Davies’ Brace Lifts Revs to Victory
- Updated: August 1, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Charlie Davies bagged a brace to help the Revolution grab a 3-1 win over a shorthanded Toronto FC side on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Davies opened the account in the 35th minute when he slid into a cross from Rowe to beat Joe Bendik from point blank range. The Revolution striker grabbed his second goal in the 62nd minute when he pounced on a ball that deflected off a Toronto defender and put it out of reach of Bendik. Davies’ goals sandwiched a 44th minute strike from Lee Nguyen, who scored from the spot after Rowe was hauled down in the box.
Despite playing a man down, Toronto pulled one back in the 75th minute when Jonathan Osario fired a shot from just inside the area that snuck inside the right post.
The Reds went to 10 men in the 39th minute after Jozy Altidore was red carded for kicking Jose Goncalves in the wake of an aerial duel.
With the win, the Revolution (8-9-7, 31 points) extended their unbeaten streak to three while Toronto (8-8-4, 28 points) were kept out of the win column for the fourth straight game.
Instant analysis: The decision to give Kelyn Rowe his first start since late-June proved to be a masterstroke for Revolution coach Jay Heaps. Although the fourth-year midfielder has struggled with consistency all season, Rowe was a man on fire on Saturday. He factored in all three goals, and put in the defensive work needed to help keep Sebastian Giovinco off the board. Not to be overshadowed, of course, was the clutch performance put in by Charlie Davies, who scored his first regular season brace for the Revolution. The Boston College product’s positioning on both efforts was a reminder why he’s remained the man up top throughout the season. All in all, it was sound performance from the locals, who also did well to capitalize on the mistakes made by Toronto.
Stat of the match: The penalty awarded to the Revolution in the 43rd minute was only the second given to the locals this season. The first came back in the Revolution’s 2-0 win at Colorado on Apr. 4.
Shuttleworth returns: Two weeks after suffering a concussion in training, goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth returned to his spot between the sticks after Brad Knighton started the last two games. With the Reds shorthanded for the majority of the match, Shuttleworth was only forced to make one save on the evening.
Rowe starts over Bunbury: Kelyn Rowe got the surprise start over Teal Bunbury on the right side of the midfield for Saturday’s match. The switch marked the first start for Rowe since the Revolution’s 2-1 loss at Columbus on Jun. 24.
Next up: The Revolution will get their first bye week of the season next week before they host the Houston Dynamo on Aug. 15 at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm.
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