FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (6-7-8; 26 pts.) defeated the Chicago Fire (4-9-6; 18 pts.), 1-0, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute, helping the Revolution retain possession of sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The goal was Watson’s first of the regular season, but his second of the week, as he also scored the club’s lone goal and the game-clinching penalty in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal win against the Philadelphia Union.
Despite an 11-0 advantage over Chicago in shots on goal, New England couldn’t solve Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson until Watson’s header in the 85th minute. Chris Tierney engineered the Revolution’s attack with a team-high five chances created and 87.1 percent passing accuracy clip. He also assisted Watson’s goal and moved into a tie with Joe-Max Moore for second place on the club’s all-time assists chart with 35. In addition, goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth extended his shutout streak to 212 minutes and led the team to its second consecutive clean sheet.
New England and Chicago will meet again at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, August 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET for a U.S. Open Cup Semifinal contest, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. The two teams will then close out the season series with their third and final MLS meeting on Sunday, October 16 in Chicago.
The Revolution will return to action on Sunday, July 31, when the club travels south for its third and final meeting with Orlando City SC this season. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast locally on Comcast SportsNet, with Brad Feldman and Paul Mariner calling the action. The game 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 1, Chicago Fire 0
July 23, 2016 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
GAME NOTES
Revolution Remain Above the Red Line on Eastern Conference Table
The Revolution defeated the Chicago Fire, 1-0, improving to 6-7-8 (26 pts.) on the season. With the result, the Revs remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
New England improves its home record against Eastern Conference opponents to 3-1-3 with tonight’s result. Overall, the Revs are 5-2-4 at Gillette Stadium this season.
The Revolution are now 2-0-0 against Chicago in League play for 2016. The two sides will meet again at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, August 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET for a U.S. Open Cup Semifinal match, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. The clubs will then meet for a final League match in Chicago on Sunday, October 16.
Watson Scores First MLS Goal with Revs, Second Goal of Week across All Competitions
New England Revolution defender Je-Vaughn Watson scored his first League goal as a member of the Revolution in tonight’s victory. The goal is Watson’s second of the week across all competitions, as he also tallied the team’s lone goal and the game-clinching penalty in Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal win over the Philadelphia Union.
Watson now has eight career goals and his first in MLS action since August 22, 2014 with FC Dallas. In 2014, Watson set a career high for goals scored with four.
Tierney Registers Third Assist of Season and Totals Five Chances Created
Defender Chris Tierney recorded an assist from the corner flag on Je-Vaughn Watson’s 85th minute goal. Tierney now has three assists on the season and 35 for his career, all of which have come with the Revolution.
Tierney is now tied for second in club annals with his 35 career assists, matching Joe-Max Moore; no defender has recorded more career assists with the Revs than Tierney.
Tierney created five chances in tonight’s match, a season high for the Revolution’s left back. Tierney is the third MLS defender to create five chances in a match this season, joining New York City FC’s RJ Allen and Seattle Sounders FC’s Tyrone Mears.
Shuttleworth, Revolution Record Second Consecutive Shutout
The Revolution and goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth held the opposition scoreless for the second consecutive match this season. The Revs have posted five clean sheets in 2016, all of which have come with Shuttleworth in net.
Tonight’s result marks the first time in 2016 the Revs have posted consecutive shutout performances. Shuttleworth last posted shutouts in consecutive starts from August 29-September 5, 2015 when he notched three straight clean sheets against the Houston Dynamo (August 15, 2-0 win), Philadelphia Union (August 29, 1-0 win), and Orlando City SC (September 5, 3-0 win).
Revolution Defense Holds Fire without Shot on Target
- The Revolution held the Chicago Fire attack to zero shots on target in tonight’s match, marking the second time this season the defense has held an opponent without a shot on goal. The first instance also came against the Fire in the Revs’ 2-0 victory on May 14, 2016.
Fagundez Comes off Bench to Lead Team in Shots on Goal
- Midfielder Diego Fagundez led the team with four shots on goal in the contest, all coming after he replaced Scott Caldwell in the 59th minute. His four shots on target marked a season high for the Homegrown Player and raised his 2016 total to 12 shots on goal.
- Fagundez’s four shots on goal also tied the best mark for a Revolution player in a game this season. Forward Kei Kamara also posted four shots on goal against the Fire in his Revolution debut on May 14, 2016. Midfielder Kelyn Rowe matched that total on May 8, 2016 against the LA Galaxy.
Nguyen Climbs Revolution Shots on Goal Chart
Midfielder Lee Nguyen recorded two shots on goal in tonight’s contest, giving him 130 shots on target for his career. That total is tied for second in club history with Shalrie Joseph. Taylor Twellman leads all Revolution players with 318 career shots on goal.
Nguyen also recently moved into second place in total shots. His four shots in tonight’s match give him 326 shots for his career, also second in club history behind only Taylor Twellman (557).
Koffie Returns from Knee Injury as Late Substitute
Midfielder Gershon Koffie replaced midfielder Lee Nguyen in the 88th minute of tonight’s contest. The appearance was Koffie’s first since leaving the May 21 match against FC Dallas with a right knee sprain after only 28 minutes of action.
New England Makes One Change to Starting XI
Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps made one change to the team’s starting lineup from last weekend’s draw against Real Salt Lake. Defender Chris Tierney replaced midfielder Daigo Kobayashi.
Midfielder Gershon Koffie returned to the bench after missing each of the Revolution’s last 10 games across all competitions due to injury.
Matt Turner Loaned to Richmond Kickers for Saturday Match
Goalkeeper Matt Turner has been loaned to the Richmond Kickers of the USL on a short-term loan. Turner started for the Kickers in tonight’s contest against Toronto FC II and recorded a shutout en route to a 3-0 Kickers victory. The Revolution goalkeeper will return to the club on Sunday.
Turner has now played five matches this season with the Kickers, all during separate short-term loans. Turner has allowed just two goals in 450 minutes across five starts.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- 10th minute (SHOT) – Midfielder Kelyn Rowe looks to open the scoring and unleashes a powerful right-footed shot from distance that forces a save from Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson (WATCH HERE).
- 20th minute (CHANCE) – Defender Chris Tierney connects with forward Teal Bunbury on a cross inside of Chicago’s six-yard-box, but Bunbury’s left-footed shot sails just over the crossbar (WATCH HERE).
- 30th minute (SHOT) – The Revolution connect for a beautiful sequence of passes, setting up a long-range shot attempt for midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson, but his shot is blocked by a Fire defender (WATCH HERE).
- 84th minute (SHOT) – Midfielder Diego Fagundez nearly picks the far corner with a right-footed, curled shot from distance, but Sean Johnson makes a fantastic save to keep the match scoreless (WATCH HERE).
- 85th minute (SHOT) – Diego Fagundez tests Sean Johnson again as he desperately tries to get New England on the board. However, Johnson makes another highlight-reel worthy save as Fagundez tries to beat him with a right-footed shot from outside of the box directly off a corner kick (WATCH HERE).
- 85th minute (GOAL) – The Revolution finally find the back of the net on the ensuing corner kick, as Chris Tierney connects with Je-Vaughn Watson, whose headed shot navigates through a chaotic scene and secures the win (WATCH HERE).
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Juan Guzman
Assistant Referees: Sean Hurd (AR1), Claudiu Badea (AR2)
Fourth Official: Jose Carlos Rivero
Weather: 90 Degrees and Overcast
Attendance: 21,872
Scoring Summary:
NE – Je-Vaughn Watson 1 (Chris Tierney 3) 85’
Misconduct Summary:
CHI – Michael de Leeuw (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 30’
NE – Teal Bunbury (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 77’
CHI – David Accam (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 90’+1’
New England Revolution: Bobby Shuttleworth; Chris Tierney, José Gonçalves, London Woodberry, Andrew Farrell; Scott Caldwell (Diego Fagundez 58’), Je-Vaughn Watson; Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen © (Gershon Koffie 88’), Teal Bunbury; Kei Kamara (Daigo Kobayashi 90’+5’)
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Darrius Barnes, Steve Neumann, Samba
Chicago Fire: Sean Johnson; Brandon Vincent, Joao Meira, Johan Kappelhof, Jonathan Campbell (Arturo Alvarez 89’); John Goossens, Kennedy Igoananike (Michael Stephens 76’), Matt Polster, Khaly Thiam; Michael de Leeuw, David Accam ©
Substitutes Not Used: Patrick McLain, Eric Gehrig, Michael Harrington, Rodrigo Ramos, Nick Labrocca
