For the second straight game the New England Revolution dropped points despite scoring an early goal. On Saturday, Charlie Davies’ first half strike was equaled by Liam Ridgewell’s first ever MLS goal. The game ultimately ended 1-1, meaning that the Revs and Timbers would share the spoils.
The first shot of the game occurred after an odd incident in which Kelyn Rowe got in the way of a Timbers clearance. The ball fell to Teal Bunbury who raced towards Donovan Ricketts. The 215 pound goalkeeper was there to make the crucial save.
Davies would be the man to beat Ricketts when he hit a left-footed shot in the 27th minute that banked off of the post. Diego Fagundez played the ball in to Davies, who was kept on side by Ridgewell. The goal was Davies’ second in as many games.
The Timbers had a number of chances to bring the game level during the first half. The first came in the 31st minute from a Diego Valeri free kick that found the head of Norberto Paparatto, but the defender hit the ball directly at Bobby Shuttleworth.
Two minutes later, Diego Chara made a long-distance bid that was pushed aside by the Revolution netminder.
The Timbers were again on the attack in the 37th minute. This time, Valeri played a sharp ball forward that put Gaston Fernandez behind the defense. Fernandez tried to chip Shuttleworth but the attempt went wide of the net.
The Timbers continued their push for an equalizer after the break. In the 48th minute, Will Johnson moved up the left flank before finding Valeri at the top of the penalty box. The Argentine’s right-footed effort went just wide of the net.
The Portland breakthrough came from an unlikely source as Ridgewell brought the game level in the 65th minute. After collecting the ball at midfield, Ridgewell would move past Rowe, Andrew Farrell and AJ Soares before putting a shot into Shuttleworth’s net.
Three minutes later, Fernandez appeared to have scored the go-ahead goal, but the assistant referee raised his flag. The whistled infraction came after Maxi Urruti snuck behind the defense and tried to pass to Fernandez.
Substitute Daigo Kobayashi provided the Revolution with a couple of good chances during the latter stages of the game. The Japanese playmaker played a crafty pass to Patrick Mullins, but the rookie was unable to properly control it. Soon after, Kobayashi found Rowe inside the box, but the ensuing shot would be knocked away by Ricketts.
Urruti had an 82nd minute chance at a game-winner when he forced a low save from Shuttleworth. Darlington Nagbe created the opportunity by getting to the end line and dropping the ball into the center of the box.
With only a point gained from Saturday’s game, the Revs exited the weekend in sixth place with a total of 27 points. The Revolution continue their home stand next Saturday when they welcome Chivas USA.
(Image courtesy of Kari Heistad)
