Teal Bunbury’s goal at the end of the first half put the Revolution ahead 2-1 (photo credit: Kari Heistad /Captured Images)
New England Revolution 3- D.C. United 2
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Looks can be deceiving, and that much was true to New England Revolution coach Brad Friedel during the first half of Saturday’s 3-2 win over DC United.
Despite watching his team score twice before the break, the Revolution boss had more than a few choice words for his players during the halftime speech.
“It (was) the worst first half of football that we played since my staff and I have taken over,” Friedel told Comcast SportsNet New England during his halftime interview. “We went a goal up, and after that, I didn’t recognize anything that we’d been working on for many, many months.”
After the match – which D.C. briefly equalized thanks to a 73rd minute Yamil Asad goal – Friedel talked more about what he didn’t like during the first 45.
“After we scored the (first) goal, we completely stopped playing,” Friedel said. “We gave them a little bit of confidence, and they played through us almost at will, and we stopped moving when we had the ball.”
The measure of frustration Friedel had with this team was immediately seen in two corresponding moves: the halftime exits of MLS All-Star Wilfried Zahibo and Hungarian international Krisztian Nemeth. However, the Revolution still had plenty of work to do to get back on good terms with the boss.
To their credit, the hosts came out of the half with far more energy. They put together a solid spell of possession, and reasserted themselves against a makeshift DC backline.
“I won’t really repeat what went on at halftime, but (Friedel) was upset – and rightfully so,” Bunbury said. “But I think we came out in the second half, and took it to them, and put more pressure on them, and get more compact, and also get on the same page.”
Even though it was a far better display than the one seen before the break, the Revolution didn’t altogether avoid mistakes.
NE Revolution vs. DC United 6-30-18
In the 72nd minute, Revolution defender Claude Dielna fouled DC forward Darren Mattocks inside the area to set up a penalty that Asad converted moments later to put the last-place United on level terms with the hosts.
Although the game was knotted at two apiece, the Revolution were far from down about their fortunes.
“There was still a lot of back-and-forth,” Bunbury said, “but in MLS, a lot of games are really close, and we were able to get three points.”
How they were able to pull away and get those three points was a testament to the resolve the Revolution have showcased throughout the season. Instead of dwelling on the penalty call, they flipped the script five minutes later.
After Revolution defender Andrew Farrell charged into the box, DC defender Oneil Fisher made a last-ditch foul to thwart him, setting up Cristian Penilla for the game-winning strike from the spot in the 78th minute.
All in all, it wasn’t the kind of match that, on paper, would appear to be close. But given the grit shown by a determined DC side that nearly stole a point from the surging Revolution, Saturday’s match was just another example of how things aren’t always what they seem in MLS.
“DC’s a good team, and I don’t think you can realistically look at where they are on the table, with all the away games they’ve had,” Friedel said. “They have some very good players that are very difficult to close down and box up in a lot of different areas of the field.”
NE Revolution
DC United
