FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (1-3-1, 4 pts.) defeated Minnesota United FC (2-2-0, 6 pts.), 2-1, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Jalil Anibaba and Brandon Bye were the goal scorers on either side of halftime for New England, tallying in the 10th and 62nd minutes, respectively. Minnesota's Darwin Quintero scored the visitor's lone goal by converting a penalty kick in the 26th minute.
Anibaba's goal was the first of his Revolution career, and the sixth of his MLS career. The center back joined New England as a free agent signing ahead of the 2018 season. Midfielder Carles Gil registered the first assist of his young MLS career on Anibaba's goal, giving the newcomer four combined goals and assists in his debut season – tied for third most in the league. His six chances created on the day are tied for the second most by any MLS player in a match this season.
Bye, who made his first career start in the midfield during today's contest, netted the first game-winning goal of his professional career. Forward Teal Bunbury and midfielder DeJuan Jones were credited with assists, as Jones played 90 minutes on the left wing in his first career start. Goalkeeper Cody Cropper got the start in net for the Revolution, marking his first appearance since Sept. 27, 2017. The Minnesota native made two saves in the winning effort.
New England returns to action on Saturday, April 6, when the club travels to Ohio for a meeting with Columbus Crew SC at MAPFRE Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
New England Revolution 2, Minnesota United FC 1
March 30, 2019 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Revs Top Minnesota United FC, 2-1
·The Revolution defeated Minnesota United FC, 2-1, on Saturday, improving the club’s record to 1-3-1 (4 pts.) through five games of the 2019 MLS season.
- New England's all-time record against Minnesota improves to 2-1-0, including a 2-0-0 mark at Gillette Stadium.
Bye Scores First Game-Winning Goal of MLS Career
- Brandon Bye scored the first game-winning goal of his professional career, and his second goal overall, when he finished a grounded cross from Teal Bunbury in the 62nd minute.
- Bye logged his first career start in the midfield during today's match and played 90 minutes on the right wing. He recorded a team-high two shots on target, as well as two chances created and three tackles.
- Selected by the Revolution with the eighth-overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, Bye has registered 29 appearances, including 21 starts, two goals, and two assists for his MLS career.
Anibaba Opens Revolution Account
- Defender Jalil Anibaba scored the first goal of his Revolution career with a diving header in the 10th minute. He played all 90 minutes in his second appearance of the season, posting team highs with six clearances and eight interceptions.
- Anibaba joined the Revolution as a free-agent signing ahead of the 2018 season. He has recorded 33 appearances, including 31 starts, one goal, and two assists since joining the club.
Caldwell Logs 150th Career MLS Start Two Days after Signing Extension
- Midfielder Scott Caldwell made his 150th career league start for the Revolution in today's contest – two days after signing a multi-year extension with the club. He played 89 minutes in central midfield, recording a team-best six tackles to go along with a pair of chances created.
- The second Homegrown Player signing in club history, Caldwell owns the 10th most appearances in Revs history with 183. His totals for games played (183), starts (150), and minutes played (13,238) all rank among the top five for a Homegrown Player in MLS history.
Cropper Returns to Lineup for First Start Since 2017
- Goalkeeper Cody Cropper got the start in net for New England for today's match – his first since Sept. 27, 2017. Cropper made two saves, including a fingertip stop in the 29th minute, to preserve the result.
- Cropper, who started 28 games for New England in 2017, did not make an appearance last season. He owns an 11-14-4 record for his MLS career.
Gil Notches First MLS Assist, Six Chances Created
- Midfielder Carles Gil recorded the first assist of his MLS career, giving him four combined goals and assists through his first five Revolution appearances.
- Gil totaled six chances created in the match, which is tied for the second most in a single game among all MLS players this season.
Jones Registers Assist in First Start of Professional Career
- Midfielder DeJuan Jones recorded a secondary assist in the first start of his professional career this afternoon. Jones submitted three shots – including one on target – one chance created, one tackle, and one foul won in a 90-minute shift.
- The Lansing, Mich. native made his MLS debut in last weekend's match vs. FC Cincinnati as a substitute in the 78th minute.
·Jones, 21, joined New England as the club’s second selection in first round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft after a four-year career at Michigan State, where he registered 16 goals and 14 assists across 75 appearances. He signed with the team on Feb. 25.
Revolution Starting XI Sees Six Changes
·The Revolution's starting lineup saw six changes from last weekend's match against FC Cincinnati, as Cody Cropper, Jalil Anibaba, Andrew Farrell, Scott Caldwell, DeJuan Jones, and Juan Agudelo replaced Brad Knighton, Antonio Delamea, Wilfried Zahibo, Luis Caicedo, Cristian Penilla, and Diego Fagundez.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Allen Chapman
Assistant Referees: Brian Poeschel (AR1), Eric Boria (AR2)
Fourth Official: Guido Gonzalez Jr.
VAR: Alan Kelly
Weather: 66° and Clear
Attendance: 10,657
Scoring Summary:
NE – Jalil Anibaba 1 (Carles Gil 1) 10'
MIN – Darwin Quintero (Penalty Kick) 26'
NE – Brandon Bye 1 (Bunbury 1, Jones 1) 62'
Misconduct Summary:
MIN – Ike Opara (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 12'
NE – Carles Gil (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 45'+2'
MIN – Romain Métanire (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 54'
MIN – Osvaldo Alonso (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 70'
NE – Jalil Anibaba (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 72'
NE – Edgar Castillo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 74'
New England Revolution: Cody Cropper; Edgar Castillo, Michael Mancienne ©, Jalil Anibaba, Andrew Farrell; DeJuan Jones, Scott Caldwell (Wilfried Zahibo 90'), Carles Gil, Brandon Bye; Juan Agudelo (Juan Fernando Caicedo 88'), Teal Bunbury (Luis Caicedo 78')
Substitutes Not Used: Matt Turner, Antonio Delamea, Diego Fagundez, Tajon Buchanan
Minnesota United FC: Vito Mannone; Francisco Calvo, Michael Boxall, Ike Opara, Romain Métanire; Osvaldo Alonso, Jan Gregus; Miguel Ibarra, Darwin Quintero,Ethan Finlay (Brent Kallman 75'); Angelo Rodríguez (Abu Danladi 66')
Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Eric Miller, Collin Martin, Hassani Dotson, Lawrence Olum
