ATLANTA – The New England Revolution (11-11-12, 45 pts.) wrapped up the 2019 regular season with a 3-1 loss to Atlanta United FC before a crowd of 44,617 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Both teams scored inside of the game's opening 10 minutes, with Atlanta's Darlington Nagbe finding the back of the net in the third minute and New England's Cristian Penilla equalizing in the eighth minute. Atlanta pulled away on the other side of halftime with goals from Josef Martinez and Julian Gressel.
As the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the Revolution will visit second-seeded Atlanta United FC in Round One of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs on either Oct. 19 or Oct. 20. New England's Round One matchup with Atlanta will mark its first postseason match since 2015, when the team fell to D.C. United in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round.
Midfielder Carles Gil officially claimed the Revolution's Golden Boot with 10 goals, edging out fellow newcomer Gustavo Bou by one tally. Gil also became the second player in club history to start all 34 regular-season games, joining Jose Gonsalves, who reached the mark in 2013. The newcomer played all but eight minutes of the regular season, and appeared in all but one game across all competitions.
Cristian Penilla's goal is the sixth of his sophomore MLS campaign, moving him into a tie with Teal Bunbury for third-most among Revolution players this season. In net, goalkeeper Matt Turner made six saves, giving him 86 on the season and 169 for his career, propelling him into fifth place in the club's record books.
New England Revolution 1, Atlanta United FC 3
October 6, 2019 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.)
Revolution to Revisit Atlanta United FC in Round One of Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs
- The Revolution (11-11-12, 45 pts.) concluded the 2019 regular season with a 3-1 loss to Atlanta United FC on Decision Day.
- New England will enter the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs as the seventh seed. The club will revisit second-seeded Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Round One on either Oct. 19 or Oct. 20 with a kickoff time to be announced.
- The loss to Atlanta marks only the third time in New England's last 22 games – dating back to May 11 – that it has not earned points. It also marks the club's second loss in its last 11 away games during that same span.
- New England's all-time record against Atlanta moves to 0-4-2, including a 0-3-0 record in games played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Gil Claims Revolution's Golden Boot trophy with 10 Goals
·Midfielder Carles Gil won the Revolution's Golden Boot, finishing his debut season with 10 goals – one ahead of Gustavo Bou's nine.
·Gil was also awarded JetBlue Team MVP, Players' Player of the Year, and Midnight Riders' Man of the Year at New England's regular-season home finale on Sept. 29 vs. New York City FC.
·By starting today's match, Gil became the second player in Revolution history to reach 34 regular starts (Jose Gonsalves – 2013). He also became just the fifth player in club history to appear in all 34 regular-season games.
Penilla Scores Sixth Goal of 2019 Season
·Forward Cristian Penilla scored the Revolution's lone goal in the eighth minute, giving him six goals for the 2019 season.
·He finishes the season tied with Teal Bunbury for third-most goals scored among Revolution players.
·The Revs' 2018 Golden Boot winner submitted six goals and eight assists in his sophomore MLS campaign. His 14 combined goals and assists are second-most among Revolution players this season, behind only Carles Gil's 24.
·He recorded three shots, including a team-high two shots on target, in a 90-minute shift on the left wing.
Turner Makes Six Saves; Moves up Revs Record Book
·Goalkeeper Matt Turner made six saves in today's contest, giving him 86 stops on the season.
·Turner, who made his 47th career appearance with New England today, tied Walter Zenga for fifth-most games started in goal and games played in goal in club history.
·He also eclipsed Zenga for fifth-most saves in club history by bringing his career total to 169.
·Turner finishes the season with an 8-4-7 record.
Revolution Starting XI Sees No Changes
·The Revolution's starting lineup saw no changes from the club’s last match on Sept. 29 vs. New York City FC.
·This marked the first time under Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena that New England has deployed the same starting lineup in consecutive games.
·New England last played the same starting lineup on May 11 vs. San Jose and May 18 at Montreal under Interim Head Coach Mike Lapper.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker (AR1), Chris Wattam (AR2)
Fourth Official: Mark Allatin
Video Assistant Referee: Sorin Stoica
Attendance: 44,617
Weather: 74° and Sunny
Scoring Summary:
ATL – Darlington Nagbe 2 (Julian Gressel 11, Josef Martinez 3) 3'
NE – Cristian Penilla 6 (Unassisted) 8'
ATL – Josef Martinez 27 (Julian Gressel 12) 49'
ATL – Julian Gressel 6 (Josef Martinez 4, Ezequiel Barco 3) 57'
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Luis Caicedo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 20'
NE – Wilfried Zahibo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 83'
New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Brandon Bye, Antonio Delamea, Andrew Farrell, Jalil Anibaba (Juan Agudelo 68'); Wilfried Zahibo, Luis Caicedo (Diego Fagundez 59'); Cristian Penilla, Gustavo Bou, Carles Gil ©; Teal Bunbury (Juan Fernando Caicedo 81')
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Scott Caldwell, Michael Mancienne, DeJuan Jones
Atlanta United FC: Brad Guzan; Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Miles Robinson, Franco Escobar, Julian Gressel (Michael Parkhurst 79'); Emerson Hyndman, Jeff Larentowicz, Darlington Nagbe; Justin Meram (Florentin Pogba 64'), Ezequiel Barco (Hector Villalba 63'), Josef Martinez
Substitutes Not Used: Alec Kann, Pity Martinez, Eric Remedi, Mo Adams
