On Saturday, May 11th, the New England Revolution (2-4-4) ended their two-game home stand with a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls (6-4-3). The game’s most important moments occurred within the 54th minute with both Diego Fagaundez and Sam Lloyd finding the back of the net. While the Revs will be disappointed with losing a lead for the second time this week, they did get a strong performance from an unexpected player: Dimitry Imbongo.
Head coach Jay Heaps only made two changes from the lineup used in the midweek tilt against Real Salt Lake with Kalifa Cisse and Imbongo being preferred over Scott Caldwell and Jerry Bengtson. The inclusion of Imbongo was particularly surprising since the Congo native wasn’t making the bench at the beginning of the season.
Heaps explained the move by saying, “We are trying to see how deep we are. Jerry’s pressing, obviously. He is trying to get a goal. He knows that. I thought it was a good time to give Dimi an opportunity, he’s worked hard, and he’s done well in his minutes.”
Beyond testing the depth and giving Bengtson a rest, the decision to start Imbongo can be attributed to the striker’s unique skillset.
Imbongo explained, “Jay wanted for me, on the field, to take the ball, to hold the ball, to play it back and to try to score. Because we need, when we play with one striker, we need somebody, when they have the ball, to play it back and make the run into the box. That's what Jay wanted me to do. That's what I did tonight.”
Imbongo worked hard to make his first start of 2013 a successful one by pestering the defense with smart runs and physical play. In the 9th minute, Imbongo beat Roy Miller and made a darting run forward that earned the Revs a corner kick after Kosuke Kimura hit his cross out of bounds. In the 51st minute, Imbongo showcased his holdup play by shielding the ball from Johnny Steele before laying it off for Lee Nguyen. The dribbling skills were on display in the 61st minute when Imbongo used a variety of scissors to win space and offer a cross.
Imbongo summarized the night by saying, “This is my first time in the starting eleven. It was a good game tonight. Everyone worked hard. I’m a little bit happy because we played good. We don’t get three points. This is why I get not happy about my game because I want to score.”
The second-year player had his best chance to score in the 38th minute when he forced a low save from Luis Robles after beating Markus Holgersson and forcing Heath Pearce back into his penalty box.
Imbongo remembers, “I do one mistake because I go to my left foot. Because I want to go to my right foot but I see the defender go to the right side. That’s why I go to my left foot and shoot from left. I want next time to do a little bit quicker and go to my right foot and score.”
Imbongo’s night came to an end in the 74th minute when Jerry Bengtson entered the game. Although the 23 year-old had some questionable moments, his overall performance will keep him in contention for a starting spot. This game was important for Imbongo since the forward position will soon become crowded with Saer Sene and Juan Agudelo returning to full health. With more game minutes and practice, Imbongo hopes to establish himself as a regular contributor for the Revolution.
Imbongo said, “I feel very good. I feel happy because I have a lot of people. I have Saer, I have Jose (Goncalves); they speak French. I have Sainey (Nyassi), who I understand really good. I feel good here and I want to stay. I want to give my best for my team and for myself.”
3 Observations and Revelations
1. Fagundez continues his stellar year. The 18 year-old made his sevenths appearance (sixth start) of the year on Saturday and did well to show that he belongs. Beyond the 54th minute goal, Fagundez completed 73% of his passes, had three shots on target and made one interception. Since signing a homegrown contract, Fagundez has received a lot of attention, sometimes without merit. His recent play, however, shows that this team needs him to be a regular starter and contributor. Fagundez knows this but remains humbled and focused. After the game, Fagundez was quoted as saying, “I'm going to be here every game proving (myself) and getting better and better.” While Fagundez has done well when operating from the right flank, it would be interesting to see what the crafty midfielder can offer if placed in the center.
2. Revs repeat mistakes. On Wednesday, Real Salt Lake was able to overcome a one-goal deficit to defeat the Revolution 2-1. On Saturday, the Revs held the lead for mere seconds before allowing the Red Bulls to equalize. In both occasions, the Revs lacked focus and composure which allowed their opponents back into the game. This week was a regression for the Revs since this type of behavior was more characteristic of the 2012 team than the 2013 team. In fact, the Revs had never lost a lead in 2013 before this week. Tierney reflected, “We always stress, first five after either the half, the start of the game or scoring a goal and obviously we didn’t do a good enough job taking care of those five minutes.”
3. This week will haunt the Revs. Although they were burdened with a busy schedule, the Revs needed to collect more points during this important home stretch. Heaps and company have always stressed the importance of making Gillette Stadium a fortress but that attitude has not transferred to on-the-field results this year. The Revs are currently 1-2-2 at home which means that they have only earned 5 points while in Foxboro. This week will be particularly haunting because the Revs held the lead in both games before ultimately dropping points.
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
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