New England Revolution 1 - New York Red Bulls 0: 3 Thoughts

PRIME example of why playing during international duty is hilarious

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

The New England Revolution returned to MLS play on Saturday as they faced the New York Red Bulls for the second time this season.

The starting XI remained mostly unchanged as Aljaz Ivacic earned the start in net while Nick Lima, Xavier Arreaga, Dave Romney, and DeJuan Jones made up the back four. Mark-Anthony Kaye and Matt Polster served as the defensive midfielders while Carles Gil was in his usual No. 10 role.

Ian Harkes and Dylan Borrero were on the wings with Giacomo Vrioni serving as the lone striker. Both teams were missing a lot of players due to international duty and injuries.

But what do you need to know about the Revolution’s performance? Here are three thoughts.

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1 - My GOATENG

Once again Ema Boateng was the super-sub that New England needed as he scored the game-winning goal. The winger brings a jolt of energy to matches that can change the course of a match.

Carles Gil sent a beautiful far post cross and Boateng sashed home the volley. It might have looked easy but the finish was a challenging one.

A late goal such as the one that Boateng scored is what this club has been missing. Earlier on in the season, the match likely would have ended as a draw or a loss but New England was able to grind out a win at the very end.

While the Revolution have a long way to go, it was a positive step forward and showed promise that the team could be turning a corner.

2 - Ivacic Impresses

New England’s goalkeeper continues to be a bright spot on the roster. Against New York, Ivacic made some impressive saves and ensured that the Revolution had a chance to win the game.

The fact that Ivacic is on the supplemental roster makes his acquisition a steal. With how well he has been playing it is stunning that he didn’t find a home in the offseason.

With Henrich Ravas or Earl Edwards Jr., this match ends in a loss or draw. The impact of having reliable and quality goalkeeper can not be overstated.

3 - More Missed Chances

I am not trying to beat a dead horse but Vrioni could be gifted a goal on a platter and still would mess it up.

The designated player was gifted a goal-scoring opportunity courtesy of a beautiful ball from Gil. Vrioni was in on goal with a defender behind him in pursuit but effectively one-v-one with the goalkeeper.

Do I need bother you with a recap of what happened?

Well in case you still need an explanation, he was unable to score. A consolation prize for the DP striker and Revolution fans is that his shot was on target.

Again, Vrioni makes the right runs and is putting himself in good positions he just struggles to score. That simply can’t happen with a designated player.

To not beat the aforementioned horse, Vrioni was far from the only player to struggle with finishing on Saturday evening, Dylan Borrero also failed to take advantage of multiple goal-scoring chances. Though, the designated player tag comes with designated player expectations. Borrero is still a young player, Vrioni is supposed to be a finished product.

If Vrioni can’t start scoring, New England needs to get rid of him.

(Also Andy Judd wrote an in-depth breakdown of Vrioni, you should read it)

Mythbusting: Do Revs Need to do More to Get Vrioni Involved?

New England will look for some more homecooking next weekend as they face the Vancouver Whitecaps in an increasingly rare interconference matchup.