Juan Agudelo’s first goal since his return to New England was well worth the wait thanks to a magnificent first-half flick that put his club on track for a second straight victory and first in Colorado since 2002.
Breaking hard towards the left side of the box, the Revolution forward received a long pass from Kelyn Rowe on the far side of the Rapids' defensive line, reining it in with his left foot before beautifully touching it over charging Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin and off the underside of the crossbar.
“I was able to take it down and chip it over the keeper,” Agudelo said. “I'm just glad that I was able to help my team out because it’s a tough place to play with the altitude.”
Versatility in the midfield was the strong suit of the New England Revolution heading into the season, and manager Jay Heaps used that to his advantage in setting up the strike.
“We had just switched the two of them,” Heaps said about Rowe and Agudelo, who swapped positions on the wings. “We like to switch them once in a while. We felt the matchup of Kelyn on the right and Juan [on the left] was going to be a little bit better as the game went on. So we started opposite, so that as the game went we would switch them. It was probably a couple of minutes after we made the switch that Kelyn served the perfect ball and Juan’s touch was excellent.”
Rowe started the play along the right sideline, bodying out Sam Cronin for possession, before turning toward the net, taking two quick touches and launching an over-the-top pass from 40 yards out.
Agudelo reached out in stride with his left leg to reel in the long ball and the ensuing flick over Irwin proved magical.
“It was a good run from Agudelo,” Rowe said. “He’s one of those players that you want to give him the ball when he’s going in those positions. Credit him with a great finish.”
“I saw Kelyn pick his head up,” Agudelo said. “He’s a player that has a great foot on him and he’s able to play a good long ball.
The 19th-minute strike signaled the second straight game in which the Revs got on the board early, following their 21st-minute goal in last week's 2-1 win over San Jose. Part of their success has come from the successful application of early pressure against their opponents, vaulting New England to a 2-0-1 record of late after beginning the season 0-2-0.
“That early one really set the tone,” Rowe said. “It gave us a little bit of a leeway to try some things.”
Try some things they did, as the Revolution managed the game well, thwarting Colorado from netting their first goal of the season while adding to their lead in the second half, when Lee Nguyen converted from the penalty spot. The win had added sentimental meaning, as it was the club’s first ever victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
“It’s a tough place to play,” Heaps said after the win. “We’ve got some tired guys in there [the locker].”
Craig Forde covers the New England Revolution for MLSsoccer.com.
