The New England Revolution (2-3-2) made history on Saturday, April 27th when they recorded their first ever victory against the Philadelphia Union (3-3-2). Diego Fagundez played hero in the 61st minute when he ended the Revolution’s goal-scoring drought at 480 minutes. Lee Nguyen added the security goal in the 71st minute to help propel the Revs to a 2-0 victory. The typical solid defensive display and the atypical offensive explosion can be attributed to the high comfort level among players and their positions.
Head coach Jay Heaps utilized a 4-1-4-1 formation in his continued search for the perfect lineup. While Ryan Guy starting over Andy Dorman was the only midfield personnel change made from last week, the tactics and positioning were much different. Kelyn Rowe and Nguyen were asked to drive the attack while Guy and Fagundez controlled the flanks and Kalifa Cisse played enforcer in the middle. With the midfielders in their natural positions, the comfort level increased and the attack looked more potent.
After the game, Heaps praised his players by saying “I thought we were playing some good stuff from midfield. I thought that Kelyn (Rowe) and Lee (Nguyen) did well. Kalifa (Cisse) cleaned it up behind them.”
The midfield was active throughout the night and did a great job of varying the attack and keeping the Union on their heels. In the 9th minute, Fagundez chipped Sheanon Williams to find a streaking Nguyen who then played the ball across the goalmouth only for Rowe to hit it over the net. Rowe tried to make up for his mistake in the 16th minute when he crossed the ball to Cisse who then fired wide. Guy made his presence known in the 39th minute when he won the ball on the left side and took a long range shot from just inside the penalty box.
Rowe explained the fluid and confident midfield by saying, “I was very comfortable and you can see that Lee was very comfortable. I thought that we combined very well with Ryan and Diego out wide and Jerry held the ball up pretty well for us today. I think that it’s something for the future that we’re going to see again.”
Despite putting together a solid first half, the Revolution failed to score and almost went into the locker room down a goal if it wasn’t for Bobby Shuttleworth (4 saves) making an important save on Michael Farfan in the 40th minute. Shuttleworth, who earned his second shutout in his fifth start this season, credited consistency between the pipes and good communication as reasons for the result.
Shuttleworth stated, “It’s just a comfort thing. The more games you get in a row, obviously the more comfortable you get, the sharper you feel. I thought the communication between all of us was really good. Getting the shutout is just a plus.”
Going into the second half, the Revs knew that another scoreless draw would be unacceptable and they worked hard to find their first home goal of 2013. The chance came in the 61st minute when quick interplay between Rowe and Nguyen led to Fagundez putting the ball in the back of the net.
Fagundez looked back at the goal by saying, “We’ve been waiting for something like that for a while. We all wanted it and it was up to someone to make a play and Kelyn (Rowe) just gave a good ball to me and I just had to finish it and that’s how it all started.”
With the scoring anxiety alleviated, the offense came alive and added an insurance goal in the 71st minute when Nguyen cleaned up a Saer Sene rebound. Dimitry Imbongo and Sene each had opportunities in the game’s final moments but were unable to convert as the Revs settled for a 2-0 win.
The Revolution will hope to keep the momentum going as they travel to Portland on Thursday, May 2nd to face the Timbers.
3 Observations and Revelations
1. Fagundez did it all. Beyond scoring the game-winning goal, Fagundez was combining well with others, tracking back to play defense and making a general nuisance of himself. In the 67th minute, Fagundez played a one-two with Jerry Bengtson to open up space and force a foul from the Union. Two minutes later, the 18 year-old was seen in his defensive third where he intercepted as pass before it could reach Williams. In the 29th minute, Fagundez refused to give up on a play which led to the Revs winning the ball back. Before the game’s second goal, Fagundez lost possession but immediately turned around to apply light pressure to Williams which forced the Union player into a poor pass. While his goal will get most of the attention, Fagundez’s ability to do the little things while exuding passion and energy should keep him in the starting eleven.
2. Nguyen and Rowe handle the attack well. Deployed in the center of the field, Nguyen and Rowe were asked to marshal the attack. Rowe was typically seen in a more advanced role where he could orchestrate the offense by moving side-to-side while Nguyen was constantly seen making late runs from his deeper midfield position. Rowe was an important part of the offense as he was always within 45 degrees of the ball when in the final third. In the 43rd minute, Guy found Rowe who moved the ball quickly to Cisse who then connected with Farrell on the right. While this moment didn’t produce a goal, it’s something that the Revs will want to continue because it opened up the field. Rowe’s presence took a lot of attention away from Nguyen which allowed last year’s team MVP to have his best game in 2013. Rowe and Nguyen’s partnership looked a lot like what Heaps wanted from Juan Toja and Nguyen with lots of quick passes and interchanging play.
3. Improvement still needed despite good result. Winning by two goals in front of a passionate home crowd is a huge positive but it shouldn’t be used to mask weaknesses. One major issue concerns the Revs’ ability to control the ball in their defensive third. In the fourth minute, Shuttleworth made a big save but Farrell lost the ball which allowed the Union another chance. Cisse was guilty of a similar turnover later in the match when he got his signals crossed with Nguyen. These mental lapses can easily change the game and must be cleaned up. The Revs also need be sharper in the first half. In the first 45 minutes against the Union, the Revs had 56% of the possession, 75% passing accuracy and 8 attempts on goal but failed to score. While the defense has looked good this year, the offense needs to lessen the burden by scoring early. This means that Jerry Bengtson and other players must be more clinical in front of the net.
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
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