New England Soccer Today

Revs Win in Weather-Delayed Affair

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Second half strikes from Jose Goncalves and Juan Agudelo allowed the Revolution to stake a 2-0 win over the Dynamo in a match that was delayed twice due to lightning on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Goncalves scored in the 69th minute off a short-corner sequence that Dynamo defender AJ Cochran failed to clear, allowing Goncalves to one-time it through with his left foot at the far post. Juan Agudelo put the game out of reach in the 88th minute when he latched onto a ball from Lee Nguyen and buried it.

Bobby Shuttleworth was rarely tested, and the only nervy moment he endured was a wayward Andrew Farrell clearance in the 84th minute that nearly snuck through the near post.

The first delay of Saturday’s match came in the 14th minute and lasted 109 minutes. Another storm passed through the region during halftime, causing a second stoppage that lasted 61 minutes. The match finished at 12:18am local time.

With the win, the Revolution extended their unbeaten streak to four (3-0-1) while the Dynamo were unable to build upon last week’s win against San Jose.

Quick analysis: After lightning delayed the match not once, but twice, and both attacks lagging, Saturday’s match appeared to have the makings of a scoreless draw. But that was until the locals pounced on a mistake from the guests late in the match. Although it wasn’t the most inspired set piece sequence seen this season, Goncalves found himself in the right place at the right time when Cochran’s botched clearance fell right on his left foot before netting the game-winner. Meanwhile, Agudelo’s late strike hushed any fears of a Dynamo equalizer. It wasn’t the prettiest win for a variety of reasons, but somehow, the Revolution figured out a way to get a win out of a jagged and disjointed match.

First weather delay in Foxboro since 2003: Saturday’s weather delays marked the first time play was halted at Gillette Stadium due to lightning since Aug. 16, 2003, when the Revolution played to a 1-1 overtime draw against San Jose.

Jones gets first start since injury: Two weeks after making his return from a second sports hernia surgery, Jermaine Jones was back in the lineup for the first time since the Revolution’s 2-2 draw against the Galaxy on May 31. The midfielder went 45 minutes before he came out for Daigo Kobayashi.

Onto another bye, then Philly: The Revolution will get their second bye in three weeks during the weekend of Aug. 22-23 before they return to action on Aug. 29 at Philadelphia. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.

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