On July 10th, 2019, Gustavo Bou arrived in New England as the most expensive buy in club history. The Argentine striker joined from Liga MX side Club Tijuana on a transfer fee of around $6-7m. Bou previously played with River Plate, as well as a very successful stint with Racing Club. He was the very first player that Bruce Arena added after becoming manager, but Arena and the Revs' current state is a discussion for another day. In any case, Bou wasted absolutely no time getting started. Just a week after signing, he made his first start and appearance against the Vancouver Whitecaps. At the stroke of halftime, Carles Gil teed up a corner to the top of the box, where Bou introduced himself with a screaming first-time volley. This was his first MLS goal from outside the box, but certainly not his last.
Just over a week later, Bou scored the fastest goal of the season for the Revolution, with the ball hitting the back of the net 2:36 into the match. In this match against Orlando City, he took nine shots, tying a club-record for shots in one game. Two weeks removed from that goal, he notched his next, a flick header against the Seattle Sounders. It finished as a wild 3-3 draw int he end. In the following match at Red Bull Arena, Carles Gil threaded a through ball that Bou finished off on the counter. Shockingly, Bou scored in the next match as well, then the match after that too. Against Chicago on August 24th, Bou won the ball back, showed a bit of skill, then destroyed a weak foot screamer into the top left to win at 86'. His goal against Toronto was considerably softer, but every goal counts the same. The thing about Gustavo Bou is that he will never back away from taking a shot, no matter the location or time of the match. At this point, he took a one-game break from scoring goals, before scoring again against Orlando City in a 3-3 draw the next time out. Bou was kept quiet in a 0-0 draw in the next match, but he returned with a goal in two consecutive outings immediately after. Bou helped kickstart a comeback from 2-0 down against Portland on September 25th. Four days later, he scored his final goal of the season in incredible fashion. In the 89th minute of the match against NYCFC, Wilfried Zahibo laid it off for Gustavo Bou, who decided to perfectly chip New York City goalkeeper Sean Johnson from 25 yards out. After joining the team in July, Bou still managed to score 9 goals. With his help, the Revs surged into a playoff spot after an abysmal start to 2019. Atlanta knocked them out in the first round.
When Major League Soccer made its grand return from the Covid-19 break at the MLS Is Back Tournament, Gustavo Bou got back to scoring goals. Gil picked out Bou at the edge of the box, he made a quick cut, then powered a left footed shot to defeat Montreal Impact in the group stage. Now, this article would go on for far too long if I included every long-range goal Bou has scored for the Revs, so they can't all make the cut. On August 25th, 2020, Bou won the ball high up the pitch, then laced a low volley that beat Bill Hamid and his DC United side. Between that goal against DC and a goal against DC again on September 4th, Bou scored 4 goals in a one-month span near the closing of the 2020 regular season. In the first playoff game, he scored likely the most important goal of his Revs career thus far. After assisting Gil's opening goal in their November 20th Play-in match against CF Montreal, La Pantera let fly a match-winner from outside the box with just about twenty seconds to play in stoppage time. In the Eastern Conference Semis, Bou helped extend the Revs' underdog story by scoring twice against Orlando City on the road. In one of the easier goals he's scored, Bou smashed in a rebound practically sitting on the line after Adam Buksa hit the post. In a tribute to Diego Maradona, Bou laid down Argentina's flag on the pitch and kissed it. For the second goal and the capper, Gil split the defense, then Bou split Brian Rowe's legs with his finish. Not for a lack of effort, the Revs fell 1-0 to Columbus in the ECF.
In 2021, the New England Revolution claimed the Supporters Shield, so as you could guess, Gustavo Bou played a massive role. Bou was named to the MLS Best XI, MLS All-Star 2021, and MLS Player of the Month in July. He led all forwards in chances created. Bou scored 15 goals and 9 assists, so we'll go through some of his best highlights in the current best ever MLS campaign for a team. Funnily enough, the historic 2021 Revs were down 2-0 within 11 minutes in the season opener in Chicago, but Bou's goal earned them a point in a 2-2 draw. Though, it took him about a month to really start scoring consistently. From May 22nd to July 3rd, he scored in every match he played. In that May 22nd match against the Red Bulls, Bou showcased his pace with his goal, and recorded an assist as well. In the next match against the other New York MLS franchise, Bou caught Sean Johnson off guard for the second time in his career as he shaped his volley for a quick fire volley. His goal in Atlanta on the 17th of July marked the first time the Revolution won a match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, notoriously known for losing 7-0 there in 2017. The following weekend, Bou scored what is a definite contender for the prettiest goal he's scored in red white and blue, as he destroyed the underside of the crossbar (twice) in a two-goal performance against CF Montreal.
Another contender for this made-up award was scored in the following match against New York Red Bulls. Bou laced a powerful strike that hit right in the corner where the crossbar and post meet, before dropping into the net. The Revs won in stoppage time, a testament to their 2021 superpower of winning at all costs. Sprinkled into many matches for the remainder of the season were Gustavo Bou goals and assists. New England, obviously, entered the players as the #1 seed, earning an MLS-record 73 points. That's where the good news ended for the Revs, besides Carles Gil being named MLS MVP in December. After having three weeks off without playing a match, the Revolution faced NYCFC in the first round of the playoffs. Tajon Buchanan scored a massive equalizer late in extra time, but Alexander Callens iced the match in penalties, sending the Revolution home early.
Gustavo Bou virtually started the 2022 season injured, he started to get back into the team in mid-May. He missed 10 matches with a hamstring injury. New England struggled through the 2022 season, but Bou's return was a big help. On June 19th, Bou beat Dayne St. Clair with a free kick destined for the top left corner. To begin July, La Pantera scored 4 goals in 3 matches. The difference in 2022 was that New England won exactly zero of those matches, losing two and drawing one. Bou's brace against NYCFC on July 9th was only good enough for a 4-2 loss in a very chaotic match, in which NYCFC was awarded three penalties in the first half. After that, Bou could not find the back of the net for probably the longest time in his Revolution career. In the final game at Gillette Stadium of the 2022 season, he scored a game-winning goal in the 85th minute against Atlanta. His celebration demonstrated his frustrations, the body language showing a feeling of "finally." The Revs missed the playoffs one year removed from the best season ever, welcome to MLS.
Here in 2023, Gustavo Bou has been hampered by injuries. When he plays, he scores, but he hasn't been able to play a whole lot this season. On March 18th, Bou stepped into a left footed shot that skimmed the post and went in, proving to be enough to defeat Nashville SC. Bou missed just about the entire month of May with a knee injury, forcing him out of five matches. When he returned in June, he also returned to scoring left-footed goals from outside the box, which he did against Orlando on the 17th. He also helped make a statement in an important 2-2 draw against league-leading FC Cincinnati, scoring a goal at TQL Stadium. Later in the month, he scored another absolute screamer against San Luis, planting a volley in the top right corner. The last time Bou played was on August 3rd against Atlas. In that match, he scored both goals to come back from 2-0 down and win in penalties. His first goal came from some Carles Gil dancing, Bou smashed it into the roof of the net. The equalizer was a missed penalty, but a rebound calmly cleaned up and scored. Since then, Bou has missed five more matches and is currently back in training. For his incredible long-range screamers and moments of brilliance, Gustavo Bou ranks at #88 on the list.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | NE | 1,004* | 5* | 3* |
2022 | NE | 1,603 | 8 | 2 |
2021 | NE | 2,326 | 15 | 9 |
2020 | NE | 1,329 | 5 | 3 |
2019 | NE | 1,155 | 9 | 2 |
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