Je-Vaughn Watson scored the only goal in the Revolution’s 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire. Photo/Kari Heistad
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Most players would show signs of slowing down in the 85th minute of a game if they’d already played 295 minutes over the course of seven days – but not Je-Vaughn Watson.
The Jamaican midfielder played every second of the Revolution’s 0-0 tie at Real Salt Lake last weekend and went the distance again on Wednesday night in a US Open Cup quarter-final against the Philadelphia Union in which he converted the winning penalty kick.
That wasn’t enough for Watson, who helped the Revolution extend their unbeaten run to four games in all competitions on Saturday night by heading in a late goal off a Chris Tierney corner kick to beat the Chicago Fire 1-0 at Gillette Stadium.
Watson – who showed no signs of not wanting to play his third game in three days – even predicted that he’d find the back of the net.
“That’s the thing with me, whenever I score one goal, I just keep scoring,” Watson said.
“Even before the game I was telling Gershon Koffie I think I’m going to score a goal tonight. I keep fighting, I’m always in the box whether it comes to me or not.”
That the game’s first goal came five minutes before the start of second half stoppage time was no accident. Both New England and Chicago played sloppily, though the visitors managed to thwart the Revs by remaining compact in defense.
“Tonight wasn’t our best game by any means,” said Revolution coach Jay Heaps. “Things weren’t clicking in the final third. I felt we had the game, the only things we were dealing with were counter attacks, things like that.
“We just had to keep fighting, [you]find a set piece goal, sometimes that’s the answer.”
The decisive moment started in open play, when Diego Fagundez, who entered the match at the 58-minute mark for Scott Caldwell, curled a shot toward goal that Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson tipped over the bar.
On the next ensuing corner kick, Fagundez got the ball on the edge of the area and fired from distance again, once more forcing Johnson to parry the ball over the end line.
Tierney served the ball centrally moments later, Watson emerging inside a crowded penalty area and managing to get enough power on the ball to squeeze it into the back of the net.
The goal capped off a long, albeit rewarding stretch for the Jamaican, who has played 300 minutes of competitive soccer in the last week.
“He’s a gamer, I’ve asked him ‘are you tired?’ and he says, ‘no,’” Heaps said. “He’s good to go.
“Je-Vaughn is the guy whose name you write on the team sheet and you know exactly what you’re going to get. He leaves it all out on the field.”
Watson’s consistency – and more recently, versatility – have been assets to the Revolution this season. He’s played at full-back and in midfield and, if one believes him to be a man of his word, is emerging as a scorer, too.
In truth, the Revolution should have vastly outplayed Chicago, who entered Saturday’s clash with the worst record in the league.
A number of first half chances didn’t go the Revolution’s way, Johnson stopping a line drive by Kelyn Rowe (10th) and Teal Bunbury flicking a cross by Tierney over the bar (20th), while the closest the Fire ever came to scoring was a cross by striker David Accam that Jose Goncalves redirected toward his own goal, with Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth preventing the own goal with a reaction save.
Saturday night also marked the first time this season that New England recorded back to back shutouts. So the Revolution, who still occupy the Eastern Conference’s sixth and final playoff spot, seem to be gaining confidence in more ways than one.
At the moment, the Revs’ ceiling looks as though it’s quite high. They’re enjoying a promising stretch despite being without strikers Charlie Davies and Femi Hollinger-Janzen (both abductor) and Juan Agudelo, as well as midfielders Koffie and Xavier Kouassi (all knee).
For now, the Revolution’s depth – limited as it may be – continues to hold up. And Watson is proof of that.
“I’m tired but mentally I’m strong,” Watson said. “I have to do whatever I have to do to win the game.
“The coaching staff and the players are happy, so I think we deserve it. I know all the guys are tired, so we were just digging, digging, digging.
“We never gave up or gave them any chance. I guess that’s a plus and we’ve come away with a clean sheet and three points.”
If you want to reach Julian follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo and email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com
Chicago Fire
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