All eyes were on striker Kei Kamara in his debut for the Revolution after arriving with the team only the day before. But despite a handful of chances and shots on goal, it was an existing star (Lee Nguyen) and a rookie (Femi Hollinger-Janzen) that earned the Revs a 2-0 victory over an ineffective Chicago Fire side.
Nguyen's opening goal was something off the training grounds. He played a short corner kick and then ran into the box unmarked as Scott Caldwell passed back to him. Nguyen curled a one-time shot off the back post and into goal. Kamara earned the corner kick with a shot on goal that required goalkeeper Matt Lampson to make a quick save.
Juan Agudelo set up Hollinger-Janzen nicely late in the game to double the lead, working the ball at the near post and then lofting a pass to an on-running target.
Chicago, meanwhile, struggled to get anything going in the attack. They had just four shots all game, none of which were on target. That comes despite the return of Designated PlayerDavid Accam, who has been out with an injury since March.
Box Score
- 22' – NE – Lee Nguyen (Scott Caldwell)
- 84' – NE – Femi Hollinger-Janzen (Juan Agudelo, Lee Nguyen)
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Three Things
- WELCOME, KEI: There's no doubt Kamara would've liked to open his debut with a goal, and the former Columbus Crew SC striker was active throughout, taking six shots, four of them on goal. In the 68th minute, he nearly earned an assist with his hold up play, laying off a ball to Agudelo, who held the ball a bit too long before taking the shot, which Lampson did well to save. Kamara even attempted a wide bicycle kick in the 68th minute. Despite the scoreless evening, Revs fans will be excited by what they saw. The drama around Kamara's controversial trade will easily be forgotten if he can build off Saturday's performance.
- FIRE, NOT SO HOT: As busy as the Revs were in the final third, Chicago looked absent. Chicago had just four shots all game, none on goal. Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth didn't even have to make a catch until stoppage time, and it came off the head of his own defender interrupting a cross, not from a Fire player. That may have been what prompted the long-waited return of Accam ahead of schedule, but nothing the Fire tried worked.
- YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST: Rookie Hollinger-Janzen continues to prove himself as a valuable piece of the Revs, despite being a third-round draft pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. He took another impressive step forward on Saturday, scoring his first professional goal to double the Revs' lead. Coming in as a sub in the 72nd minute, he quickly made his presence felt in the match and got himself into ideal position on the goal. His journey to the pros has been about defying the odds and he continues to do it.
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