FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – D.C. United entered Gillette Stadium with a winless streak extending all the way back to March 9. They departed with their second road point of the season and the respect of the in-form New England Revolution.
Defender Chris Tierney led a chorus of praise for United after the visitors claimed a 0-0 road draw on Saturday night.
“D.C.'s a good opponent,” Tierney told MLSsoccer.com. “You look at their players and that's the same squad that almost made it to MLS Cup. We were well aware of how good that team can be. We know as well as anyone how tough it can be when you're struggling like they are and how desperate they were going to be. We knew and we were prepared for the fact that it was going to be a difficult game. And it was.”
FULL BOX SCORE AND MATCH STATISTICS
The Revolution struggled to produce the incisiveness that yielded a late outburst in the 5-0 victory over LA Galaxy on Sunday. United's compact defensive shape left the active New England midfielders with little operating room in dangerous areas. And visiting goalkeeper Bill Hamid produced the one or two saves required to allow his team to escape with a point.
Revolution coach Jay Heaps admitted his side failed to muster the final pass on several occasions, but he praised United's work on the night as the primary reason for the stalemate.
“D.C.'s a tough team,” Heaps said. “Tonight, I think they showed some real grit. They didn't give us much at all. We tried to take a little bit, but Bill Hamid made a couple of saves. In the end, we're not thrilled, but, at the same time, I think we were up against a hell of a team tonight.
"I’ll take you into my office and show you the film," continued Heaps. "They played well tonight; I don’t care what you say. You can put any stat up, when you go out on the field every week and play against opponents like we do, it’s tough. And that’s a good team and I don’t care what you say.
OPTA CHALKBOARD: D.C. United's massive defensive stand vs. Revolution
The draw extended the Revs' unbeaten run to a season-high five matches and sidestepped a potential pothole, but the final result still left them ruing their inability to overcome a dogged opponent and secure a fourth straight victory.
“Last year, we were probably losing that game one-nil,” Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth said. “I think it's a good thing that we're disappointed that we didn't get three points. That being said, we're at home. We need to maximize our points. Dropping points here is not what we want to do.”
Kyle McCarthy covers the New England Revolution for MLSsoccer.com.
