MONTREAL – The New England Revolution (0-1-0, 0 pts.) opened the 2020 MLS regular season with a 2-1 loss against the Montreal Impact at Stade Olympique on Saturday afternoon. New England’s Teal Bunbury opened the scoring with a cleanly-struck volley in the 13th minute, after Gustavo Bou played a short corner kick to Cristian Penilla, who delivered the cross. Montreal responded with a set-piece goal of its own in the 37th minute, before Maxi Urruti scored the game-winner with a chipped shot in the 80th minute.
Bunbury’s goal, the 35th of his Revolution career, moves him into a tie with Juan Agudelo for eighth-most in club history. The forward’s finish was assisted by Bou – who registered team highs in chances created (5) and shots (4) – and Penilla, whose eight assists in 2019 were second most among Revs players. Diego Fagundez also ascended a slot in New England’s record book, tying Jay Heaps for fourth-most games played at 243. Fagundez, 25, can set a club record for most games played with 19 more appearances.
Designated Player Adam Buksa and sixth-overall SuperDraft selection Henry Kessler both played all 90 minutes during their MLS debuts in Montreal.
New England will open its 2020 home slate at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, March 7 against Chicago Fire FC. The match kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
New England Revolution 1, Montreal Impact 2
February 29, 2020 – Stade Olympique (Montreal, Quebec)
Revolution Fall to Montreal Impact, 2-1, in Season Opener
- The Revolution (0-1-0, 0 pts.) fell to the Montreal Impact, 2-1, in the 2020 MLS season opener.
- New England's all-time record against Montreal moves to 9-10-3, including a 4-6-2 record in games played in Montreal, and a 0-1-0 in Stade Olympique.
Bunbury Scores Revs’ First Goal of ’20; Ties Agudelo for Eighth-Most in Club History
- Forward Teal Bunbury scored the Revolution’s first goal of the season on a volley in the 13th minute.
- Bunbury’s goal was the 35th of his Revs career, which moves him into a tie with Juan Agudelo for eighth place in the club’s all-time goal scoring chart.
- Bunbury logged 66 minutes on the left wing and recorded 31 touches with one chance created and one tackle.
Fagundez Ties Heaps for Fourth-Most Appearances in Revolution History
- Midfielder Diego Fagundez registered the 243rd appearance of his career today, matching Jay Heaps for fourth most in Revolution history.
- Fagundez, 25, needs only 19 more appearances to eclipse Shalrie Joseph’s all-time club record of 261.
- Fagundez registered 61 touches, three tackles, one chance created, and completed 89.4 percent of his passes.
Buksa and Kessler Go the Distance in MLS, Revolution Debuts
- Forward Adam Buksa, who joined New England as its third Designated Player via transfer from Polish side Pogón Szczecin in December, played 90 minutes in his MLS debut.
- Buksa recorded one shot on target, one chance created, one tackle, and two fouls won in his first game in a Revs shirt.
- Defender Henry Kessler, who the Revolution selected with the fourth-overall pick in January’s SuperDraft, also played 90 minutes alongside Andrew Farrell in central defense.
- Kessler recorded three interceptions with one tackle and one foul won in his professional debut.
Revolution Starting XI Features MLS Debuts of Buksa and Kessler
- Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena’s first starting lineup of the 2020 regular season featured the selections of newly-signed Designated Player Adam Buksa and fourth-overall SuperDraft pick Henry Kessler.
- Eight players who started in New England’s MLS Cup Playoff Round One match against Atlanta United FC returned to the starting XI for the season opener, including Matt Turner, DeJuan Jones, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye, Scott Caldwell, Cristian Penilla, Gustavo Bou, and Teal Bunbury.
- New England’s 18-man roster also featured four Homegrown Players in Diego Fagundez (Leominster, Mass.), Scott Caldwell (Braintree, Mass.), Justin Rennicks (Hamilton, Mass.), and 17-year-old Damian Rivera (Cranston, R.I.), which ties a club record.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Chris Penso
Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga (AR1), Jeremy Hanson (AR2)
Fourth Official: Pierre-Luc Lauziere
Video Assistant Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Video Referee: Robert Schaap
Attendance: 21,006
Weather: Indoors
Scoring Summary:
NE – Teal Bunbury 1 (Cristian Penilla 1, Gustavo Bou 1) 13’
MTL – Romell Quioto 1 (Joel Waterman 1, Maxi Urruti 1) 37’
MTL – Maxi Urruti 1 (Saphir Taïder 1) 77’
Misconduct Summary:
None
New England Revolution: Matt Turner; DeJuan Jones (Tajon Buchanan 82’), Andrew Farrell, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye; Scott Caldwell (Wilfried Zahibo HT), Diego Fagundez; Teal Bunbury (Michael Mancienne 66’), Gustavo Bou ©, Cristian Penilla; Adam Buksa
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Kelyn Rowe, Damian Rivera, Justin Rennicks
Montreal Impact: Clément Diop; Joel Waterman, Luis Binks, Rod Fanni; Jorge Corrales, Saphir Taïder, Samuel Piette, Zachary Brault-Guillard (Amar Sejdic 90’+2’); Romell Quioto, Bojan (Lassi Lappalainen 77’); Maxi Urruti (Shamit Shome 87’)
Substitutes Not Used: Evan Bush, Karifa Yao, Orji Okwonkwo, Anthony Jackson-Hamel
