FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Every segment of Lee Nguyen's performance on Saturday night served as a riposte to Vancouver's decision to waive him in March, but his second goal really drove the point home.
Nguyen didn't have to go for goal in the 72nd minute with his New England Revolution up 3-1, but his confidence and his technical ability drove him to unleash a volley from 25 yards.
On this particular evening, the audacious attempt could only land in one spot. The sweetly struck effort nestled in the far right corner of the net to provide an exclamation point on Nguyen's man-of-the-match performance against his former side.
“Chris [Tierney, Revolution defender] threw me a perfect ball, just into space,” Nguyen told MLSsoccer.com after the match. “I took a touch. I just wanted to take a shot and put it in the corner. That’s just how it worked out.”
WATCH: Revolution rout Whitecaps, 4-1
The entire night worked out just as Nguyen and the Revolution had hoped. He registered two goals and an assist in a comprehensive victory against a Whitecaps FC side that deemed him surplus to requirements when they waived him on March 1.
"I wouldn’t say revenge," ," Nguyen said. "I’m just relieved. I’m just happy we got the win. The way it ended up, I couldn’t have dreamt it any better."
Revolution coach Jay Heaps lauded Nguyen's performance and noted the discussion he had with his player about the platform Saturday's match represented to offer a response to his former club.
“This week, we had a quiet little talk with him and said, 'Hey, this is a good moment for [you],'” Heaps said. “'You’re going to play against your former team.' As a former player who played against my former team, the Miami Fusion, a few times, there is something there when someone says you’re expendable or they want to move on without you.”
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If Nguyen submits performances like this one on a regular basis, he won't have to worry about the Revs reaching a similar conclusion any time soon.
In the wake of the personally satisfying victory, Nguyen said he hopes the match acts as a springboard for the Revs to take advantage of a stretch where they will play six of their next eight matches at Gillette Stadium.
“It was a huge win,” Nguyen said. “We have another home game as well [next Saturday against Houston], so if we can push forward and [string] two together and just carry forth from there, I think it’s going to be great.”
