The New England Revolution clinched a playoff berth for the third straight year on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium by beating New York City FC 3-1 in the regular season finale.
Lee Nguyen, Charlie Davies, and Kelyn Rowe each scored one goal in a dominating performance that snapped a four-game winless streak and gives the Revolution some much-needed momentum heading into the post-season.
The Revolution have finished the season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They will play DC United in a one-game playoff on Wednesday night at RFK Stadium in the Nation’s Capital. This will be the Revolution’s 11th playoff appearance overall.
Lee Nguyen opened the scoring vs. NYCFC Photo/Kari Heistad
For over a month, the Revolution blew their chance to seal up a playoff spot. Poor form started to plague the Revolution in mid-September when they only needed one more win to clinch, and continued into last weekend’s 1-0 home loss to Montreal when only a tie was necessary.
New England’s performance on Sunday in the Bronx was certainly playoff caliber, as the visitors out-gunned and out-played a New York City FC team composed of international stars like David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo. So it is perhaps the way the Revolution played against New York that is most encouraging as they head into Wednesday’s elimination game at DC.
The pressure was mostly off on Sunday, regardless of the Revolution’s recent struggles. For the Revolution not to qualify for the playoffs, they would have had to lose by a four-goal margin while Orlando City SC had to beat Philadelphia by five.
It was clear from the start of the game that the Revolution weren’t in any mood to be unseeded.
Jermaine Jones helped set up the opening goal, finding Nguyen making a run toward the net with Davies to his right. Nguyen played Davies, who drew in a defender before returning the ball back to the now-wide-open Nguyen in the heart of the penalty area.
Nguyen took one more touch, then deposited the ball into the back of the net for the early lead.
The Revolution didn’t let up afterward, eventually scoring a second goal for the first time since September 16.
The Revolution have clinched a playoff berth for the third straight year. Photo/Kari Heistad
Davies doubled the advantage in the 38th minute as he pushed past New York’s Jason Hernandez to collect a bouncing ball, strode into the box, and slid the ball past goalkeeper Josh Saunders in off the right post.
It was Davies’ first goal since a 3-1 victory over Toronto on August 1, as well as his tenth tally of the season.
Rowe capped the scoring in the 55th minute, his header off a Chris Tierney corner kick looping over Saunders’ reach and into the goal.
Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth and his back line shined in the performance as well. The defensive effort nearly led to New England’s tenth cleansheet of the season, until David Villa scored a consolation goal from the penalty spot in second half stoppage time.
In the 90th minute, referee Jair Maruffo awarded the hosts a penalty for a handball by Daigo Kobayashi. David Villa converted the ensuing shot, firing right to beat Shuttleworth.
Aside from that, the rest was manageable.
Tommy McNamara fired a low drive from inside the box that went inches wide of the far post in the tenth minute.
Shuttleworth knocked Chris Wingert’s point-blank header off a David Villa cross away in the 37th, and Lampard hit the crossbar on a Pirlo feed in the 41st.
So after a few weeks of hiccups, which featured three losses and a tie, the Revolution are heading into the playoffs with some positive momentum. DC, meanwhile, are in poor form, having lost six of their last nine games including a 5-0 drubbing to Columbus in their regular season finale.
