RECAP: Revs drop 2-1 result to Atlanta in penultimate regular-season road game

Brandon Bye vs. Atlanta United FC

ATLANTA – The New England Revolution (8-12-11, 35 pts.) fell to Atlanta United FC (20-6-6, 66 pts.), 2-1, before a crowd of 45,122 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Atlanta United defender George Bello and midfielder Julian Gressel were the host's goal scorers, tallying in the 17th and 52nd minutes, respectively. Forward Juan Agudelo pulled one back for New England in second-half stoppage time, with Diego Fagundez tallying the assist, but the Revs were not able to find an equalizer.


Fagundez set a new single-season career high with his ninth assist, which is the most among Revolution players this season. The Leominster, Mass. native now owns 41 assists for his career, which moves him past teammates Kelyn Rowe and Chris Tierney for third most in club history.


Brookline native Zachary Herivaux made his first career start in today's contest. Herivaux, the third Homegrown Player signing in club history, played 70 minutes in central midfield before being replaced by fellow Homegrown Fagundez as a substitute.


Goalkeeper Brad Knighton made a fifth consecutive start in net for New England. He made four saves, giving him 26 across his five league starts this season. In addition, midfielder Kelyn Rowe made a second straight start at left back, and newcomer Guillermo Hauché made a second straight start – and third consecutive appearance – on the right wing.


New England returns to action next Saturday, Oct. 13, when the club hosts Orlando City SC at Gillette Stadium. The contest kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.


New England Revolution 1, Atlanta United FC 2
October 6, 2018 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.)


Revolution Fall to Atlanta United FC, 2-1

  • The Revolution fell to Atlanta United FC, 2-1 on Saturday, bringing the club’s record to 8-12-11 (35 pts.) through 31 matches of the 2018 regular season.
  • New England's all-time record against Atlanta drops to 0-2-2, including an 0-2-0 mark in Atlanta. The Revs and Atlanta United played to a 1-1 draw in Foxborough on May 30 in the clubs’ first meeting this season.


Fagundez Sets Single-Season Career High in Assists; Claims Third Place in Revs History

  • Midfielder Diego Fagundez registered his ninth assist of the season on Juan Agudelo's goal in the 92nd minute, bringing his total to nine on the season – a new single-season career high.
  • Fagundez surpasses his previous high of eight assists, which he set last season.
  • The Leominster, Mass. native now owns 41 career assists, which propels him past teammates Kelyn Rowe and Chris Tierney and into sole possession of third place for most assists in club history.


Brookline Native Herivaux Makes First Career MLS Start

  • Midfielder Zachary Herivaux, the third Homegrown Player signing in Revolution history, made his first career MLS start in today's contest. He played 70 minutes in central midfield and registered 23 touches, one tackle, and one foul won.
  • For his MLS career, Herivaux now owns 133 minutes played across nine appearances in league play.
  • Herivaux will depart for international duty with the Haiti National Team on Oct. 8 ahead of Les Grenadiers' CONCACAF Nations League qualifying match against St. Lucia on Oct. 13. He will be unavailable for New England's upcoming match against Orlando.


Knighton Wears Captain's Armband in Fifth Consecutive Start

  • Goalkeeper Brad Knighton made his fifth consecutive start in net for New England and wore the captain's armband for the first time this season.
  • Knighton made four saves, bringing his total on the season to 26.
  • Dating back to Sept. 1, Knighton leads all MLS goalkeepers with 26 saves. He made his first league start of the season in the Revolution's win on Sept. 5 at New York City. 


Revolution Make Four Changes to Starting XI

  • Revolution Head Coach Brad Friedel made four changes to the club’s starting lineup from its most recent match against Toronto FC on Sept. 29. Defender Andrew Farrell, defender Jalil Anibaba, midfielder Scott Caldwell, and forward Juan Agudelo were replaced by defender Brandon Bye, defender Antonio Delamea, midfielder Zachary Herivaux, and midfielder Wilfried Zahibo.
  • Farrell was sidelined by a hamstring injury for today's match, while Caldwell served a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.


GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Kevin Stott
Assistant Referees: Brian Poeschel (AR1), Andrew Bigelow (AR2)
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
Weather: Indoors
Attendance: 45,122


Scoring Summary:
ATL – George Bello 1 (Leandro González Pirez 2) 17'
ATL – Julian Gressel 4 (Héctor Villalba 9) 52'
NE – Juan Agudelo 3 (Diego Fagundez 9) 90'+2'


Misconduct Summary:
NE – Wilfried Zahibo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 16'
NE – Zachary Herivaux (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 38'
NE - Guillermo Hauché (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 56'
NE – Luis Caicedo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 64'


New England Revolution: Brad Knighton ©; Kelyn Rowe, Antonio Delamea, Michael Mancienne, Brandon Bye; Cristian Penilla, Luis Caicedo, Wilfried Zahibo (Jalil Anibaba 57'), Guillermo Hauché (Juan Agudelo 57'), Zachary Herivaux (Diego Fagundez 70'); Teal Bunbury


Substitutes Not Used: Matt Turner, Cristhian Machado, Brian Wright, Isaac Angking


Atlanta United FC: Brad Guzan; Leandro González Pirez, Michael Parkhurst ©, Jeff Larentowicz; George Bello, Eric Remedi, Darlington Nagbe, Julian Gressel; Miguel Almirón (Ezequiel Barco 30'), Héctor Villalba (Franco Escobar 67'); Josef Martinez


Substitutes Not Used: Alec Kann, Andrew Carleton, Romario Williams, Kevin Kratz, José Hernández