Photo/Kari Heistad
The New England Revolution’s window for claiming a playoff spot appears all but shut in the wake of their 1-0 loss to DC United on Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
DC’s Luciano Acosta scored off a header in the 71st minute to prolong the misery for New England, who remain winless on the road this season.
That United, who entered the match with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, were able to hush the Revolution wasn’t surprising, but it’s still troubling.
New England look like a mirror image of their form at this point last season; they were and continue to be a team with a disjointed attack and porous defense.
In failing to secure a positive result in a must-win game against one of the worst teams in Major League Soccer, the Revolution seemed to prove that they, too, are one of the league’s weakest clubs.
Saturday’s game showcased perfectly why both teams are on the outside looking in for the post-season.
Sloppy play and a lack of clear cut scoring opportunities were a hallmark for the contest, which may have been the last game either of these teams will play against one another at RFK Stadium, as DC are moving into a new soccer specific stadium in 2018.
The Revolution were without Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe, both of whom are injured, and struggled to play through Kei Kamara and Juan Agudelo in the attack. Freshly signed designated player Krisztian Nemeth, a playmaking midfielder, also did not play due to fitness.
And while New England’s newest defensive acquisition Claude Dielna looked sharp in his second consecutive start, the Revolution back line as a whole was left for dead on DC’s goal.
The pivotal play began on the left flank when Lloyd Sam crossed into the box, Kofi Opare heading the ball toward the back post where an unmarked Acosta arrived to put the feed into the back of the net.
DC’s goal was well-worked, but also could have been avoided with tighter marking by New England’s defenders.
Mathematically, the Revolution are still capable of making the playoffs – but playoff teams don’t commit those types of blunders.
And unfortunately for New England, they’ve been a defining characteristic of this season.
