New England head coach Jay Heaps tried to put a positive spin on the team’s seventh consecutive loss on Saturday night in Texas, but it’s not always easy to find a silver lining when times are tough.
The Revs gave up a goal on each side of the half in a 2-0 road loss against FC Dallas, just three days after they were run off the field in a 5-1 loss to the LA Galaxy.
“The other night we got our noses rubbed in it,” Heaps said. “The last seven games have been absolutely gut wrenching, with highs and lows in this big low. Tonight's effort, you just felt from the beginning we were going to be good enough to get something from this game, but we didn't and that's the way it goes.”
The Revs were outshot 24-9 and have up nine corner kicks to FC Dallas, who got a goal from Andrés Escobar in the 29th minute and an insurance goal from rookie forward Tesho Akindele in the 91st.
Heaps questioned the call that led to Escobar’s winning goal in the first half, the result of a quickly taken free kick by Dallas midfielder Adam Moffat.
“Quite frankly, I didn't think it was a foul on our guy,” Heaps said. “It was a foul on their guy. The ball was moving, they played it quickly, credit (Adam) Moffat that played it, one ball through and then they stayed in that positive area. It was a good goal. There's a lot to be said, but we've got to keep fighting, keep going forward, and try to get back out of this.”
Revs forward Charlie Davies, meanwhile, made his first MLS start since 2011 in the loss, drawing three fouls but coming up empty elsewhere on the score sheet.
“I was very excited to finally get an opportunity to help the team try and get out of this rut and showcase what I can do,” said Davies, who last started while with former club D.C. United. “It was one of those times where I feel like I've worked so hard to prepare myself for this moment, and I'm happy I took this step forward.”
The Revs return to action on July 26 at home against the Columbus Crew.
"It's a tough one to take, especially on this stretch of games that we're on now, but we've got a home game coming up," defender Chris Tierney said. "And the way that things are going in the league, we're still amazingly in a decent position so if we play the way we know we can then things will turn around and we'll be fine."
