COLUMBUS, Ohio – One of Major League Soccer’s hottest teams took a shot to their playoff chances Sunday, as the New England Revolution couldn’t find any points in Columbus.
New England were riding a three-match winning streak heading into the match against Crew SC, and while head coach Jay Heaps admitted his team was outplayed, a late decision by referee Chris Penso meant Heaps couldn’t help but feel his team deserved a 1-0 scoreline rather than the 2-0 result.
Columbus were awarded a penalty kick in the 84th minute after London Woodberry made contact with Ola Kamara as a cross swung toward the Crew SC striker’s head. Penso determined that the contact was enough to warrant a penalty, and Heaps was baffled.
“Here’s what I’ll say: we’ve not had that call, for us, not once this year,” he said. “I think that is BS. That’s what I have a problem with – the consistency of which that call is made. If that’s a penalty kick, great. If they’re going to do it, though, they’d better do it every time that thing freaking happens. That’s how I feel about it.”
Heaps cited his own striker, former Crew SC man Kei Kamara, as an example of the perceived lack of consistency.
“I know in New York, when we played the Red Bulls, the same thing happened to Kei – no call,” he said. “Three times I can name on that same type of play – no call. And then sure enough, they get the call. The consistency has got to be better.”
New England’s Kamara felt the same way. Kei said he wouldn’t have expected the call if it had happened to him.
“Chris Penso is the referee tonight, so if it was [my] PK call, I don’t think he would have called it for me,” he said. “That’s our relationship right there. I get banged up in this league so much…but you’ve just got to move on.”
Ultimately, Heaps didn’t blame the call for the loss. He gave credit to Columbus and admitted that “in the end, we didn’t end up getting the goal back.”
But the result certainly doesn’t help his team’s playoff chances. With just three matches to play, New England are struggling to stay in playoff contention in a hectic Eastern Conference race that Columbus have now given themselves a fighting chance in.
Heaps simply said his club has to “put together the next game,” and Kei doesn’t believe the season is over.
“We have some games left. It’s not the end of it,” he said. “Obviously, everybody wants to capitalize on their home games and the Crew don’t have many left, so they wanted to do that. … So we just have to let this one go and move forward and get ready for the next game.”
