Bunbury Scores in 1-1 Draw to SKC
- Updated: February 20, 2016
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Teal Bunbury scored a second half equalizer to put the Revolution on level terms with Sporting Kansas City in a Desert Diamond Cup second match day clash that ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Kino North Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Bunbury took hold of a Diego Fagundez pass near the box, then blasted a hard shot inside the far post to beat Tim Melia in the 58th minute of match that featured an 11th minute strike from Graham Zusi to give Kansas City an early lead.
With the draw, the Revolution’s preseason mark went to 1-2-2, with both draws coming from Desert Diamond Cup competition.
Prior to Zusi’s opening goal, chances were abound for the Revolution to plant their flag in the Kansas City end. Diego Fagundez fired a pair of shots to test Melia early one while Lee Nguyen skimmed the post in the eighth minute.
As close as the Revolution came, Kansas City proved itself more efficient in the 11th minute when Zusi chased down a Jordi Quintilla ball into the box, cut inside, and fired a well-placed shot inside the far post.
Zusi’s goal seemed to cool the Revolution’s heels, and things didn’t get much better for the Foxborough outfit with the half-hour approaching.
Newly-acquired midfielder Gershon Koffie was forced to exit the match in the 29th minute after he absorbed the force of a point-blank Zusi blast smacked the Revolution man on the side of his head. Scott Caldwell came on for the Ghanaian international, and tried to help his team get back onto level terms against Kansas City.
After watching more opportunities evaporate in the second half, the Revolution finally found paydirt when Fagundez placed a beautiful ball in the final third for Bunbury, who uncorked a low drive into the Kansas City net just before the stroke of 60 minutes.
With the momentum back in their favor, the Revolution made a pair of late bids for the winner on opportunities orchestrated by Juan Agudelo and Steve Neumann, who saw his shot clear the crossbar before time expired.
The Revolution will play their third Desert Diamond Cup match on Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo at Kino North Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm ET.
Notes: Prior to Saturday’s Diamond Cup clash, the Revolution played a 45-minute, mid-morning scrimmage against PDL side FC Tuscon, a game which saw Agudelo score the lone goal in a 1-0 win…Koffie, who will wear no. 7 for the Revolution this year, sported no. 52 in Saturday’s match likely due to the fact that the squad donned last year’s jerseys, with the no. 7 jersey from 2015 likely adorned with the family name of recently-waived striker Sean Okoli…Revolution Youth Academy star Justin Rennicks saw action late, and set up a couple of dangerous advances in the closing minutes…
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