WASHINGTON D.C. – The New England Revolution were eliminated from the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night, falling 2-1 to D.C. United in the Knockout Round at RFK Stadium. Juan Agudelo scored for the Revs, only for United to equalize just before halftime and then score the game-winner with less than 10 minutes remaining. With the loss, the Revs’ 2015 season, which saw the club reach the postseason for the third consecutive season, comes to an end.

D.C. United had the game’s first chance with Chris Rolfe being played in alone on the Revolution goal, only for Bobby Shuttleworth to make the save in the 4^th minute. However, it was the Revs that would open the scoring in spectacular fashion. Lee Nguyen sprayed the ball out wide to Kevin Alston on the right flank and the Revolution defender crossed for Juan Agudelo, whose acrobatic and powerful bicycle kick flew past United goalkeeper Bill Hamid and into the net, putting the Revs up 1-0.

Shortly after the Agudelo goal, Kelyn Rowe had a pair of chances to add to the lead, only to be denied each time by Hamid while Rolfe was denied again by the diving Shuttleworth who saw Fabian Espindola put the rebound just wide.

The attacking chances would continue for both sides as the opening half moved on with Rolfe striking the crossbar from a tight angle at one end and Jermaine Jones hitting the post with a curling, left-footed strike at the other while Agudelo went close off a low cross from Rowe.

Just before the halftime break, United equalized when Espindola won a free kick on the edge of the penalty area and then, from the set piece, crossed into the box for Chris Pontius, who looped a header past Shuttleworth, to even the score at 1-1 going into the halftime break.

D.C. United had a chance to pull in front in the 75^th minute after Scott Caldwell was called for a handball inside the box, leading to a United penalty kick. Chris Rolfe, who had converted a penalty against the Revs at RFK Stadium in June, stepped up to take the spot kick but his shot struck Shuttleworth’s right post and rebounded away, keeping the score 1-1.

However, Rolfe would break the deadlock eight minutes later when a Nick DeLeon backheel allowed Espindola to get free on the left and his low cross found Rolfe alone in the box to score from six yards out and giving the home side a 2-1 lead.

New England would push forward in hopes of a late equalizer, but Hamid was there to deny them on each occasion. In second-half stoppage time, Revolution captain Jermaine Jones was shown a second yellow card and subsequent red card after a handball was not called inside the penalty area, denying the Revs’ a potential game-tying penalty kick.

Full match highlights and statistics can be found here.

Santander Man of the Match

CHRIS TIERNEY – The Revolution left back was dangerous throughout the night with his service from the left flank and from set pieces while also limiting D.C. United’s ability to attack down the right.

New England Revolution at D.C. United
Eastern Conference Knockout Round
October 28, 2015 – RFK Stadium (Washington D.C.)
New England Revolution 1, D.C. United 2
Scoring Summary:

NE – Juan Agudelo 1 (Kevin Alston 1) 15’

DC – Chris Pontius 1 (Fabian Espindola 1) 45’

DC – Chris Rolfe 1 (Fabian Espindola 2, Nick DeLeon 1) 83’

Misconduct Summary:

NE – Andrew Farrell (Yellow Card) 44’

DC – Bobby Boswell (Yellow Card) 69’

NE – Jermaine Jones (Yellow Card) 72’

DC – Markus Halsti (Yellow Card) 77’

NE – Jermaine Jones (Yellow Card/Red Card) 92+

New England Revolution: Bobby Shuttleworth; Kevin Alston, Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney; Scott Caldwell (Daigo Kobayashi 87’), Jermaine Jones ©; Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen, Diego Fagundez (Teal Bunbury 51’); Juan Agudelo (Charlie Davies 70’).

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Jeremy Hall, Steve Neumann, Andy Dorman.

STATS: Shots 12, Shots on target 5, Saves 5, Corner kicks 7, Offsides 1, Fouls 7, Possession 38.5%, Passes 329 (68.4%)

D.C. United: Bill Hamid; Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell©, Steve Birnbaum, Taylor Kemp; Chris Pontius (Alvaro Saborio 55’), Perry Kitchen, Markus Halsti, Nick DeLeon; Chris Rolfe, Fabian Espindola.

Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Dykstra, Luke Mishu, Kofi Opare, Michael Farfan, Conor Doyle, Jairo Arrieta.

STATS: Shots 19, Shots on target 6, Saves 2, Corner kicks 7, Offsides 0, Fouls 12, Possession 61.5%, Passes 523 (80.7%)

Referee: Mark Geiger

Assistant Referees: Sean Hurd and Joe Fletcher

Fourth Official: Chris Penso

Weather: Rain and 70 degrees

Attendance: 11,554

D.C. United advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face either the New York Red Bulls or Columbus Crew SC.
Additional Game Notes

• With the loss, the Revs’ 2015 season comes to an end.
• Including the U.S. Open Cup and the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Revs finished the season with a 14-14-8 record in all competitions.
• New England has now advanced from three of its 11 single-elimination MLS Cup Playoff matches, falling five times in MLS Cup, twice in the Eastern Conference Championship and once in the Knockout Round.
• This was the Revs’ first-ever appearance in the Knockout Round.
• New England and D.C. United have now played one another 75 times in all competitions, including five postseason games. New England is 1-3-1 in those games. United has won three of the four postseason series between the two sides.
• This was the first postseason meeting between the two original MLS clubs since the 2006 Eastern Conference Championship, which the Revs won 1-0.
• Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made three changes to the team that won 3-1 at New York City FC on Sunday evening with Kevin Alston replacing the injured London Woodberry at right back and Diego Fagundez and Juan Agudelo each returning to the lineup in place of Teal Bunbury and Charlie Davies, who each came on in the second half.
• Juan Agudelo gave the Revs a 1-0 lead in the 15^th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick off a cross from Kevin Alston.
• The goal was the first of Agudelo’s postseason career while the assist was the first for Alston.
• Agudelo is the 28^th different player to score a postseason goal for the Revolution and the 10^th to do so since the start of the 2013 postseason.
• D.C. United equalized just before halftime after Chris Pontius headed in a Fabian Espindola free kick.
• United were awarded a penalty kick in the 75^th minute after Scott Caldwell was whistled for a handball inside the box. That was the first postseason penalty called against the Revs since the first leg of the 2014 Eastern Conference Semifinals at Columbus when Jose Goncalves was called for a handball.
• Chris Rolfe missed the subsequent penalty kick for D.C. United. That was the first penalty either saved or missed against New England in the postseason since Matt Reis stopped two penalties in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Columbus.
• Rolfe scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 83^rd minute, giving him the game-winner in both meetings between New England and D.C. at RFK Stadium this year.
• Jermaine Jones was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second yellow card. He is the first Revolution player to be shown a red card in the postseason since Chris Albright was sent off in the second leg of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Chicago on Nov. 6, 2008.
• Bobby Shuttleworth finished the game with five saves.
• Juan Agudelo was forced to exit the game in the 70^th minute after being fouled off the ball by United’s Bobby Boswell, who was booked on the play.
• Scott Caldwell started in central midfield, making him the only player on the club’s roster to have appeared in all 36 games that the club played in all competitions in 2015.
• In the last three years under Jay Heaps, the Revs are 4-0-1 in the postseason when scoring two or more goals compared to 0-3-0 when scoring just once.
• Scott Caldwell, Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe have each appeared in all eight playoff games that the Revs have played over the past three seasons with Farrell, Goncalves and Nguyen starting each of those.
• The Revs were 13-5-6 in all competitions when scoring first, but were 0-2-1 when doing so against D.C. United. They were 1-9-0 when conceding first while two games ended 0-0.