A late Teal Bunbury game-winner gave the New England Revolution their first home win under head coach Bruce Arena, as the Eastern Conference side beat the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium.
Bunbury, who has four goals across New England’s last five matches in all competitions, slotted home a Cristian Penilla cross in the 91st minute for the 2-1 advantage. Penilla, who subbed on in the 61st minute, changed the game with his pace and dribbling ability.
As well as New England finished, their start was slow, with Houston controlling the first half. Darwin Ceren, who just returned from the Concacaf Gold Cup with El Salvador, volleyed home in the 25th minute after a corner kick bounced out to the midfielder.
Down 1-0 after halftime, New England looked a revived team in the second stanza, and their equalizer didn’t have to wait long. It arrived in the 51st minute when a deep Diego Fagundez corner kick was nodded home by Antonio Delamea, the center back upfield for the set piece.
New England and Houston both heavily rotated their teams, though first-choice players entered throughout the second half, with Bunbury the ultimate difference-maker.
Goals
- 25' – HOU – Darwin Ceren | WATCH
- 51' – NE – Antonio Delamea | WATCH
- 90'+1' – NE – Teal Bunbury | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: New England is now 2-0-1 in league play with Bruce Arena as head coach and is in contention for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With a dismal start to the 2019 season, that latter statement was unthinkable about two months ago. An opposite story has emerged for the Dynamo, who are now 0-4-1 across their last five MLS games. Houston started the year by hardly putting any foot wrong, but has since come back down to Earth.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The finish arose from Teal Bunbury, but the setup from Cristian Penilla was textbook. The Ecuadorian stood up Houston center back Alejandro Fuenmayor, then dragged his cross back through the six-yard box, begging for a finishing touch that Bunbury ultimately provided.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Teal Bunbury looks a striker reborn, with four goals in the month of June after going nearly 10 months without a goal for the Revs. He’s long been a streaky goalscorer, though is hard to keep at bay when playing with confidence and conviction.
Next Up
- NE: Thursday, July 4 at Colorado Rapids (9 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
- HOU: Wednesday, July 3 vs. New York Red Bulls (9 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
