FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution's (9-9-6, 33 pts.) 11-game unbeaten run was snapped by league-leading Los Angeles FC (16-3-4; 52 pts.) before a crowd of 25,515 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening. LAFC forward Diego Rossi opened the scoring with a chipped goal in the eighth minute, with Latif Blessing doubling the visitors’ lead in the 72nd minute to secure the 2-0 win.
Tonight's result snapped New England's unbeaten run that began on May 11 and tied the club’s all-time record from 2005. New England posted a 7-0-4 record and a plus-14 goal differential during the undefeated streak after opening the 2019 season with a 2-8-2 record and minus-19 goal differential. The result also marked the Revolution's first loss to a Western Conference side this season, as New England is now 6-1-2 against the West with three games remaining in inter-conference play.
Midfielder Luis Caicedo completed 96.8 percent of his passes in central midfield tonight – the best mark by a Revolution player with at least 25 passes in a game season. In net, goalkeeper Matt Turner continued his strong run of form with five saves, giving him 19 stops across the team's last three games alone. Since the start of July, his 23 saves are sixth most in the league as of Saturday night.
New England returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 10 when the club visits Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. The match kicks off at 4:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
New England Revolution 0, Los Angeles FC 2
August 3, 2019 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Revs Post First Loss under Bruce Arena against Los Angeles FC, 2-0
·The Revolution fell to LAFC, 2-0, on Saturday night, moving the club's record to 9-9-6 (33 pts.) on the season, including a 5-5-2 record at Gillette Stadium.
·New England's all-time record against LA drops to 0-1-1, including a 0-1-0 mark in games played at Gillette Stadium.
New England's Unbeaten Run Snapped at 11 Games
·The Revolution's 11-game unbeaten run spanned 85 days, dating back to a 3-1 win on May 11 vs. San Jose. Interim Head Coach Mike Lapper manned the sidelines for the first three games of the streak, before Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena managed the team for the eight remaining games.
·The team's 11-game run is the second longest by an MLS side in 2019, trailing only New York City FC's 12-game unbeaten run.
·New England maintains a five-game unbeaten run (3-0-2) in away games, which is the longest active streak in MLS and one shy of the tying the team record of six games (2008).
Arena Makes History with Eight-Game Start
·Tonight's result marks Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena's first loss with the Revolution, having accrued a 6-0-2 record on the sidelines leading into the contest. His career MLS regular season record now stands at 208-122-91 (691 pts).
·According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Arena is one of only four coaches in MLS history to have gone unbeaten in his first eight games with a club. He joins Lothar Osiander (12 -- Los Angeles, 1996), Jeff Cassar (12 - Real Salt Lake, 2014), and Tom Fitzgerald (8 - Columbus, 1996) on the exclusive list.
Revolution's Undefeated Mark vs. Western Conference Clipped
·The Revolution's undefeated record of 6-0-2 against Western Conference opponents was snapped with tonight's result. New England is now 6-1-2 against the West, including a 4-1-0 mark at Gillette Stadium.
·The club remains unbeaten in away matches against the West at 2-0-2 entering next Saturday's match at Seattle Sounders FC, which has only one home loss on the season.
Revolution Starting XI Sees One Change from Sunday
·The Revolution's starting lineup saw one change from the club’s last match on July 27 vs. Orlando City SC, with Juan Agudelo replacing Wilfried Zahibo in central midfield.
·Defender Michael Mancienne made his first appearance in the 18-man match day roster since May 4, when he suffered a foot injury.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez
Assistant Referees: Andrew Bigelow (AR1), Jeremy Kieso (AR2)
Fourth Official: Elvis Osmanovic
Video Assistant Referee: Geoff Gamble
Weather: 80° and Clear
Attendance: 25,515
Scoring Summary:
LFC – Diego Rossi 13 (Jordan Harvey 4) 8'
LFC – Latif Blessing 3 (Jordan Harvey 5, Eduard Atuesta 9) 72'
Misconduct Summary:
LFC – Walker Zimmerman (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 66'
NE – Wilfried Zahibo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 74'
New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Edgar Castillo, Antonio Delamea, Andrew Farrell, Brandon Bye; Luis Caicedo (Wilfried Zahibo 69'), Juan Agudelo (Juan Fernando Caicedo 79'); Cristian Penilla (Diego Fagundez 73'), Gustavo Bou, Carles Gil ©; Teal Bunbury
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Jalil Anibaba, Michael Mancienne, Scott Caldwell
Los Angeles FC: Tyler Miller; Jordan Harvey, Eddie Segura, Walker Zimmerman, Steven Beitashour; Mark-Anthony Kaye (Adrien Perez 90'+1'), Eduard Atuesta, Latif Blessing; Diego Rossi (Josh Perez 85'), Adama Diomande (Lee Nguyen 79'), Carlos Vela ©
Substitutes Not Used: Phillip Ejimadu, Dejan Jakovic, Tristan Blackmon, Christian Ramirez
