's worst season with their star No. 10.
In 2023, New England got off to a bright start, but that was soon killed off too. Regardless, Gil set his MLS career-high in goals with 11, while assisting another 15. In all four of his full MLS campaigns, he assisted 14 or more goals. An unbelievably weighted through ball turned into a Bobby Wood goal against the Dynamo. His first goal of the season came against NYCFC, when he was afforded space to drive a low shot into the bottom corner. In the following match, he scored a Paneka, while assisting another goal. He helped create a Giacomo Vrioni goal versus SKC. In an away match with Miami, Gil took matters into his own hands, dribbling all the way into the box and smashing a right footed shot home. In May, he played a huge role in a wild 3-3 draw in Atlanta. Before 20 seconds had passed, Brad Guzan assisted Gil for the opener. His goals served as bookends, as he netted one with the weak foot in stoppage time, rescuing a point.
Gil contributed to all three goals in a win over Miami, scoring once. He closed off a win against Orlando with another curving strike. He assisted a Bou flick header, as well as a clipped ball for Ian Harkes to score. Gil hit the 60 assist mark in his 122nd game, something that only Carlos Valderrama and Marco Etcheverry had ever done faster. He played 36 minutes in the 2023 MLS All-Star loss to Arsenal. During a visit to Minnesota, he planted a pass from his brother, Nacho, into the top right. In Chicago, his deflection served as an equalizing goal. His most recent pair of goals came in a loss to Oralndo City, the first driven from distance, the second deflected in. He finished his season with an assist to Gustavo Bou on Decison Day. Carles was forced to sub out of game one of the playoffs against Philly, and the Revs got swept. That catches up to the current day, where Gil continues to lead the Revolution as the club captain. His pure playmaking ability puts him at #21 on the list.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | NE | 2,618 | 11 | 15 |
2022 | NE | 2,910 | 7 | 14 |
2021 | NE | 2,285 | 4 | 18 |
2020 | NE | 366 | 0 | 2 |
2019 | NE | 3,052 | 10 | 14 |
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