On Saturday, the New England Revolution shocked the Houston Dynamo when they earned a 2-0 victory at BBVA Compass Stadium. The result ended the Revs’ four-game winless streak against the Dynamo while also providing the home team with their second straight loss. The final score was a testament to the Revolution’s ability to stay composed despite the hostile environment.
The tone of the game was set early with both teams battling hard to gain the advantage. In the 15th minute, Stephen McCarthy made a risky slide tackle that that looked to have gotten more of Giles Barnes than the ball. Dimitry Imbongo and Bobby Boswell, who had been battling all night, earned matching red cards in the 37th minute when Boswell head-butted Imbongo which led to the Revs player grabbing the assailant by the face and pulling him down. Despite each club losing a man, the physical play didn’t stop. Kofi Sarkodie committed a crunching tackle on Nguyen in the 57th minute and Bobby Shuttleworth offered a hard bump to Ricardo Clark in the 66th.
Goalkeeper Tally Hall explained the game by saying, “I think teams have known for a while that we are a physical team. And to compete with us, they are going to have to be physical as well. It’s no surprise they came out more physical. It’s a surprise, to me, that we let it work as well as it did.”
Beyond matching Houston’s physical play, the Revs also did well to keep their energy level high and pressure the Houston defense. From the opening whistle, it was clear that Revs weren’t going to sit back and play the counter. Instead, the team relied on fluid movement and quick passes to hold possession and prevent Houston from gaining any type of momentum. The plan paid off in the 51sr minute when Diego Fagundez combined with Nguyen, Juan Agudelo and Clyde Simms to score the opening goal. The goal was Fagundez’s third of the season which leads the team.
Fagundez said, “It all started with Juan (Agudelo). Juan got the ball wide and then he gave it to me. I gave it back to Lee (Nguyen) and he gave it back to me and I just saw Clyde (Simms) on the top of the eighteen so I gave him a pass. I followed through it and then he did a beautiful lay-off where I could just touch it around the defender and get a goal.”
Despite having the lead, the Revs refused to fold into a defensive shell, a strategy that doomed them last week. The wide-open play allowed both teams to have their chances. Will Bruin had a header in the 61st minute that sailed over the net. Nguyen took a long-range effort in the 70th minute that forced consecutive saves from Hall, who not only stopped the initial shot but also the follow-up from Agudelo. Not to be outdone, Shuttleworth made a huge stop in the 81st minute on Brian Ching’s attempt from just inside the box.
The Revs solidified the lead in the 84th minute when Agudelo’s shot deflected off Clark for an own goal. The play started with a counterattack led by Nguyen. The crafty midfielder found Agudelo who played a nifty back heel to Chris Tierney who then offered the ball back to Agudelo for the insurance goal.
Agudelo reflected on the win by saying, ““It feels awesome. Not just to win 1-0, but 2-0 is huge. There’s a lot of momentum right now getting toward the middle of the season, playoffs getting closer and closer. It’s huge to win this away game. There’s a couple home games coming up and hopefully we can make a push to be on top of the league.”
3 Observations and Revelations
1. Agudelo will make this team better. Agudelo was forced to make his Revolution debut a little sooner than expected when he was asked to replace an injured Ryan Guy in the 35th minute. The New York native showed why he’s so highly touted by being both physical and creative. Agudelo finished with one shot on target, three fouls won and 95% passing accuracy. The Revs second goal was a microcosm of Agudelo’s game. When Nguyen played the ball to the newcomer, Agudelo used an imaginative back heel to get the ball to Tierney. This offset the defense and drew Hall off his line. After Tierney played the ball back, Agudelo used his body to win possession from Adam Moffat. Whether he is here for six months or many years, it’s clear that Agudelo will be a contributor.
2. Fagundez is living up to the hype. It’s not unusual for young players to make an early impact in Major League Soccer since they are unknown quantities. In his debut, Fagundez drew a penalty and scored a goal against Chivas USA. After that, the homegrown player struggled to find consistency as he was shuffled in and out of the lineup and saw time as both a forward and a midfielder. There was a time when marketability was Fagundez’s only value to the team. That time has passed, however, as Fagundez has proven to be the real deal. His movement is creative, his energy is perpetual and his finishing is clinical. The best part about Fagundez is that he can now be relied upon to bring solid performances to each game.
3. What will happen to Jerry Bengtson? While the move probably had a lot to do with the early substitution and unexpected lead, it is interesting to note that both Saer Sene and Bengtson were left on the bench. Once Sene is fully fit, he should be viewed as a potential starter since he offers a different skillset than the other forwards on the roster. Bengtson’s spot, however, is in danger since the Honduran striker has put in several apathetic performances this season. Meanwhile, Imbongo and Agudelo are proving to be versatile strikers that can impact a game. Hope for Bengtson shouldn’t be abandoned since competition and a new formation could help him locate his scoring touch.
(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)
