A 73rd-minute goal from substitute Cristian Penilla lifted the New England Revolution to a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls, their second win of the season, on a sloppy Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
In a feisty game between two frustrated teams trying to stay in striking range of the Eastern Conference playoff spots, the Revolution found the game's decisive moment on the counter attack. Carles Gil found one substitute forward, Juan Fernando Caicedo, in the center circle, and he found another by springing Penilla on the run. Forced wide by center back Aaron Long, the Ecuadorean unleashed a stinging low shot that slipped underneath the fingertips of goalkeeper Luis Robles, who was left with his head in his hands.
The Red Bulls, playing without the suspended Kaku, never seriously threatened to tie the game after the go-ahead goal. Revolution goalkeeper Cody Cropper earned his first shutout of the season by making five saves. His most difficult came in the 39th minute, when Marc Rzatkowski brought a cross out of the air with two touches before rifling a left-footed volley that Cropper punched away.
Cropper also got help from center back Michael Mancienne, who arrived in the six-yard box to stop a Bradley Wright-Phillips effort in the 51st minute after Cropper came off his line.
The Revolution (2W-5L-1D) move into 9th place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind 7th-place Chicago, while the defending Supporters' Shield champion Red Bulls (1W-4L-2D) are winless in five games and have the worst points-per-game average (0.71) in the conference.
Goals
- 73' – NE – Cristian Penilla | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: There should be alarm bells ringing in New Jersey, as the Red Bulls fall to last in the Eastern Conference. One year after leading MLS with 14 shutouts and a 0.97 goals against average, New York have yet to keep a shutout in 2019. Meanwhile, goals and chances have been hard to come by for Wright-Phillips at the other end, even on the heels of an MLS-record goal haul over the last five years.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: New England's overall performance may not have been playoff-caliber, but the attacking connection that produced the game's only goal – Gil to Juan Fernando Caicedo to Penilla – could prove inspirational going forward.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Nobody stole the show, but Gil played his usual role as the most dynamic of New England's attackers and played a key, line-breaking pass in the build-up to the game-winner.
Next Up
- NY: Sat., April 27 vs. FC Cincinnati (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN & TVAS in Canada)
- NE: Wed., April 24 vs. Montreal Impact (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; DAZN in Canada)
