Recap: Revolution II 2 - NYCFC II 4
A chaotic closing ten minutes costs Revs II three points.
New England Revolution II returned to action Saturday evening as they traveled to Belson Stadium in Jamaica, New York, to take on New York City FC II.
Revs II entered Saturday’s contest in the midst of a slump that saw them winless in their last three contests with two losses.
There were five changes from last Sunday’s lineup that saw Revs II secure two points after a 5-5 draw in regular time followed by a 5-4 shootout victory. Nico Campuzano returned in between the sticks. Peyton Miller, Pierre Cayet, Victor Souza, and Jacob Akanyirige comprised the backline as Brandonn Bueno, Ben Awashie, and Jake Rozhansky patrolled the midfield. Finally, Marcos Dias, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, and Malcolm Fry provided the attack.
John Denis reminded Revolution II how much of a threat he is in the 11th minute as a failed clearance by the backline following a free kick led the ball being sent into the box, where it found Samuel Owusu on the left side of the box. Owusu sent the ball centrally to Denis, who struck the ball past Campuzano and into the back of the net to give NYCFC II an early 1-0 lead.
Fortune would come Revs II’s way in the 37th minute as Dias flashed the footwork inside the penalty area as he maneuvered around three NYC defenders. That was until Rio Hope-Gund took Dias down inside the box and awarded Revolution II a penalty kick.
Dias was the one to step up to the spot, as he did twice last Sunday against Cincinnati. Like last Sunday, Dias slotted a right-footed shot to the bottom-left corner of the net to level things at one.
Miller entered the books in the 40th minute after a high boot connected with Piero Elias’s leg resulted in the young defender receiving a yellow card. Awashie then received a yellow card in the 58th minute after fouling Nicholas Benalcazar.
Things got tough for Revolution II in the 64th minute as Miller received a second yellow card and a subsequent red card after fouling Ronald Arévaro.
A stroke of luck came Revolution II’s way in the 69th minute as Alex Rando took Jordan Adebayo-Smith down inside the box and awarded Revs II a penalty kick. It was a case of déjà vu for Revolution II fans as Dias stepped up to the spot for a second time. Dias sent a right-footed shot to the bottom-left corner and in to give Revs II a 2-1 lead.
NYCFC II was able to strung some good offense in the 81st minute as Christian McFarlane lobbed a ball from the left flank to Arévalo, who sent the ball centrally to Matthew Meyers. Meyers then easily slotted the ball into the back of the net to level things at two.
Things went from bad to worse for Revs II immediately after the goal as NYCFC quickly drove back up the pitch as a ball slipped through the backline to a darting Arévalo alone inside the box. Campuzano came off his line to clear the ball away from danger but ultimately cleared Arévalo off his feet as NYCFC was awarded the penalty kick.
Nicholas Benalcazar was the one to step up to the spot for NYC as he buried a right-footed shot to the bottom-right corner to give NYCFC II a 3-2 lead late in the second half.
A pair of substitutions came in the 85th minute as Ezra Widman and Weverton came on for Rozhansky and Adebayo-Smith. Widman became the twenty-eighth Revolution Academy product to make their professional debut with Revolution II. A final sub came in the 89th minute as Olger Escobar came on for Dias.
Just as it looked as if NYCFC was going to walk away with a 3-2 victory, Jacob Akanyirige committed a foul on Arévalo inside the box to award NYCFC a penalty kick in stoppage time. Like Dias, Benalcazar stepped up to the spot for a second time that evening as he buried a right-footed shot to the bottom-right corner to give NYCFC a 4-2 lead late in stoppage time.
A horrific closing ten minutes from Revolution II cost them as their winless streak extended to four games following a 4-2 loss on the road. Despite the loss, Revs II still place fourth in the Eastern Conference, yet results around the league tomorrow could see them slide down the table.
Revolution II will look to get their affairs in order next Sunday, May 14th, as they take on TFC II on the road at 7 PM ET on MLSNEXTPro.com.