Revs II Recap: Revolution II 3 - 2 Chicago Fire II

Marcos Dias' record-setting penalty kick helps Revs II secure their second-straight victory!

© J. Alexander Dolan

Richie Williams and New England Revolution II returned to action on Saturday when they hosted Ludovic Taillandier and Chicago Fire II inside Gillette Stadium.

Revs II entered Saturday’s match looking for their first back-to-back win of the season after securing a 3-1 victory over Inter Miami CF II on April 28th.

Saturday’s matinee saw two changes to the starting lineup. JD Gunn got the nod in goal while Hesron Barry, Tiago Suarez, Eric Klein, and Damario McIntosh formed the back line. Maciel, Patrick Leal, and Luka Borovic comprised the midfield, while Gevork Diarbian, Marcos Dias, and Alex Monis provided the attack.

Chicago nearly found an early goal in the fifth minute when Lamonth Rochester lobbed a cross from the left flank centrally to David Tchétchao. Luckily for Revs II, Tchétchao’s header lacked accuracy as it sailed right of the goal.

The game paused in the ninth minute when Chicago’s medical staff came on to tend to Jason Shokalook. Unfortunately, Shokalook could not continue as Peter Soudan replaced him in the 11th minute.

Gunn came up big for Revs II in the 13th minute as he came off his line to dive on a loose ball before the Chicago offense could capitalize. Catastrophe nearly struck Revolution II in the 20th minute when a bad pass by Gunn led to the ball landing at the feet of a Chicago attacker, who tapped the ball forward. Luckily for Revs II, Gunn pounced onto the ball and prevented Chicago Fire II from finding an easy goal.

Revolution II got themselves on the board in the 40th minute thanks to a phenomenal display of passing. It all started with Dias driving into the box before flicking the ball to his left to Diarbian who cut the ball across the face of the goal to Monis who drilled the ball into the back of the net to give Revs II a 1–0 lead.

Another near opportunity came for Revs II in the 49th minute when Dias lobbed a ball down the left flank to Diarbian. Goalkeeper Patrick Los was alert to the ball and came off his line attempting to clear it but Diarbian was at the right place at the right time as he deflected Los’ clearance. The pair scrambled to the loose ball bouncing in Chicago’s box, but Los prevailed as he leaped to catch the ball mid-bounce before Diarbian could capitalize.

Diarbian again nearly found the back of the net in the 53rd minute when he attempted to find the far post from atop the box. Unfortunately for Diarbian, Los was there to make the save.

Revolution II’s first changes of the night came in the 65th minute when Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi and Cristiano Oliviera came on for Barry and Borovic. The change marked Al-Hasnawi’s Revolution II debut after inking a deal on Friday.

A corner kick in the 67th minute spelled danger for Revs II. After the ball bounced around in the box, Tchétchao attempted to send a shot on frame, but it deflected off a body. Diego Knonincks got on top of the deflected ball and sent a shot into the back of the net to shrink the deficit to one.

Another pair of subs came in the 69th minute as Colby Quiñones and Josh Bolma came on for Diarbian and Leal. Olger Escobar returned to Revs II after spending time with the Guatemala youth national team when he came on in the 75th minute to replace Monis.

Just when it looked like Revs II would escape with the 2-1 win, Chicago Fire II had other plans. After winning the ball in the midfield, Chicago lobbed the ball centrally to Harold Osorio who cut the ball to Peter Soudan on the right, who hesitated for a second before slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner to level the game at two apiece.

The final change of the night came in stoppage time when Alex Parvu came on for substitute Bolma, who appeared shaken up after getting drilled with a ball.

Just when it looked like things would end in a 2-2 draw, fortune came Revs II’s way when they earned a penalty kick after Romain Blake committed a foul on Cristiano Oliviera inside the box.

Dias stepped up to the spot looking to win the game for Revolution II. Additionally, Dias had the opportunity to net his 18th goal in a Revs II kit and etch his name into the history book to become the club’s all-time leading scorer. Dias ripped a shot to the left side of the net and past Los to find Revs II the winning goal.

Saturday’s victory rose Revs II to sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points on a 3-3-1 record with one shootout victory. Williams and Revs II will look to stretch their winning streak to three games on Wednesday, May 8th, as they hit the road to face Crown Legacy FC.