FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (5-7-7; 22 pts.) defeated Columbus Crew SC (3-7-7; 16 pts.), 3-1, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening. Forward Kei Kamara, acquired by the Revolution via trade with Crew SC on May 12, scored in the 71st minute of his first meeting against his former club to help secure the win. With his eighth tally of the season, Kamara moves into a tie for fifth in MLS in goals scored in 2016. The win lifts New England into sixth place on the Eastern Conference table.
Midfielder Lee Nguyen opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with the quickest goal scored by a Revolution player this season, bending a right-footed shot into the far corner from the top of the 18-yard box. The Revolution took a 2-0 lead in the 34th minute on an own goal from Crew SC after Kamara played a dangerous ball into the box. Goalkeeper Brad Knighton recorded a season-high four saves in the winning effort while forward Teal Bunbury picked up an assist and recorded a team-high three chances created.
The Revolution will be back in action next Saturday, July 16, when the club travels to Utah for a matchup with Real Salt Lake. The match is slated to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast locally on Comcast SportsNet. It can also be heard locally on the radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub in English and WMVX 1570 AM “Nossa Radio” in Portuguese.
New England Revolution 3, Columbus Crew SC 1
July 9, 2016 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
GAME NOTES
Revolution Win at Home, Defeat Eastern Conference Opponent
The Revolution defeated Columbus Crew SC, 3-1, on Saturday evening to improve to 5-7-7 (22 pts.) on the season. With the result, the Revs move to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Tonight’s win gives the Revolution a 4-2-4 record at Gillette Stadium this season. The team’s last regular season win against Columbus at home came on Oct. 4, 2014, a 2-1 win.
Kamara Scores in First Meeting against Crew SC Since Midseason Trade
Forward Kei Kamara recorded his eighth goal of 2016, his third as a Revolution player, in the 71st minute of tonight’s contest. The goal was Kamara’s first scored at Gillette Stadium as a New England Revolution player and his third in his last three MLS games.
With eight goals this season, Kamara is now tied for fifth in MLS in goals scored. He is tied with Sebastian Giovinco (TOR), Cyle Larin (ORL), Dom Dwyer (SKC), and Ola Kamara (CLB).
Kamara is now tied for the 12th most goals in MLS history, joining Raul Diaz Arce and Brian Ching with 82 career tallies. He is now six goals shy of cracking the top 10 in League history.
Nguyen Records Fastest Revolution Goal of 2016
Midfielder Lee Nguyen recorded his fifth goal of 2016 in the third minute of tonight’s contest. The goal is the Revs’ second third-minute goal this season, with the first coming off the foot of Diego Fagundez on March 6 at Houston.
Nguyen has scored 39 career goals, all of which have come with the Revolution. He currently ranks fourth in club history in goals, trailing only Taylor Twellman (101), Steve Ralston (42), and Joe-Max Moore (41) on the list.
Nguyen Advances on Club’s All-Time Starts, Minutes Played Lists
- Midfielder Lee Nguyen made the 140th regular season start of his MLS career, moving into a tie for eighth place on the club’s all-time list with Ted Chronopoulos.
- Nguyen also made a move up the Revolution’s minutes played chart, passing Chronopoulos (12,228) to take possession of eighth place on the club’s list. Nguyen has now played 12,259 regular season minutes in MLS.
Bunbury Records Second Assist of 2016
Midfielder Teal Bunbury recorded the only assist for the Revolution, setting up Kei Kamara’s goal in the 71st minute. Bunbury now has two assists this season and is one of eight Revolution players with multiple helpers in 2016.
Bunbury also led all Revolution players with three chances created in tonight’s contest. He now has 13 chances created this season.
Tierney Climbs Club Charts for Games Played
- Defender Chris Tierney played in the 201st regular season game of his nine-year MLS career, the entirety of which he has spent with the Revolution. Tierney is now tied with Steve Ralston for the fourth most games played in Revolution history. The pair trail only Shalrie Joseph (261), Matt Reis (254), and Jay Heaps (243) on the all-time list.
- Tierney also earned the 185th start of his MLS career in tonight’s match, which ranks fifth on the club’s all-time list behind Joseph (254), Reis (253), Heaps (238), and Ralston (196).
Revolution Extend Lead via Own Goal
For the second time in 2016, the Revolution were on the receiving end of an own goal. Following a dangerous pass into the area from Kei Kamara, Crew SC’s Wil Trapp put the ball into his own net in the 34th minute, giving the Revolution a 2-0 lead.
The Revolution last benefitted from two own goals in the same season in 2014. The other own goal received this season came in the club’s 1-1 draw against Portland on April 27.
Revolution Make Pair of Lineup Changes
Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps made two changes from New England’s match on July 6 vs. New York City FC. Goalkeeper Brad Knighton and defender Je-Vaughn Watson replaced goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth and midfielder Diego Fagundez, respectively.
Knighton returned to the starting lineup with Shuttleworth unavailable due to a red card he received against New York City FC on July 6. He recorded four saves in tonight’s contest, a season high.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
3rd minute (GOAL) – Lee Nguyen scores the Revolution’s fastest goal of the season, scooping up a rebound outside of Columbus’ 18-yard box and bending it into the far corner of the net just 2:50 into the match (WATCH HERE).
14th minute (SAVE) – Crew SC’s Justin Meram delivers leads teammate Ethan Finlay into New England’s 18-yard box with a through ball. Finlay slips behind the Revs backline and finds himself in alone with Brad Knighton, but the Revs ‘keeper cuts off his angle and makes a huge save to maintain the lead (WATCH HERE).
34th minute (GOAL) – Kei Kamara sends a short cross across the box, seeking Kelyn Rowe, but Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp’s clearance attempt results in an own goal (WATCH HERE).
56th minute (CHANCE) – Kei Kamara comes within inches of scoring against his former team. His first shot attempt from the penalty area is blocked, and his second deflects off of another defender and hits the crossbar (WATCH HERE).
65th minute – (CHANCE) – Kelyn Rowe finds Teal Bunbury with a crisp left-footed cross in front of the net. Bunbury’s first touch settles the cross, but his right-footed shot sails above the crossbar (WATCH HERE).
71st minute (GOAL) – KeiKamara finally finds the back of the net, extending the Revolution’s lead to 3-1 by picking up a loose ball in front of Crew SC’s net and powering it past Steve Clark (WATCH HERE).
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Mark Geiger
Assistant Referees: Joe Fletcher (AR1), Kathryn Nesbitt (AR2)
Fourth Official: Hilario Grajeda
Weather: 64 Degrees and Cloudy
Attendance: 18,434
Scoring Summary:
NE – Lee Nguyen 5 (Unassisted) 3’
NE – Own Goal (Wil Trapp) 34’
CLB – Ola Kamara 8 (Tony Tchani 2) 42’
NE – Kei Kamara 8 (Teal Bunbury 2) 71’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – London Woodberry (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 19’
CLB – Tony Tchani (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 27’
NE – Andrew Farrell (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 30’
NE – Brad Knighton (Yellow Card – Time Wasting) 67’
NE – Kelyn Rowe (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 79’
New England Revolution: Brad Knighton; Chris Tierney, London Woodberry, José Gonçalves, Andrew Farrell; Je-Vaughn Watson, Scott Caldwell (Daigo Kobayashi 78’); Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen © (Diego Fagundez 90’), Teal Bunbury (Femi Hollinger-Janzen 85’); Kei Kamara
Substitutes Not Used: Matt Turner, Samba, Darrius Barnes, Zachary Herivaux
Columbus Crew SC: Steve Clark; Waylon Francis, Chad Barson, Michael Parkhurst ©, Harrison Afful (Hector Jimenez 79’); Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani; Justin Meram, Mohammed Saeid (Dilly Duka 66’), Ethan Finlay (Cedrick Mabwati 65’); Ola Kamara
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Stuver, Rodrigo Saravia, Corey Ashe
