NE Revolution vs. Dallas
April 14, 2018
FC Dallas 1-New England Revolution 0
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It’s a whole different game when you have to face a foe at full strength. Just ask the New England Revolution.
After pummeling the opposition by a combined score of 6-0 during their last two matches – both of which finished with the other side fielding 10 men, mind you – the Revolution fell short 1-0 against a full-strength FC Dallas on Saturday.
Jacori Hayes scored the deciding goal in the 76th minute after corralling a Roland Lamah ball inside the box and blasting it though.
The Revolution, who throttled Montreal 4-0 last week, suffered their first home loss of the season, which snapped a four-match unbeaten run.
On the other end of the pitch, Dallas pocketed all three points in its first road match of the season after opening their slate with four straight home games.
NE Revolution vs. Dallas
April 14, 2018
HEADLINES
Penilla held in check by Cannon: No doubt the Revolution’s most dangerous threat during the early season has been newcomer Christian Penilla. The Ecuadorian entered the match with one goals and three assists in four games, and looked keen to continue that form Saturday. Or not. The Dallas defense was bolstered by strong performances from Victor Ulloa and Reggie Cannon, who prevented Penilla from putting a single shot on goal.
Revolution defense springs leaks: Yes, the Revolution had plenty of reasons to feel good about their defense, which posted back-to-back clean sheets against Houston and Montreal. But again: both matches finished 11v10, with the Revolution benefitting from red cards to the opposition. On Saturday, against a full-strength selection, the counterattacking Dallas XI dismantled the Revolution defense. Cristian Colman found no fewer than three chances to score, and his atrocious finishing left the hosts off the hook until Hayes’ strike.
Turner bails out backline: While the Revolution backline was busy making mistakes, goalkeeper Matt Turner rose to the occasion to keep it close until the very end. The former third-stringer continued to impress on Saturday, and made a trio of bold stops to bail out his defense. His quick reflexes denied Colman in the 16th minute, then Roland Lamah in the 39th minute to keep it scoreless going into the break. But no goalkeeper is an island, and the 76th minute winner from Hayes proved that sentiment true.
Nguyen’s omission hurts Revs in crunch time: Down a goal with roughly 15 minutes to go, the Revolution probably would’ve benefited from having Lee Nguyen at their disposal. In theory, at least. Why? Because for the sixth-straight game, Brad Friedel left the dynamic midfielder off the team sheet, thus limiting his options as the match drew to a close. In the past, Friedel has told the media that Nguyen’s exclusion from the gameday roster isn’t a form of punishment. But after watching the Revolution offense sputter on Saturday, you have to wonder if Friedel’s not telling the whole story about one of the team’s best attacking threats.
Dallas drafts blueprint on beating electric Revs: New England had the league buzzing after opening the season 3-1-1, especially when many pegged them to finish near or at the bottom of the Eastern Conference basement. Newcomers like Penilla, Wilfried Zahibo, and Luis Caicedo certainly revitalized a Revolution midfield that craved new ideas and energy, and all three rewarded Friedel for his faith in them. But Saturday’s match stopped them cold in their tracks. Like they’ve done so often against New England, Dallas clogged the central channel, where Penilla, Diego Fagundez, and Teal Bunbury have picked apart opposing defenses as of late. Ulloa, Matt Hedges and Reto Ziegler shut down the Revolution offense in the final third, where chances were all too often laid to waste.
NE Revolution
FC Dallas
