WASHINGTON, D.C. – The New England Revolution (4-5-7; 19 points) fell to D.C. United (5-6-5; 20 points), 2-0, at RFK Stadium on Saturday evening. D.C. United jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, and despite a strong showing in the second half, the Revs couldn’t solve goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who made four saves. Tonight’s match marked the first time New England has been held scoreless since its last visit to RFK Stadium on April 23.
Defender Chris Tierney became the fifth player in club history to eclipse the 16,000-minute mark, joining Shalrie Joseph, Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, and Steve Ralston.
Full match highlights and statistics can be found HERE. In addition, video from Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps’ postgame press conference can be found HERE.
The Revolution will be back in action on Wednesday, June 29, when the team visits the New York Cosmos in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. New England returns to MLS play on Saturday, July 2, when it visits the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff. The match 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 0, D.C. United 2
June 25, 2016 – RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.)
GAME NOTES
Revolution Drop Road Match, Denied Three-Game Winning Streak
· With tonight’s loss, the Revolution are now 4-5-7 with 19 points on the season.
· All time, the Revs are now 26-32-11 against D.C. United.
Chris Tierney Eclipses 16,000-Minute Milestone
· Defender Chris Tierney surpassed 16,000 career minutes – all with the Revolution – in today’s match. Tierney is only the fifth player in club history to reach the mark, joining Shalrie Joseph (22,867), Matt Reis (22,699), Jay Heaps (21,619), and Steve Ralston (17,643).
Andrew Farrell Active and Involved at Right Back
· Defender Andrew Farrell, making his third start at right back this season, led the club in touches for the second consecutive match. Farrell recorded a team-high 57 touches in last weekend’s win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and again paced the Revs with 76 in tonight’s match. He also submitted a pair of tackles and an 86.8 percent passing accuracy against D.C. United.
Scott Caldwell Submits Another Calculated Effort
· For the fourth time this season, midfielder Scott Caldwell delivered a passing accuracy rate better than 90 percent. Caldwell completed 53 of 57 total pass attempts in tonight’s match, tacking on two chances created and 69 touches.
· Caldwell entered tonight’s match ranked third among all MLS players in passing accuracy (minimum 600 passes). With tonight’s effort, he improves his pass completion rate to 87 percent for the season.
Lee Nguyen Sparks Revolution Attack
· Midfielder Lee Nguyen gave New England’s attack a spark in tonight’s match, recording team highs in shots (four) and fouls suffered (five).
· Nguyen also registered two chances created, bringing his total to 44 on the season. The midfielder entered tonight’s match ranked third among all MLS players.
Revolution’s Starting XI Remains Unchanged After Road Win in Vancouver
· Head Coach Jay Heaps left the team’s starting XI unchanged following last weekend’s road win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
· Goalkeeper Brad Knighton got the start at goalkeeper for the second consecutive League match. It’s the first time since June 18, 2015 vs. New York City and June 25, 2015 at Chicago he has start back-to-back League matches. Knighton was also between the pipes for the Revolution’s U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round win against the Carolina RailHawks on June 15.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
· 6th minute (SHOT) – Revolution midfielder Daigo Kobayashi generates New England’s first scoring opportunity of the afternoon. He corrals a deflected Chris Tierney cross, finds a pocket of space, and whips a left-footed shot from distance that forces a save from DCU goalkeeper Bill Hamid (WATCH HERE).
· 10th minute (RECOVERY) – D.C. United’s Alvaro Saborio is played into a breakaway and gets in alone with Brad Knighton. However, Revolution defender London Woodberry doesn’t quit on the play. He tracks Saborio down and delivers a timely interception, sweeping the ball to safety (WATCH HERE).
· 35th minute (CHANCE) – Andrew Farrell leads Teal Bunbury into D.C. United’s 18-yard box with a through ball from behind the midfield line. Bunbury sends a cross into the middle of the box, hoping to connect with Kei Kamara, but the pass is cleared out by a D.C. defender.
· 50th minute (CHANCE) – Lee Nguyen scoops up a deflected clearance attempt from a D.C. United defender and immediately has a close-range scoring chance. He tries to go five-hole on United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, but can’t find enough space to get the Revolution on the board (WATCH HERE).
· 92nd minute (SAVE) – Goalkeeper Brad Knighton made a highlight-reel worthy save on D.C. United forward Alhaji Kamara in stoppage time. Knighton denied Kamara on a breakaway opportunity, positioning himself perfectly to make the sprawling save (WATCH HERE).
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Marcos de Oliveira
Assistant Referees: Peter Balciunas (AR1); Eric Weisbrod (AR2)
Fourth Official: Robert Sibiga
Weather: 81 degrees and Clear
Attendance: 16,051
Scoring Summary:
DC – Lamar Neagle 3 (Luciano Acosta 4) 20’
DC – Sean Franklin 1 (Lamar Neagle 4, Alvaro Saborio 3) 27’
Misconduct Summary:
DC – Kofi Opare 22’ (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior)
DC – Fabian Espindola 57’ (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior)
DC – Luciano Acosta 67’ (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior)
New England Revolution: Brad Knighton; Chris Tierney (Je-Vaughn Watson 82’), London Woodberry, José Gonçalves, Andrew Farrell; Scott Caldwell, Daigo Kobayashi (Diego Fagundez 61’); Kelyn Rowe, Lee Nguyen ©, Teal Bunbury (Juan Agudelo 57’); Kei Kamara
Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Samba, Steve Neumann, Zachary Herivaux
D.C. United: Bill Hamid; Taylor Kemp, Kofi Opare, Jalen Robinson, Sean Franklin; Luciano Acosta (Jared Jeffrey 73’), Marcelo Sarvas, Nick DeLeon; Fabian Espindola, Álvaro Saborio (Alhaji Kamara 82’), Lamar Neagle (Rob Vincent 84’)
Substitutes Not Used: Travis Worra, Luke Mishu, Andrea Mancini, Julian Buescher
