TORONTO – There’s a popular idiom in the soccer world that says the best teams are the ones that can win games even when they don’t put forth their best performances.
The New England Revolution put that maxim to good use on Sunday evening.
Despite being outshot 21-7 and losing the possession battle by a wide margin, New England battled their way to a massive 3-1 win over Toronto FC at BMO Field, stretching their league-best unbeaten run to seven games (6-0-1) and climbing to within two points of first place in the Eastern Conference.
“It was not our best game by any stretch, but we really worked hard. Guys fought like heck,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “It was a team effort tonight. It wasn’t our prettiest, but we fought and dug and I was really proud of them.”
While Heaps lauded the effort of his entire group, he praised the contributions of center-back pairing Andrew Farrell and Jose Goncalves, who’ve been at the forefront of recent defensive efforts which have seen the Revolution concede just two goals in their last five games.
Farrell alone blocked three shots, had 12 defensive clearances and won three tackles. Goncalves blocked four shots – all from inside the box – and had four defensive clearances.
“For us to beat a good team, we’ve got to get back in our shape, get back in our blocks and defend,” said Farrell. “The game’s 90 minutes; you’re not going to win the game in the first 15.”
A stout defensive effort was complemented by an efficient offensive performance. An early own goal by Damien Perquis and a long-range finish from Diego Fagundez – his third goal in three games – gave New England the rare honor of scoring two goals with just one shot on target in the first half.
The Revs finished the game with three goals from three shots on target – Kelyn Rowe rounded out the scoring with an opportunistic finish in the 71st minute – and they so nearly had a fourth, as TFC goalkeeper Chris Konopka’s only save of the game was a stellar stop on Fagundez.
“That’s what you want; you want every chance that you have to either be a goal or a good chance,” said Fagundez, who like Rowe now has five goals on the season. “We’re all happy with three points, but we all have to be prepared for Wednesday.”
It’s true that the Revs aren’t exactly afforded the opportunity to savor Sunday’s win – not with the New York Red Bulls, two points ahead of the Revolution and atop the Eastern Conference, set to visit Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night.
A win in that match would send the Revs to the top of the East, but the task is far from a simple one, as it was the Red Bulls who handed the Revolution their last loss all the way back on July 11.
“I think the last bad performance we probably had was against them,” said Farrell. “So we’re looking forward to playing them, a good team, and being back home in Foxborough.”
