It will take some time for the dust to settle on the New England Revolution’s 2015 season, but in the immediate aftermath of their 2-1 Knockout Round loss to D.C. United on Wednesday, the one word used to describe the evening may ultimately hold firm on the year as a whole.
“Disappointed,” said Chris Tierney. “I honestly thought we did enough to win the game. A couple of unfortunate breaks and a few lapses in concentration here that have cost us games this year and did 1208093025" tabindex="0">tonight as well. It’s very disappointing, but it’s the situation we put ourselves in -- one game and you’re out. Unfortunately, in a one-game playoff, anything can happen, and it didn’t go our way 1208093026" tabindex="0">tonight.”
After a mid-September win over the New York Red Bulls, the Revs found themselves atop the Eastern Conference table with five matches to play.
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They went 0-3-1 in their next four games and did not clinch a postseason berth until the final week of the season. Naturally, they sunk in the standings during that stretch, which ultimately forced the do-or-die match against D.C. at RFK Stadium.
New England did initially get the upper hand on Wednesday night after Juan Agudelo’s amazing bicycle kick in the 15th minute, but a slew of missed opportunities left the Revs with a narrow margin they were unable to hold.
“I thought it was an amazing goal from Juan, and I thought we had a lot of chances to make it 2-0, which I thought would have really put us in a strong position,” said Tierney. “Unfortunately, we did not take those chances and we conceded a soft one on a set piece, so it did not go our way.”
New England conceded late in the first and second halves and had to contend with handballs in the box that stung them on both ends of the field, including a stoppage time non-call that led to the ejection of Jermaine Jones, who made contact with referee Mark Geiger in the ensuing argument.
“It’s a disappointing night, and you hate to go down that way,” said coach Jay Heaps. “It’s frustrating; guys were pretty upset about the way in which the game was managed from the referee. It really felt like there were at least two penalties at the end of that game, and [we] didn’t get it, so frustration boils over, and that’s a tough part of the game.”
Even tougher is the abrupt ending to what was expected to be a bright season for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
“It’s difficult, but it’s playoff soccer,” said Tierney. “You’re just in the moment trying to make plays and, unfortunately, they made two and we made one. Like I said, we are just very disappointed. I thought we did enough good stuff to win, but it didn’t go our way.”
