Trialist Melo Scores in Revs-Union Scrimmage

New England Revolution trialist Evan Melo scored in a 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union during Tuesday’s preseason scrimmage at Dewey O. Boster Sports Complex in Deltona, Fla.

Melo, a midfielder/forward who last played with FC Sion (Switzerland), struck in the 60th minute after Union forward Jack McInerney scored the opening goal in the 44th minute.

The match was divided into three, 30-minute periods, with both teams using nearly every player available to them for the match.

Revolution captain Jose Goncalves saw his first minutes of the preseason on Tuesday after he was held out of last Friday’s preseason opener for precautionary reasons.

For the second straight game, Andrew Farrell was assigned to a different role. The second year defender, who played all of his 32 matches at right back last year, featured at defensive midfielder and center back. Farrell also played center back against Swedish side Malmo FF last Friday.

Goalkeeper Brad Knighton, who did not see action in last week’s preseason opener, went the full 90 against the Union, and made a number of key saves to preserve the draw.

Revolution trialist Jossimar Sanchez, who joined the club in Bradenton earlier this week, saw time at right back and made a positive impression in the waning minutes. In the 80th minute, he cleared a sure-fire chance from Aaron Wheeler off the line.

Charlie Davies (calf), Stephen McCarthy (groin), Steve Neumann (ankle), Saer Sene (ankle) and Chris Tierney (foot) all missed action for the second consecutive game. Diego Fagundez was unavailable as well after suffering a concussion during training.

The Revolution will play their final scrimmage in the Sunshine State at 3pm on Thursday when they face the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) at IMG Academy. The local XI will return to Foxborough on Friday and resume preseason training at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse next week.

Lineups:

New England Revolution (First Period): Brad Knighton, Donnie Smith, Jose Goncalves, A.J. Soares, Kevin Alston, Andrew Farrell, Marko Perovic, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Patrick Mullins, Jerry Bengtson

New England Revolution (Second Period): Brad Knighton, Donnie Smith, Andrew Farrell (O’Brian Woodbine 46), A.J. Soares (Darrius Barnes 46), Kevin Alston (Jossimar Sanchez 46), Scott Caldwell, Marko Perovic (Evan Melo 46), Lee Nguyen (Andy Dorman 46), Kelyn Rowe (Alec Sundly 46), Patrick Mullins (Pierre Omanga 46), Jerry Bengtson (Dimitry Imbongo 46)

New England Revolution (Third Period): Brad Knighton, O’Brian Woodbine, Paolo DelPiccolo, Darrius Barnes, Jossimar Sanchez, Scott Caldwell, Evan Melo, Andy Dorman, Alec Sundly, Pierre Omanga, Dimitry Imbongo

Philadelphia Union (First Period): Zac MacMath, Fabinho, Sheanon Williams, Richard Marquez, Ray Gaddis, Maurice Edu, Brian Carroll,Cristian Maidana, Sebastien LeToux, Conor Casey, Fred

Philadelphia Union (Second Period): Andre Blake, Robert Derschang, Kevin Cope, Ethan White, Mike Seamon, Keon Daniel, Pedro Ribeiro, Michael Lahoud, Zach Pfeffer, Jack McInerney, Danny Cruz

Philadelphia Union (Third Period): Brian Holt, Cristhian Hernandez, Ethan White, Matt Kassel, Jimmy McLaughlin, Corben Bone, Leo Fernandez, Aodhan Quinn, Antoine Hoppenot, Aaron Wheeler, Clesio