New England Revolution 1, Vancouver Whitecaps 0 | 2017 MLS Match Recap

Peter Brownell

The New England Revolution rode a beautiful left-footed volley finish from Teal Bunbury to pick up a massive three points at Gillette Stadium in a 1-0 win against Western Conference visitors the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.

With the Revs below the playoff line in the Eastern Conference playoff race, Saturday’s result will definitely be well-received by Revolution faithful.

After conceding in the second half, the Whitecaps pressed hard for an equalizer as they too are below the playoff line in the 2017 MLS Playoff hunt. They nearly drew level when Cristian Techera’s direct free kick in the 70th minute rattled off the bar.

New England were able to hold firm though and complete a much-desired clean sheet and home win.

Are the Revs righting the ship? "Every game counts"

Goals

53' – NE– Teal Bunbury Watch

Three Things

THANKS FOR THE HELPER: New England Revolution standout Kelyn Rowe has been used in a variety of different positions during his time at the club under head coach Jay Heaps. It is no secret that while Rowe will sacrifice and play defensively if the team needs him to do so, he definitely enjoys the opportunities when he gets to play a more attack-minded position. Saturday’s decision to deploy Rowe in midfield came up aces for the home side as his picture perfect cross to Teal Bunbury served as the game-winning assist.
WELCOME TO MLS: Whitecaps’ goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic made his MLS debut on Saturday evening after head coach Carl Robinson decided to give the New Zealand international a shot between the posts. Marinovic managed to make three saves and cannot be blamed for conceding on Bunbury’s goal. It will be interesting to see if Robinson sticks with the debutante in the latter stages of the 2017 MLS season of if he goes back to previous longtime starter David Ousted.
VIDEO REVIEW, ANYONE?: Saturday night’s match between the Revolution and the Whitecaps featured what everyone in the MLS community seems to have an opinion on these days, Video Review. Late in the second half, the referee reviewed a Whitecaps foul that took place right near the edge of their defensive box. The call was determined to be correct, and no penalty kick was awarded. It served as the first use of Video Review in the history of the Revolution.