Recap: Penilla (1 goal, 1 assist) leads Revs to 2-0 win over Orlando City

Goal celebration vs. Orlando City SC

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (9-12-11, 38 pts.) defeated Orlando City SC (7-20-4, 25 pts.), 2-0, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening. Second-half tallies from Cristian Penilla and Diego Fagundez, recorded only four minutes apart, sealed the victory for New England. However, the Revolution are now officially eliminated from MLS Cup Playoff contention due to D.C. United’s 1-0 victory over FC Dallas on Saturday.


Penilla put the hosts in front in the 51st minute with his 12th goal of the season, the most by any Revolution player this season and tied for the second most among all MLS newcomers in 2018. His 12 goals are also the most ever by an international signing in his first season with New England, passing Saer Sene (11 goals in 2012).


Fagundez doubled New England’s lead with a strike in the 55th minute, marking his eighth goal of the season and the 49th of his MLS career. At 23-years and 239-days-old, the club’s first ever Homegrown Player signing is now one goal away from potentially becoming the youngest MLS player to reach the 50-goal threshold, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.


New England returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 18, for the club’s final away test of the season against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. The match kicks off at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.


New England Revolution 2, Orlando City SC 0
October 13, 2018 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Revolution Defeat Orlando City SC, 2-0

  • The Revolution defeated Orlando City SC, 2-0, improving to 9-12-11 (38 pts.) on the season and 7-4-5 at home. With D.C. United’s win over FC Dallas on Saturday night, the Revolution are now eliminated from MLS Cup Playoff contention.
  • The clean sheet marked the Revolution’s fifth of the season, with the last shutout coming on Sept. 5 at New York City FC (1-0).
  • New England maintains an unbeaten all-time record against Orlando City at home, with a 3-0-1 mark at Gillette Stadium since the Lions joined MLS in 2015. Overall, the Revs are 3-2-4 against Orlando.


Penilla’s 12 Goals Lead Revolution’s Golden Boot Race

  • Forward Cristian Penilla tallied his 12th goal of the season in the 51st minute of tonight’s match, pulling him ahead of Teal Bunbury (11) for the club lead in goals with two games remaining.
  • Penilla’s 12 goals are tied with Aleksander Katai (Chicago) for the second-most goals by an MLS newcomer in 2018, trailing only LA’s Zlatan Ibrahimović (21).
  • The Ecuadorian also passes Saer Sene (11 in 2012) for the most goals scored by an international signing in his first season with New England.
  • Penilla recorded a primary assist on Diego Fagundez’s 55th minute goal, giving him seven helpers on the season, the second most on the team behind Fagundez’s nine.


Fagundez Nears Milestone with 49th Career Goal

  • Midfielder Diego Fagundez recorded the 49th goal of his MLS career, and his eighth of the season, with a first-time strike in the 55th minute.
  • With one more goal, Fagundez (23 years, 239 days) could become the youngest player in MLS history to reach 50 regular season goals, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Only two other players have done so before their 25th birthday: Landon Donovan (24 years, 175 days) and Carlos Ruiz (24 years, 341 days).
  • Fagundez’s three chances created on the night give him 86 on the season, third most in MLS behind only Portland’s Diego Valeri (95) and New York City’s Maximiliano Moralez (103).


Knighton Earns Shutout in Sixth Straight Start

  • Goalkeeper Brad Knighton started his sixth straight match in net for the Revolution and recorded three saves on the night.
  • Since Sept. 1, Knighton ranks second among all MLS goalkeepers in saves with 29 stops, trailing only Bill Hamid (32).
  • The clean sheet marked the 13th of Knighton’s career and his second of the season, with the last coming in his 2018 debut on Sept. 5 at New York City FC. His six career shutouts with the Revs rank sixth in club history.


New England Outshoots Orlando 21-8

  • The Revolution dominated the run of play in Saturday’s match, controlling 60.4 percent of possession and outshooting Orlando 21-8.
  • The 13-shot differential ties the club’s second-best margin of the season, as New England outshot Philadelphia 26-13 in a 3-2 loss at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 11. The Revs best mark in 2018 came on April 6, when the club outshot Montreal 25-4.
  • The Revs’ 12 corner kicks on the night tied a season high set on May 26 at Vancouver.


Revolution Make Three Changes to Starting XI

  • Revolution Head Coach Brad Friedel made three changes to the club’s starting lineup from its most recent match at Atlanta United FC on Oct.6. Scott Caldwell, Diego Fagundez, and Jalil Anibaba replaced Guillermo Hauché, Zachary Herivaux, and Antonio Delamea.
  • Delamea and Herivaux were not available for tonight’s match due to international duty with Slovenia and Haiti, respectively.


GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Dave Gantar


Assistant Referees: Joe Fletcher (AR1), Peter Balciunas (AR2)


Fourth Official: Robert Sibiga


VAR: Mark Geiger


Weather: 46 Degrees and Cloudy


Attendance: 19,775



Scoring Summary:


NE – Cristian Penilla 12 (Unassisted) 51'


NE – Diego Fagundez 8 (Cristian Penilla 7) 55'


Misconduct Summary:

None


New England Revolution: Brad Knighton; Kelyn Rowe, Michael Mancienne, Jalil Anibaba, Brandon Bye; Luis Caicedo (Isaac Angking 81'), Wilfried Zahibo; Scott Caldwell ©, Cristian Penilla (Juan Agudelo 85'), Diego Fagundez, Teal Bunbury (Guillermo Hauché 76')


Substitutes Not Used: Matt Turner, Mark Segbers, Cristhian Machado, Brian Wright


Orlando City SC: Adam Grinwis; Carlos Ascues, Lamine Sané ©, Shane O’Neill, Scott Sutter; R.J. Allen, Will Johnson; Tony Rocha, Richie Laryea (Cristian Higuita 69'), Josue Colman; Chris Mueller (Sacha Kljestan 68')


Substitutes Not Used: Joe Bendik, Donny Toia, Dillon Powers, Cameron Lindley, Chris Schuler