Jermaine Jones is held back after a post-game fight. Photo/Italo Alexander Photography
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It wasn’t the most exciting performance by the New England Revolution, but it was enough to kill the New York Red Bull’s seven-game unbeaten record and secure a 2-1 victory in front of 18,296 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Charlie Davies provided the lone moment of clarity in a sloppy, end-to-end first half, his slick, headed finish in the ninth minute off a London Woodberry cross giving the Revolution the lead, while Teal Bunbury capped a brilliant passing exchange to put away the game-winning strike at the hour mark.
The Red Bulls gave the Revolution a scare in the final moments of the match, cutting the lead in half through a Sacha Kljestan goal in the 74th minute, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback.
“It was an Eastern Conference match, hard fought, both ways,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps after the game. “We came out and started that game on the right foot, did a good job for the first 15-20 minutes…Credit New York, they never gave up and fought all the way to the end.”
Photo/Italo Alexander Photography
The stakes were high, not only because of the Boston-New York rivalry but also because it was the first time both teams played against each other since last year’s Eastern Conference finals series, which the Revolution won.
This made for an intense, physical match.
Referee Marcos de Oliveira cautioned seven players, then was tasked with breaking up a post-game fight that involved both teams.
Jermaine Jones appeared to be at the center of the dust-up, getting approached by New York’s Felipe.
“From both sides, it was a little bit emotional,” said Jones. “New York talked dumb stuff.
“I let it go into me, but for me it’s dumb stuff,” Jones continued. “[Felipe] knows what he talked, I know what he did, but I can take it…I will not cry around about it. We win the game, so I looked forward to the next game.
“Felipe, the whole game he talked, and at the end of the game, he talked and I told him ‘you lose, and if you lose, it’s better you don’t talk’. He said a word in his language (Portuguese), but the problem is I played with people from his country and I know some words.”
Heaps didn’t seem too surprised or upset by the post-match altercation.
“We wanted to win that game and they wanted to win that game, that’s what this is all about…it was a little bit chaotic, but for me, that stuff used to always happened,” said Heaps. “It used to happen versus the Chicago Fire [and the]New York Red Bulls, there’s going to be guys getting after it.”
Photo/Italo Alexander Photography
The back line, which included Jones for the third straight time, went about its business to help usher in the Revolution’s fourth consecutive win, though it did allow its first goal in the run of play since March 15.
The Revolution’s response, however, was positive.
The Red Bulls brought on last year’s scoring champion, Bradley Wright-Phillips, midway through the second half. Benching Wright-Phillips, according to Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch, was to provide his star striker with some rest after playing earlier this week against Colorado.
The Red Bulls tried to make the most of the switch, but came out empty handed. However, their efforts helped demonstrate for the first time in a long time how the Revolution handles a close, one-goal lead. In that respect, the Revolution’s ability to earn points, both at home and away, seems to be quite well-rounded.
“They got bigger, bringing Bradley Wright-Phillips in,” said Heaps.
“I credit New York because they made a lot of changes, and they didn’t dip at all…they came in here and really had a great game. It shows you their depth, it shows you where they are.”
If you want to reach Julian email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo
