PORTLAND, Ore. – The New England Revolution (1-2-1; 4 pts.) played the Portland Timbers (3-1-1; 10 pts.), to a 1-1 draw at Providence Park on Sunday evening. By earning the draw, New England snapped Portland’s seven-game regular season home winning streak, which dated back to July 23, 2016.
Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri put the home side ahead early with a stunning volley in the 12th minute, but Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen responded more than an hour of gameplay later with an equalizer in the 84th minute. With the goal, Nguyen surpasses Steve Ralston and moves into sole possession of second place on New England’s all-time goal scoring chart with 43 career tallies. It also extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Defender Josh Smith, the Revolution’s fourth-round selection (75th overall) in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, made his first professional start in tonight’s match. Smith became the first fourth-round pick to make a start in his rookie season since Colorado Rapids forward Dominique Badji did so in 2015.
New England returns to action next Saturday, April 8, when the club hosts the Houston Dynamo at Gillette Stadium. The match kicks off at 2:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast locally on CSN New England, where Brad Feldman, Paul Mariner, and Naoko Funayama will be on the call. Fans can also listen on the radio in English on 98.5 The Sports Hub and in Portuguese on 1570 WMVX Nossa Radio.
New England Revolution 1, Portland Timbers 1
April 2, 2017 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Revolution Earn Road Point & Snap Portland’s Home Winning Streak
- The Revolution played the Portland Timbers to a 1-1 draw, bringing the club’s record to 1-2-1 (4 pts.) through four matches of the 2017 regular season.
- By earning a draw in Portland, the Revolution snapped the Timbers’ seven-game MLS regular season home winning streak, which dated back to July 23, 2016.
Nguyen Finds Late Equalizer, Moves into Second Place on Revs Goal-Scoring Charts
- With his 84th minute equalizer, midfielder Lee Nguyen surpassed Steve Ralston and moved into sole possession of second place on the Revolution’s all-time goal scoring chart with 43 tallies.
- Nguyen now trails only Taylor Twellman, who finished his Revolution career with 101 goals.
- Nguyen also extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with the equalizer, the fifth time in his career he has scored in at least three consecutive matches. In 2016, he scored in three consecutive matches in May (5/14 vs. CHI, 5/21 vs. DAL, 5/28 vs. SEA).
Rookie Smith Shines in MLS debut
- Defender Josh Smith became the first player selected in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft to make a start in his rookie season since Colorado Rapids forward Dominique Badji in 2015.
- The Revolution selected Smith, a 6’4” product of the University of San Francisco, with the 75th overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
- Smith finished the match with 30 touches, one tackle, three fouls conceded, one shot, and 22 total passes.
- Last season, forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen was one of three players selected in the third round or later of the 2016 SuperDraft to make an appearance. He totaled 19 appearances and one start for the Revolution in his debut campaign.
Caldwell Makes 125th Career Appearance with Revolution
- Midfielder Scott Caldwell made his 125th career appearance when he replaced Josh Smith as a substitute in the 91st minute.
- Caldwell, the Revolution’s second ever Homegrown Player signing, has 103 starts, more than 9,500 minutes played, and 13 assists for his Revolution career.
Kouassi Makes Second Start for New England
- Midfielder Xavier Kouassi returned to the starting lineup in Portland, marking the Designated Player’s second start for the Revolution.
- Kouassi finished the match with 53 touches, one shot, one chance created, and a 90 percent passing accuracy rate in his first 90-minute effort for New England.
Revolution Make Two Changes to Starting XI in Portland
- Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps made two changes to the club’s starting lineup from its most recent match on March 25 against Minnesota United FC. Midfielder Xavier Kouassi replaced midfielder Scott Caldwell, while defender Josh Smith replaced defender Benjamin Angoua.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- 3rd minute (SHOT) – Midfielder Kelyn Rowe nearly puts New England on the board shortly after kickoff on a corner kick, but his header misses the net by inches (WATCH).
- 12th minute (GOAL) – Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri puts the home side ahead with a stunning volley (WATCH).
- 52nd minute (SAVE) – Cody Cropper swats away a powerful, bending shot from Timbers midfielder David Guzman, who unleashed the right-footed try from atop the 18-yard box (WATCH).
- 74th minute (SHOT) – Kelyn Rowe leads Kei Kamara into a scoring chance with a perfectly-weighted ball, but Kamara’s headed shot sails just wide of the net.
- 84th minute (GOAL) – Midfielder Lee Nguyen finds a late equalizer for the Revolution, locating a rebound in front of the goalmouth from a Kei Kamara cross and burying it to secure a road point for New England (WATCH).
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Kevin Stott
Assistant Referees: Adam Garner (AR1), Mike Rottersman (AR2)
Fourth Official: David Gantar
Weather: 55 Degrees and Clear
Attendance: 21,144
Scoring Summary:
POR – Diego Valeri 5 (Unassisted) 12’
NE – Lee Nguyen 3 (Unassisted) 84’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Xavier Kouassi (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 44’
NE – Kelyn Rowe (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 47’
New England Revolution: Cody Cropper; Chris Tierney (Je-Vaughn Watson 57’), Joshua Smith (Scott Caldwell 90’+1’), Antonio Delamea, Andrew Farrell; Xavier Kouassi; Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe; Juan Agudelo (Teal Bunbury 69’), Lee Nguyen ©; Kei Kamara
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Benjamin Angoua, Daigo Kobayashi, Femi Hollinger-Janzen
Portland Timbers: Jake Gleeson; Marco Farfan, Roy Miller, Lawrence Olum, Alvas Powell; David Guzmán, Diego Chara; Sebastián Blanco, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe; Fanendo Adi
Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Attinella, Chance Myers, Zarek Valentin, Darren Mattocks, Amobi Okugo, Jack Barmby, Dairon Asprilla
