Following a big away match win, the New England Revolution returned to Gillette Stadium Saturday to face off against Eastern Conference rival the New York Red Bulls. An empty stadium gave an unusual atmosphere to this heated rivalry. Coming into this match, both teams sat at 10 points a piece, both struggling to earn victories.
The two teams would come out of the gate fired up and energized. The Revolution once again showed dominance in the possession category, but struggled to generate any threatening chances in the final third.
New York would strike first in this match with their youngsters finding a way past the Revolution back line. 21 year old Omir Fernandez was set up perfectly from 20 year old Ben Mines. The 35th minute goal came against the run of play, putting the Red Bulls up 1-0.
The Revolution did not lay back, but responded well to the adversity. Continuing to dominate possession, they were finally able to create more dangerous attacks, leading to shots on goal from forwards Adam Buksa and Gustavo Bou.
In the 41st minute, Rev’s Teal Bunbury would find himself in alone against goalkeeper Ryan Meara. The veteran forward carried the ball to the 6 yard box before electing to pass the ball across the face of the goal to Gustavo Bou. Bou would easily put the ball into the wide open net, tying the match up at 1-1.
At the break, the Revolution lead in possession 67.2 to 32.8. A dominant half, but even on the scoreboard.
The second half featured another dominant performance by the Revs. A couple of attacking minded substitutions helped generate multiple chances in the final third. Tommy McNamara made his debut, and almost found his way onto the scoresheet towards the end of the match.
In the 92nd minute, New York’s Tim Parker received a red card for a tackle on Tajon Buchanan. The Revolution would push forward and try to get a game winner, but their efforts were too late.
A 1-1 draw leads to neither team gaining an advantage over the other in the Eastern Conference Standings. Both teams now with 11 points in 2020.
Another draw for the Revolution sees their unbeaten streak continue. The Revs have not lost since the month of February when they were defeated by the Montreal Impact in the season opener. While their unbeaten run continues, this has to be a disappointing draw for the club. A game where they dominated in possession, chances, and shots, but unable to grab all three points.
Up next for the Revolution is a Wednesday evening matchup against New York City F.C.
