Real Big Victory
- Updated: April 25, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution cruised to their biggest win of the season, crushing Real Salt Lake, 4-0, in front of a season best crowd of 17,982 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Chris Tierney and Juan Agudelo each scored in the first half and Charlie Davies and Scott Caldwell assured the victory with second half goals as the Revolution outshot their opponents 25 to 7.
Tierney struck first with a curling right footed shot in the 39th minute, while Agudelo doubled the lead four minutes later with a tap-in off a saved Davies shot. Davies then made it 3-0 with a 50th minute header and Caldwell wrapped up the scoring with his first MLS goal in the 84th minute.
“I thought [Salt Lake] came into the game in a good form and a good shape,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “It took us a little while to get control of the game, but once we did I thought we were moving really well and created a lot of chances.”
The win temporarily puts the Revolution (4-2-2, 14 points) atop the Eastern Conference. The team has gone six games unbeaten after dropping their first two matches of the season. The home win keeps New England unbeaten in its last 14 matches at Gillette Stadium.
Heaps made two changes from the team that won 2-1 at the Philadelphia Union last weekend. Chris Tierney returned to the starting line-up in place of Kevin Alston, while Teal Bunbury got the start in midfield over Kelyn Rowe. Jermaine Jones got his second straight start at center back as captain Jose Goncalves returned to the game day 18, but didn’t see the field. London Woodberry also made his second straight start—and only his second appearance—for the Revolution at right back.
Both sides struggled to create chances early, but the Revolution nearly had a breakthrough in the 16th minute after Agudelo and Lee Nguyen combined on a give-and-go that played Agudelo in close to goal. Agudelo attempted to poke it in from close range, but his effort deflected off a defender and went wide.
Three minutes later it was the visitors with a chance with Olmes Garcia getting down the wing and centering a pass to Luis Gil. Gil hit a low shot on frame that Bobby Shuttleworth just managed to tip wide.
Bunbury and Charlie Davies combined to help set up a chance for Nguyen in the 23rd minute with a long pass from Bunbury finding Davies in the box. Davies ran towards the endline and then back-heeled a pass to an onrushing Nguyen, who blasted a shot on frame that Jeff Attinella just managed to tip high.
Davies and Bunbury combined again in the 29th minute, with Davies slipping a pass to Bunbury who was making a run into the right side of the box. The ball was a bit behind Bunbury and he slipped as he attempted a shot, hitting it weakly into the hands of Attinella.
Salt Lake then nearly struck with a bit of genius three minutes later as a Demar Phillips cross found Alvaro Saborio, who attempted to backheel a shot on goal. Saborio’s effort was on frame, but denied by a well-positioned Shuttleworth.
The Revolution finally found the breakthrough in the 39th minute on some impressive work from Tierney. Tierney got the ball in the left side of the box from Agudelo and cut back to create space before curling a perfectly placed shot with his weaker right foot inside the far post to make it 1-0.
“Don’t get used to [me scoring right footed],” said Tierney. “That was probably a one time thing there. It was just a good play by Juan to get it out to me. I cut it back to the right and just gave it a go. Closed my eyes and swung the right peg and it went in.”
Four minutes later New England doubled the lead after Bunbury found Davies going into the right side of the box. Davies hit a low shot to the far post that a diving Attinella tipped, but it fell right to Agudelo for an easy tap-in to make it 2-0.
New England threatened four minutes into the second half after Tierney played the ball to Davies in the box. Davies played it back to Tierney who sent another curling right footed shot from just outside the box that Attinella tipped wide with a diving save for a corner kick.
On the ensuing corner kick, the Revolution played it short and Tierney found Scott Caldwell, who sent a cross in to Davies. Davies powered a header from close range to make it 3-0.
“Scotty played an amazing cross in,” said Davies. “I just rose up to finish it with my head.”
The onslaught continued in the 54th minute when Nguyen got the ball in the right side of the box and cut inside only to see his shot denied by the crossbar. The ball fell to Agudelo whose shot was then tipped wide by Attinella for a corner kick.
Only another stunning save from Attinella kept the Revolution from getting a fourth in the 64th minute when Nguyen sprung Woodberry down the right flank. Woodberry sent a low cross towards goal that substitute Diego Fagundez flicked on goal from pointblank range, but Attinella somehow reacted quickly, getting down to smother the ball.
New England iced the game in the 84th minute with Caldwell’s first career goal. After Attinella denied substitute Steve Neumann from just a few feet from the net, Agudelo saw his attempt on the rebound deflected, but sent back to Caldwell by Kelyn Rowe. Caldwell hit a low, left footed shot from just inside the box, towards the near post, that a recovering Attinella had no chance of saving, making it 4-0.
“It was a good feeling to get that kind of monkey off my back,” said Caldwell. “But it was more important just to get the three points and it was a great team performance the whole night.”
New England remains home next Saturday, facing the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 pm.
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