Revolution out-gun Toronto 3-1

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution made Toronto FC look like a Ferrari with an automatic transmission on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.

Toronto had the parts and specs to outlast and out-gun their hosts, but broke down midway through the first half en route to a 3-1 victory for the Revolution in front of 21,362 fans.

Charlie Davies found the back of the net for the first time since June 21, scoring one goal in each half, while Lee Nguyen scored a penalty kick right before half time. Jozy Altidore effectively killed his team’s chances when he was red carded in the 39^th minute for kicking Jose Goncalves, and Sebastian Giovinco, who entered the game with MLS’ second-best scoring record, didn’t provide much offense and was substituted off at half time.

“Our energy was good,” said Coach Jay Heaps after the game. “If you give away a couple of balls or you’re not sharp, you open the door a little bit and a team can gain confidence. You want to limit that.”

The Revolution welcomed back Jermaine Jones when he came on for Daigo Kobayashi in the 76^th minute after missing the last month and a half of competitive soccer while being out injured. Conversely, Toronto was without their captain and midfield general, Michael Bradley (calf), who would have helped his team stay competitive in midfield.

For all the pluses associated with the Revolution’s play, they were clearly helped by Bradley’s absence. Toronto appeared to raise their white flag without him while the Revolution dug in and competed on both sides of the ball.

Davies opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season in the 34^th minute through a Chris Tierney free kick that was sent into the penalty area from about 40 yards. Kelyn Rowe made a play for Tierney’s looping cross on the right side of the box, then dished the ball centrally for Davies, who beat Toronto goalkeeper Joe Bendik to the ball and slid the finish into the back of the net from point blank range.

“Just wanted to do anything I could to help this team win,” said Davies. “I’m a striker and I haven’t scored in a while.

“I’m proud of this team. We’re starting to come together like I’ve said. It’s kind of like last year, where we get hot toward the end of the season. I feel like we’ve taken huge steps forward to make that happen again.

In the 39^th minute, Altidore and Jose Goncalves got into a tussle in midfield that ended with Goncalves on the turf and Altidore following through with a kick.

Referee Chris Penso wasted no time showing Altidore a straight red card, reducing Toronto to 10 men for the duration of the match.

“I think he lost his head and wanted to kick a player,” said Goncalves. “The referee did a good job, giving him a red card. Nothing bad came of it, but yes, this was a red [card].”

Toronto’s woes continued in the 43^rd minute when Penso was again called to action as Damien Perquis dragged Rowe down during a Tierney free kick. Penso, again without hesitation, made a game-changing decision, pointing to the penalty spot.

Nguyen buried the ensuing penalty kick—which was just the second that’s been awarded to the Revolution this season—shooting left as Bendik dived the opposite direction. The finish extended Nguyen’s scoring streak to three games and gave him five goals on the season.

Giovinco, who entered the game with a heel injury, came out at half time for Jay Chapman after shooting just once, a direct free kick mid-way through the first half.

Giovinco’s performance contrasted greatly with that of Davies, who stayed in past half time and helped the Revolution extend their lead to three.

The key play was Davies colliding with Bendik outside the penalty area in the 60^th minute, drawing another foul from Penso.

Davies was on a breakaway, staring only at Bendik has attempted to enter the penalty area. After the hit and Penso showing Bendik a yellow card, Davies finished the sequence off by poking Tierney’s ensuing free kick into the net for his ninth goal of the season.

“It was a great ball in and I saw it, my eyes opened up, and I wanted to put it in the back of the net,” said Davies. “Fortunately I was able to do that.”

Jonathan Osorio pulled back a consolation goal for Toronto in the 75^th minute, firing from outside the box and beating Bobby Shuttleworth, but by then the Revolution were in total command.

The Revolution will carry this victory into next week’s bye week and hope for results to go their way in the coming weeks. They are tied for third in the Eastern Conference with Columbus, but are placed in fourth because of goal differential.

The Revolution have also played four more games than Toronto, who sit in fifth, and five more games than Montreal, who sit in sixth. The likes of Orlando City SC and New York City FC, which sit in seventh and eighth, respectively, also look like good bids for a playoff spot.

All of those teams have added talent in the form of star players that dominated in Europe and it will be challenging for the Revolution to maintain their playoff place.

“It’s harder to make the playoffs and go to the final every year because more players from Europe come and MLS grows,” added Goncalves. “Every year, games are harder. For us, it’s important that every time we go into the stadium we think about ourselves and our opponent.”

Wins like the one against Toronto, though, are certainly a step in the right direction.