RECAP: Late set-piece goal sinks Revs on frustrating night in Foxborough

Andrew Farrell vs. Columbus Crew SC

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (5-4-2, 17 pts.) fell to Columbus Crew SC (7-3-3, 24 pts.), 1-0, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening. A goal from Crew SC defender Lalas Abubakar in the 85th minute propelled the visitors to victory in the clubs' second and final meeting of the regular season.


Revolution Head Coach Brad Friedel deployed a 3-5-2 formation for the first time this season, paving the way for Brandon Bye – the eighth overall selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft – to start his second match of the season. The rookie registered 75 touches, four tackles, and one shot on target in a 90-minute shift at right wingback. Forward Brian Wright, the Revolution's first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, made his season debut as a second-half substitute and contributed two shots and one chance created in three minutes of play.


Defender Jalil Anibaba became the 40th active MLS player to eclipse 15,000 career minutes played in tonight's contest. The eight-year veteran owns 177 career appearances, 163 starts, five goals, and 11 assists for his MLS career, and has appeared in all 11 of the Revolution's matches this season.


New England will train in Foxborough this week before traveling west for a meeting with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, May 26. The match at BC Place kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston. Fans may also listen on the radio in English on 98.5 The Sports Hub and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.


New England Revolution 0, Columbus Crew SC 1
May 19, 2018 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)


Revolution Fall to Columbus Crew SC, 1-0

  • The Revolution fell to Columbus Crew SC, 1-0, on Saturday, bringing the club’s record to 5-4-2 (17 pts.) through 11 matches of the 2018 regular season.
  • New England's all-time record against Columbus drops to 23-36-13, including a 15-16-6 mark at home.


Anibaba Reaches 15,000 Career MLS Minutes

  • In the 67th minute of tonight's contest, defender Jalil Anibaba eclipsed 15,000 career MLS regular season minutes, becoming the 40th active player to hit the 15,000-minute mark. Anibaba has now appeared in 177 career matches, including 163 starts, recording five goals and 11 assists.
  • Anibaba is one of six players to appear in every Revolution match this season, joining goalkeeper Matt Turner, defender Andrew Farrell, midfielders Cristian Penilla and Wilfried Zahibo, and forward Teal Bunbury.


Tierney Passes Heaps in All-Time Appearances

  • Defender Chris Tierney made his second start of the 2018 season in today’s match, giving him 244 career regular season appearances. He moves ahead of Jay Heaps for the third most games played in Revolution history.
  • Tierney, the longest tenured field player in club annals with 11 seasons under his belt (2008-18), has now played in the second most games of any outfield player, trailing only Shalrie Joseph (261). Former goalkeeper Matt Reis ranks second in club history with 254 games played.


Wright Makes 2018 Debut as Substitute

  • Forward Brian Wright logged his first minutes of the 2018 MLS regular season when he entered the match in 87th minute.
  • Wright, New England's first-round selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, made two appearances last season, totaling 45 minutes in two appearances.


Revolution Make One Change to Starting XI

  • Revolution Head Coach Brad Friedel made one change to the club’s starting lineup from its most recent MLS match on May 12 vs. Toronto FC. Midfielder/defender Brandon Bye replaced midfielder Diego Fagundez, who was suspended for tonight’s match due to yellow card accumulation.


GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Sorin Stoica
Assistant Referees: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (AR1), Kathryn Nesbitt (AR2)
Fourth Official: Alan Kelly
VAR: Geoff Gamble
Weather: 53 Degrees and Raining
Attendance: 14,087


Scoring Summary:
CLB – Lalas Abubakar 1 (Federico Higuaín 5) 85'


Misconduct Summary:
NE – Luis Caicedo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 13'
NE – Antonio Delamea (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 31'
CLB – Milton Valenzuela (Yellow Card – Dissent) 44'
NE – Claude Dielna (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 67'
NE – Jalil Anibaba (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 89'


New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Jalil Anibaba, Antonio Delamea (Claude Dielna 52'), Andrew Farrell; Chris Tierney, Scott Caldwell © (Brian Wright 87'), Kelyn Rowe (Wilfried Zahibo HT), Luis Caicedo, Brandon Bye; Cristian Penilla, Teal Bunbury


Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Gabriel Somi, Zachary Herivaux, Krisztián Németh


Columbus Crew SC: Zack Steffen; Milton Valenzuela, Lalas Abubakar, Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful; Wil Trapp ©, Artur; Luis Argudo (Mike Grella 68') (Josh Williams 90'), Federico Higuain, Niko Hansen (Cristian Martinez 60'); Gyasi Zardes


Substitutes Not Used: Jon Kempin, Ricardo Clark, Hector Jimenez, Adam Jahn