PORTLAND, Ore. – The New England Revolution (10-10-12, 42 pts.) secured a critical point at Providence Park on Wednesday evening, rallying back from a two-goal deficit to draw the Portland Timbers (13-13-6, 45 pts.), 2-2. Forward Gustavo Bou pulled the Revolution within one in the 87^th minute with his eighth goal of the season, before Carles Gil converted a stoppage-time penalty kick in the 97^th minute. With two games remaining, the result brings the Revolution within three points of clinching a berth in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, as New England prepares to face New York City FC at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 29. 

A scoreless first half saw the two sides finish level with eight shots apiece, as Bou provided the visitors’ best opportunity with the first of his four shots on target in the 28^th minute, which was saved by Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark. The action escalated in the second half as Portland quickly jumped ahead with a goal from Jeremey Ebobisse in the 49^th minute, followed by his second goal in the 81^st minute to give the Timbers a 2-0 lead in the late stages.

Momentum turned for the Revolution in the 87^th minute when Gustavo Bou finally provided the breakthrough, finishing a pass from Teal Bunbury for his eighth goal in only 12 MLS games. Then in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Wilfried Zahibo was dragged down in the box, giving the visitors a penalty kick after video review, which Carles Gil converted in the 97^th minute to secure a key road point.

The draw makes Head Coach Bruce Arena the second coach in MLS history to earn 700 regular season points, joining Sigi Schmid (843). Gil’s penalty kick goal marked his 10^th of the season to go with 14 assists, making him the second Revolution player ever to record a 10-goal and 10-assist season (Lee Nguyen, 2017). He is also only the third MLS player to accomplish the feat this season, and his 24 combined goals and assists lead all MLS newcomers. Gil has a two-goal edge on Bou for the team’s scoring lead, as Bou’s eight goals are tied for the fourth most in MLS since his debut on July 17.

New England returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 29 against Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC. The match at Gillette Stadium kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.

New England Revolution 2, Portland Timbers 2
September 25, 2019 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)

Revolution Fight Back for 2-2 Draw at Portland Timbers

• The Revolution (10-10-12, 42 pts.) played to a 2-2 draw against the Portland Timbers (13-13-6, 45 pts.) on Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 25,218.
• The last time the Revolution earned points after a two-goal deficit in the second half was on June 23, 2012 at Toronto FC, scoring in the 71^st and 94^th minutes to draw 2-2.
• New England has now earned points in 18 of the club’s last 20 league matches dating back to May 11 (8-2-10).
• The Revs have only one loss in the last 10 away matches (3-1-6), and have posted a 3-5-8 away record with only one road match remaining, a Decision Day contest at Atlanta United FC on Sunday, Oct. 6.
• New England is now 1-2-7 all-time against the Timbers (0-2-3 away), as the two teams have played to four consecutive draws.

New England Finishes 6-1-5 against Western Conference

• The Revolution finish the 2019 slate against Western Conference opponents with a 6-1-5 record, with the only loss on the season coming against Supporters’ Shield-leading LAFC on August 3.
• Tonight’s draw gives New England 10 straight games unbeaten in the Pacific Time Zone, with the team’s last loss coming on May 8, 2016 at LA Galaxy.

Bruce Arena Becomes Second Member of 700-Point Club

• Revolution Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena became the second head coach in MLS history to reach the 700-point milestone, joining Sigi Schmid (843).
• Arena’s career regular season record now stands at 209-123-97 (700 points), with a 7-2-8 record with the Revolution since taking over on the sidelines on June 2.

Carles Gil’s 10^th Goal in 97^th Minute Secures Crucial Point in Playoff Race

• Midfielder Carles Gil scored the 10^th goal of his debut campaign in the 90+7^th minute, making him the second player in Revolution history to record 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season (Lee Nguyen, 2017).
• Gil is only the third player in MLS with double digits in both goals and assists this season, joining LAFC’s Carlos Vela and Toronto’s Alejandro Pozuelo.
• The Revs’ captain leads all MLS newcomers with his 24 combined goals and assists. His 14 assists are fourth most in MLS, while his 12 primary assists are tied for first.
• Gil has started all 32 games in his debut season, and his 2,872 minutes played rank second most among all MLS field players in 2019.

Gustavo Bou Tallies Eighth Goal in 12^th Game

• Forward Gustavo Bou scored the eighth goal of his MLS career through only 12 games (11 starts), pulling New England within one in the late stages.
• Bou’s eight goals are currently tied for the fourth most in MLS since his debut on July 17. 
• The 29-year-old Argentine now trails Carles Gil (nine goals, 14 assists) by only one goal for the team lead in scoring with two games remaining.

Anibaba and Caldwell Close in on Milestones

• Defender Jalil Anibaba made his first league start since Aug. 17 at New York, replacing DeJuan Jones at left back. Anibaba now owns 199 regular season starts in his nine-year MLS career, with 217 games played.
• Tonight’s match marked Anibaba’s first start at outside back in 51 games played (46 starts) with the Revolution since joining the club in 2018.
• Midfielder Scott Caldwell also moved closer to a personal milestone with his 197^th regular season appearance for the Revolution, ninth most in club history. The Homegrown Player also eclipsed the 14,000-minute milestone in tonight’s match.

Revolution Starting XI Sees Seven Changes

• In the midst of a stretch with three games in nine days, Head Coach Bruce Arena made seven changes to the starting lineup from the Revolution’s last match on Sept. 21 vs. Real Salt Lake.
• Goalkeeper Brad Knighton replaced Matt Turner in net, while Juan Agudelo, Jalil Anibaba, Gustavo Bou, Scott Caldwell, Diego Fagundez, and Michael Mancienne started in place of Antonio Delamea, Teal Bunbury, Cristian Penilla, Wilfried Zahibo, DeJuan Jones, and Luis Caicedo.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Jair Marrufo
Assistant Referees: Mike Rottersman (AR1), Ian B. Anderson (AR2)
Fourth Official: Farhad Dadkho
Video Assistant Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Joshua Patlak
Weather: 67 Degrees and Clear
Attendance: 25,218

Scoring Summary:
POR – Jeremy Ebobisse 10 (Jorge Villafaña) 49'
POR – Jeremy Ebobisse 11 (Sebastián Blanco) 81'
NE – Gustavo Bou 8 (Teal Bunbury, Cristian Penilla) 87'
NE – Carles Gil 10 (Penalty Kick) 90’+7’

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Michael Mancienne (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 67'
NE – Diego Fagundez (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 68'
POR – Larrys Mabiala (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 88'

New England Revolution: Brad Knighton; DeJuan Jones, Michael Mancienne, Jalil Anibaba, Andrew Farrell; Carles Gil ©, Scott Caldwell, Diego Fagundez (Wilfried Zahibo 80’); Juan Agudelo (Cristian Penilla 64’), Juan Fernando Caicedo (Teal Bunbury 69’), Gustavo Bou

Substitutes Not Used: Matt Turner, Antonio Delamea, DeJuan Jones, Tajon Buchanan

Portland Timbers: Steve Clark; Jorge Moreira, Larrys Mabiala, Bill Tuiloma, Jorge Villafaña; Diego Chara, Andy Polo, Cristhian Paredes, Diego Valeri © (Claude Dielna 90’+2’), Sebastian Blanco (Marvin Loria 85’); Jeremy Ebobisse (Eryk Williamson 90’+1’)

Substitutes Not Used: Kendall McIntosh, Zarek Valentin, Erik Zambrano, Tomas Conechny