FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Goals weren’t a necessity for the New England Revolution on Sunday evening. A 4-2 win in the first leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the Columbus Crew meant even a one-goal loss in the decisive second leg would have been enough to see them through.
But where’s the fun in that?
Lee Nguyen, Jose Goncalves and Teal Bunbury each scored to lift the Revs to a 3-1 win at Gillette Stadium, completing a 7-3 triumph on aggregate and booking New England’s return to the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time since 2007.
“We are who we are,” Jay Heaps said of his Revolution side’s attacking stance on a night when other sides may have opted to bunker. “I think sometimes you have to embrace what kind of team you are.”
The Revs certainly embraced that identity against the Crew, scoring seven goals to set a new MLS record for goals scored in a two-game, aggregate-goals series. On Sunday evening the hosts featured a punishing attack which bombarded Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark’s goal, particularly at the start of the second half.
Pressing at one end, of course, can lead to chances conceded at the other. It was the case on occasion in the second leg, but each and every time – bar a Tony Tchani header in the 69th minute – Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth came up huge. He finished with six saves, many of them spectacular.
“I thought Bobby was excellent tonight,” said Heaps, who pointed to Shuttleworth’s save on a Jairo Arrieta header shortly after Nguyen opened the scoring as a critical moment. “I think Bobby’s been great the last half of the season and makes huge saves for us.”
Shuttleworth and company will have plenty of time now to prepare for their Eastern Conference Championship showdown with the New York Red Bulls, which won’t begin until Sunday, Nov. 23, because of next weekend’s FIFA international fixture dates.
That gives the Revs a little bit of time to enjoy their accomplishment and relish their first playoff-series victory in seven years. But of course, they’ve already got their eyes on their next opponent.
“We’re going to enjoy this because it’s been a hard season and a long season,” said Heaps. “But the playoffs are here. I feel like we’re off on the right foot.”
