TORONTO – Eager to put some distance between themselves and the dreaded red line, the New England Revolution hoped that the previously-welcoming confines of BMO Field would cure that which ailed them.
Unfortunately, they were wrong, falling 4-1 to Toronto FC on Saturday night.
“This one certainly doesn't sit well,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps.
“We started well, the first 15-20 minutes; then [Sebastian] Giovinco goes down – for me it was actually a foul on Daigo [Kobayashi]. Instead, [Toronto] got the free kick, which led to the corner kick. We didn't deal well with the clearance and that's where the game shifted. Goals determine games and we didn't react well after that.”
Lee Nguyen, who captained the side, agreed with his manager about the start and the turning point.
“[We] turned off right before the corner kick, weren’t able to clear the ball, gave them a second chance at the apple,” Nguyen said. “And if you give Giovinco two chances he’s going to to put it away. Then we weren’t able to keep possession, momentum swung their way after the goal, so it’s unfortunate.”
The loss marked New England's first at BMO Field since 2010, a run of six unbeaten matches coming to an end, including wins in their last three. Overall, an eight-match unbeaten spell over their Eastern Conference opponents came to a screeching halt.
The Revolution, however, were able to welcome back several players – Diego Fagundez, Gershon Koffie, and Darrius Barnes – to the starting lineup after extended absences.
“The thought process was to get some players back into the mix,” Heaps said. “We wanted guys to be fresh and ready for tonight; have some guys play who have earned it over the last couple weeks in training.”
For Barnes, it was a return some 16 months in the making, recovering from surgery for a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.
“It felt great to get out there with my teammates again,” Barnes said. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t the result we wanted.”
Like Heaps and Nguyen, Barnes thought they started well, but, “then Giovinco scores a world-class goal and that’s all she wrote.”
Disappointed, New England must dust themselves off ahead of Tuesday's crucial U.S. Open Cup semifinal, at home against the Chicago Fire (8pm ET; ESPN2).
“We have a quick turnaround,” Heaps said. “Obviously it doesn't feel good, that's for sure. You've got to react and have a short memory, but at the same time try to adapt and learn.”
