Revs Roll To MLS Cup

Jay Heaps & Revolution Lift Eastern Conference Championship Trophy (Photo: David Nordstrom)

On a rather frigid night in Foxboro, Massachusetts the New England Revolution closed in on the New York Red Bulls to pull out a nail-biting 2-2 tie and ultimate 4-3 aggregate series win of the MLS Eastern Conference finals. Although a sense of nervousness in the air at times, the Revs proved to be resilient once again in what could be a historic result for the franchise as well as the opponent.

Charlie Davies, a rebound striker of late, once again won the hearts of the Foxboro faithful as he netted two goals in opportune moments to seal up the Revolution victory. First a rough header in the 41st minute to equalize, followed by another equalizer in the 70th minute from a beautiful Chris Tierney cross. Davies’ ability to continue to score at a high level and press often has now paid huge dividends all post season and will hopefully roll into his first MLS Cup appearance.

Overall, it felt as if the Red Bulls did keep New England on their back heels for some major minutes. A few bad defensive decisions and alleged world-class striker Thierry Henry’s skill set will do harm to any team. However, barring a rather nervous crowd at Gillette Stadium, New England remained calm, cool, & collective when the series was completely tied-up after Luyindula’s 51st minute goal. Shuttleworth remained a rock in net while Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones controlled the midfield with smart decisions. Jay Heaps’ system is one without too many flaws and it could be a winning combination for more than the Eastern title.

Unfortunately, the elephant in room was Thierry Henry and his future with not just the MLS, but soccer in general. Henry looked rather choked up as he walked away from a post game media interview. The same concerns lie with Tim Cahill and other DP’s around the league but the fact of the matter is that this was not their night to be in the spotlight. As the MLS grows and matures into the ‘major’ league the U.S. is yearning for, focus must be on the winning teams as much as the all-stars. Sure this game could have meaning as MLS pioneers’ last game but let us also observe the implications it had as teams gaining popularity and traction in their respective locations. New England is looking to move to a brand new stadium in downtown Boston in the very near future, and what better proof of a strong fan-base or dedicated season ticket holders than this game as well as the upcoming MLS cup.

Looking ahead, the Revolution’s fate lies in the hands of the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders as they battle for the Western Conference title Sunday night. The winner of that match will host the MLS Cup on December 7th and take on the ever so hungry New England Revolution.

– Matt Bloom & Joe Guidoboni

Red Bulls Force 1-1 Draw on Revolution

New England’s Diego Fagundez found his second goal of the season Saturday, but it would not be enough to send the NY Red Bulls home with no points. (Photo: David Silverman)

In what looked to be a wet and messy game by match start, the skies cleared up for what would be a fair test as the New York Red Bulls faced the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium Saturday night. After a 0-0 first half and Red Bull star Thierry Henry remaining on the bench, scoring opened up in the second which lead to a 1-1 draw between the Eastern Conference foes. New York will remain on top in the East at 21 points (6-4-3), while New England sits at 7th place with 10 points (2-4-4).

Although the first half was rather uneventful, both teams had a few close goal opportunities. Possession undoubtedly favored the Revolution, not only capturing a 55.3% possession by game’s end, but out shooting New York 12 to 9 with three more shots on target. Perhaps New England starting Dimitry Imbongo over Jerry Bengtson was a factor in this regard. Imbongo looked as if he had something to prove in his first start of the season with his constant motor and ability to create one beautiful run of his own that almost lead to goal.

New England would strike first come second half, finally scoring from a corner kick in the 54th minute. Chris Tierney launched the ball out of the right corner as Diego Fagundez positioned himself nicely for a shot on goal. The kick was first saved by New York keeper Luis Robles but the rebound came right back to Diego who easily cleaned up the play for his second goal of the season. Criticism has come the past few matches for lack of offense from the Revolution but one thing is for certain, Diego Fagundez is doing his part in the Starting XI. It may look like a tough decision for coach to pick a pair of starting strikers out of group consisting of top talents such as Jerry Bengtson and now Juan Agudelo, but fans should hope Jay Heaps does not switch out Fagundez as he remains the hot player on the pitch.

The 1-0 lead for New England would sadly only last one minute. Just seconds after Diego’s score, the Red Bulls’ Lloyd Sam would catch the Revolution defense off guard and  drive a grounder under Bobby Shuttleworth for the 1-1 tie in the 55th minute. The defense is partially at fault here, but it was rare to see Shuttleworth rather unprepared for Sam’s tough-angled shot. New York’s goal instantly took away the energetic atmosphere at Gillette Stadium and would end up being the last goal scored of the match.

The Revs have only scored two goals in their past three matches, leaving their banged up defense to do all the dirty work to stay competitive. It is clear the team misses leader A.J. Soares in the back line as well as Kevin Alston’s speed in the left back position. Even when the defense does hold, the scoring must not come so inconsistently. New addition Juan Agudelo hopes to change that, and if Jay Heaps sees Agudelo as the threat up top he claims to be, one can hope New England will score two or three goals per match more often.

Looking towards next week, the Revs will head to BBVA Compass Stadium next Saturday to face the highly-competitive Houston Dynamo (6-2-2). The match will start later than most in the MLS at 8:30pm ET.

Matt Bloom

Fagundez, Barnes Shine at Home

Darrius Barnes (New England) heads in the 95th minute goal to equalize and force a 1-1 draw against New York.
Photo by Keith Nordstrom

In the last 15 meetings between the Revolution and Red Bulls at Gillette Stadium, New England holds a 11-0-4 record. The always eventful east rivalry continued Saturday night, bringing in a season high attendance while extending the streak to 16 games.

Stoppage Time Goals

The two sides traded shots all night, although the height of the action would not come until regulation time ran out. Just one minute into stoppage time, Joel Lindpere (New York) would find the back of the net as Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth collided with multiple players on a Red Bull corner kick. Shortly after, a long Revolution cross over the box found Darrius Barnes, heading the ball over a pack of Red Bull defenders and equalizing the match at 1-1 just before full time.

Darrius Barnes

Barnes’ goal marks the first of his MLS career, but more importantly proves his importance to a struggling New England squad. Darrius played a nearly flawless game in the backfield, holding the third place Red Bulls to no goals for an entire 90 minutes and constantly knocking the ball out of danger. Aside from the game-tying goal, Barnes has looked strong in most of his starts these past few months. The 25 year old stands at 6’1” and has effectively used his height and speed to make an impact game after game.

Diego Fagundez

The 17-year-old star was granted another consecutive start for the Revolution, showing confidence in his play and keeping Red Bull keeper Bill Gaudette on his toes. Diego rightfully kept the pressure on in the opening minutes of the game, and did not let up after nearly scoring in the 16th minute. Fagundez has developed some chemistry with Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen. The three all played into the eastern conference rivalry, contesting every play to the end and receiving a few cautions for rough play. Their early persistance nearly paid off with plentiful scoring chances in the first half.

The Match Ahead

It may not have come until second to last home game of the year, but attendance reached a season high Saturday night at 24,364. Granted plenty of loud and proud New York fans made the trip to Foxboro, attendance is typically around 12,000 for a Revs home game this season. New England now sits 9th in the Eastern Conference, while New York stays at a dangerous 3rd in a tight playoff race. The Revs will next take on the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday, September 29th.

Matt Bloom