SANDY, Utah – Zero goals against equaled one big point for the Revolution on Saturday night.
Bobby Shuttleworth made two stellar saves and commanded an organized defensive performance as the Revs kept their first clean sheet since May 14 – a span of seven league games – and earned just their second-ever point at Rio Tinto Stadium in a 0-0 draw with Real Salt Lake.
“I thought we were really organized tonight,” said Shuttleworth, who returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension last weekend. “Everyone really put a shift in and worked hard. We really limited their chances and had a couple chances for ourselves. All in all, we’ll take a point and go home.”
New England did have their chances to snatch all three points, most notably in the 74th minute when Lee Nguyen slipped second-half substitute Diego Fagundez clean through RSL’s backline. Fagundez got his shot off, but Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando was strong off his line to make the save.
Shuttleworth was also fantastic when called upon, making one save either side of halftime. He reacted quickly to push away Kyle Beckerman’s point-blank effort in the 14th minute – getting a bit of help from Nguyen on the line, as well – and kicked away Yura Movsisyan’s breakaway attempt in the 71st minute.
“Bobby was great tonight,” said Andrew Farrell. “When he was called upon, he made the saves, and that’s what you need with your keeper. Obviously we want to limit those chances, but he came up big and kept us in it.”
The point earned on Saturday night keeps the Revs above the red line in the Eastern Conference, while the shutout gives them something to build upon moving into their midweek U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal against the Philadelphia Union and next weekend’s league meeting with the Chicago Fire.
“We have to be pleased with these results, but we have to continue to look forward and not be satisfied with these results,” said Teal Bunbury. “We know that it’s a tight race in the Eastern Conference, we know that we have a great opportunity in the Open Cup, so we have to try to recuperate now, get our rest and move forward.”
