TUCSON, Ariz. – The New England Revolution defeated the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, on Wednesday night at Kino North Stadium, in a preview of the clubs’ regular season opener on March 6. Teal Bunbury sparked the Revs with a goal and an assist in the second half, while Steve Neumann netted the game-winner for the Revs.
New England’s first-half lineup featured several regular starters from the 2015 season, with Brad Knighton filling in for Bobby Shuttleworth between the pipes and recent addition Gerson Koffie joining Scott Caldwell in the midfield. Diego Fagundez and Chris Tierney partnered to generate the team’s best scoring chance of the half in the 35th minute. Tierney led Fagundez into the scoring area with a perfect through-ball, but Fagundez was unable to beat Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis to the near post, leaving the match scoreless at the half.
Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps made whole-sale substitutions to open the second half—swapping in nine new players--and the adjustment paid dividends three minutes in. Teal Bunbury put New England on the board in the 48th minute, beating Joe Willis with a right-footed chip from the left boundary of the box. The forward’s tally marked his second goal in as many games. Both teams traded goals in a three-minute span later in the second half. Erick Torres knotted the score at 1-1 after Will Bruin created an uncontested run in the 67th minute. Moments later, Teal Bunbury and Steve Neumann broke out on a nearly identical run, and Neumann tapped in an unselfish pass from Bunbury to put the Revolution back in the lead and ultimately seal the win.
The Revs will conclude both the 2016 Desert Diamond Cup and preseason on Saturday, with a time and opponent to be determined.
New England Revolution 2, Houston Dynamo 1
February 24, 2016 - Kino Sports Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
NE – Teal Bunbury (Donnie Smith) 48’
HOU – Erick Torres (Will Bruin) 67’
NE – Steve Neumann (Teal Bunbury) 69’
Misconduct Summary:
HOU – Agus Garcia 61’ (Yellow Card)
NE – Zachary Herivaux 73’ (Yellow Card)
HOU – David Rocha 82’ (Yellow Card)
NE – Michael Gamble 87’ (Yellow Card)
New England Revolution Lineup:
First Half: Brad Knighton, London Woodberry, Jose Goncalves, Andrew Farrell, Chris Tierney, Scott Caldwell, Gershon Koffie, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Charlie Davies, Diego Fagundez
Second Half: Brad Knighton, Donnie Smith, London Woodberry (Jordan McCrary, 58’), Sambinha, Darrius Barnes, Tyler Rudy, Zachary Herivaux, Michael Gamble, Juan Agudelo, Steve Neumann, Teal Bunbury
Trialist
Unsigned Draft Pick
Houston Dynamo Lineup:
First Half: Joe Willis, Jalil Anibaba, David Horst, Raúl Rodriguez, Abdoulie Mansally, Leonel Miranda, Ricardo Clark, Alex Lima, Boniek Garcia, Cristian Maidana, Mauro Manotas
Second Half: Joe Willis, Bradley Bourgeois, Sebastien Ibeagha, Agus Garcia, DaMarcus Beasley, Andrew Wenger, David Rocha, Zach Steinberger, Giles Barnes, Erick Torres, Will Bruin
