WASHINGTON, D.C. – Like all second-half substitutes, Kenny Mansally was hoping to make a positive impact when he entered Saturday night’s match against D.C. United in the 68th minute.
It’s safe to say, he did just that.
Mansally scored a pair of goals – in the 80th and 82nd minutes – to guide the New England Revolution to a 2-0 victory over bitter rival D.C. on Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
The two-goal effort marked the first multi-goal game of Mansally’s career.
With the win – their first of the 2010 season – the Revs improved to 1-1-0 (3 pts.), while United fell to 0-2-0 (0 pts.) and has now been outscored 6-0 by its opponents.
Goalkeeper Preston Burpo made three saves to earn the shutout, his first in a Revolution jersey after being acquired in an offseason trade.
For the second straight week, the injury-hit Revs traveled just 17 players and were forced to make do without 2009 league MVP finalist Shalrie Joseph, who is recovering from a right hip flexor strain. Joseph is expected to be available by next weekend’s home opener against Toronto FC.
With Joseph – and six of his teammates – still unavailable, the Revs named an unchanged lineup from the one which dropped a 1-0 decision to the LA Galaxy in the season opener last weekend.
D.C. was the more active side in the early stages, and the hosts almost turned their possession into the opening goal in the 14th minute. Jaime Moreno drew a foul in a dangerous spot 20 yards from goal, and Santino Quaranta’s low blast from the ensuing free kick forced a fantastic kick save from Burpo.
The Revs responded with some pressure of their own and they were nearly rewarded for their efforts in the 21st minute. Chris Tierney’s deep corner kick was laid off by Kheli Dube into the path of Joseph Niouky, whose long-range drive sliced just wide of the right post.
Center back Emmanuel Osei came up big for the Revolution in the 36th minute, getting across the box to cut out Quaranta’s right-wing cross, which was bound for Chris Pontius at the near post.
United attacked down the right wing once again in the 43rd minute, and this time Brandon Barklage whipped a curling cross into Pontius at the six-yard box. Pontius got free of his marker, but he skied his header over the bar to send the game into halftime scoreless.
It took a while for both teams to settle back into a rhythm following the halftime break, and chances were limited in the first 15 minutes.
United created the half’s first chance in the 61st minute when Barklage’s header from six yards out skipped inches wide of the right post.
New England made a pair of substitutions in the 68th minute, bringing on Mansally and Zak Boggs for Zack Schilawski and Sainey Nyassi, respectively. The moves provided an instant spark, as the Revs registered their first shot on goal of the evening in the 74th minute, when Pat Phelan’s long-distance drive forced a diving save out of D.C. goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
Of course, the substitutions really paid off in the 80th minute, when Mansally scored what proved to be the game-winning goal. Tierney found room to roam down the left wing and delivered a driven cross the near post, and despite a deflection from a D.C. defender, Mansally was able to one-time a shot into the near upper corner.
Mansally capped the evening with his second tally just two minutes later, this time was a remarkable individual effort. With the ball at his feet near the top of the box, he eluded a pair of defenders before unleashing a curling shot into the far upper corner, giving Perkins no chance.
From there, the Revolution comfortably killed off the game to secure their first shutout of the 2010 season.
After kicking off the season with back-to-back road games, the Revs will finally get a chance to play in front of their home fans next weekend on Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m., when they’ll host Toronto FC at Gillette Stadium in their 2010 home opener.
New England Revolution (1-1-0, 3 pts.) at D.C. United (0-2-0, 0 pts.)
April 3, 2010 – RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.)
Scoring Summary:
NE – Kenny Mansally (Chris Tierney) 80
NE – Kenny Mansally (unassisted) 82
New England Revolution: Preston Burpo (GK), Seth Sinovic, Emmanuel Osei, Cory Gibbs ©, Kevin Alston (Darrius Barnes 91+), Chris Tierney, Pat Phelan, Joseph Niouky, Sainey Nyassi (Zak Boggs 68), Kheli Dube, Zack Schilawski (Kenny Mansally 68)
Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Khano Smith, Michael Videira
STATS: Shots: 8; Shots on Goal: 3; Saves: 3; Corner Kicks: 2; Offside: 0; Fouls Committed: 11
D.C. United: Troy Perkins, Rodney Wallace, Juan Manuel Pena, Dejan Jakovic, Carey Talley (Julius James 76), Christian Castillo (Thabiso Khumalo 62), Kurt Morsink, Santino Quarantra, Brandon Barklage (Andy Najar 70), Chris Pontius, Jamie Moreno ©
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Quinn, Devon McTavish, Adam Cristman, Danny Allsopp
STATS: Shots: 12; Shots on Goal: 3; Saves: 1; Corner Kicks: 5; Offside: 3; Fouls Committed: 12
Misconduct Summary:
DC – Juan Manuel Pena (caution) 86
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee’s Assistants: Nate Clement, Eric Boria
Fourth Official: Jorge Gonzalez
Weather: Cloudy and 70 degrees
Attendance: 20,664
NOTES:
- Tonight’s meeting is the 53rd regular-season meeting between the two teams, making D.C. United the Revs’ most-played opponent in MLS.
- The Revolution improved to 20-25-8 overall all-time against United, and moved to 7-16-4 on the road.
- The win is the Revolution’s first regular-season victory in D.C. since Oct. 7, 2006 when the team won 2-1 in the final meeting of the regular season … the Revolution also earned a 1-0 victory in the 2006 Eastern Conference Championship later that fall.
- The Revolution started the exact same lineup as they ran out in last week’s season opener against LA.
- New England debuted their new away kits at the game … the adidas-designed uniforms all white with blue accent panels down the sides and on the arms, with red piping across the chest.
- For the second consecutive game, Cory Gibbs wore the captain’s armband for the Revolution.
- The Revolution traveled just 17 players to D.C., with the following players remaining back in Foxborough: Matt Reis (L shoulder/knee surgery), Edgaras Jankauskas (R calf strain), Mauricio Castro (MLS-issue suspension/R ankle pain), Taylor Twellman (concussion), Shalrie Joseph (R hip flexor strain) and Nico Colaluca (L knee sprain).
- Kevin Alston, who hails from Silver Spring, Md., made his first-ever Revolution appearance at RFK Stadium after missing the Revs’ 2009 visit during his rookie year with an injury.
- The shutout was Preston Burpo’s first since Sept. 26, 2009 when he backed Colorado to a 0-0 draw at Kansas City … it was his first shutout win since Sept. 14, 2008 in the Rapids’ match against Chicago.
- Darrius Barnes made his first appearance of the 2010 season and the first-ever substitute appearance of his career … he started all 30 games in his rookie season in 2009.
- Kenny Mansally’s two goals marked his first two-goal match of his career … he is the first Revs player to score two goals in a game since Shalrie Joseph netted two goals in a New England 2-1 victory over Seattle on Sept. 26, 2009.
