CHESTER, Pa. – The New England Revolution (0-1-0; 0 pts.) fell to the Philadelphia Union (1-0-0; 3 pts.), 2-0, in the club's 2018 MLS regular season opener. A first-half red card to defender Antonio Delamea in the 24th minute left the Revolution down a man for a majority of the match, and Philadelphia capitalized with goals from Anthony Fontana and C.J. Sapong in the 43rd and 69th minutes, respectively.
Tonight's match marked the Revolution's first under Brad Friedel, who was named the seventh head coach in club history in November. Six players also debuted for New England during the contest, including third-year goalkeeper Matt Turner and all three of the team's international signings – midfielder Cristian Penilla, midfielder Wilfried Zahibo, and defender Gabriel Somi. Two other offseason additions, defender Jalil Anibaba and first-round SuperDraft selection Brandon Bye, made their debuts for the club as substitutes.
Delamea and defender Claude Dielna, who was sent off with a second yellow card in the 86th minute, will both be suspended for next weekend's match against the Colorado Rapids.
New England hosts Colorado next Saturday, March 10, for its 2018 home opener at Gillette Stadium. The match kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast locally on NBC Sports Boston, where Brad Feldman, Paul Mariner, and Naoko Funayama will be on the call. Fans can also listen on the radio in English on 98.5 The Sports Hub and in Portuguese on 1570 WMVX Nossa Radio, or stream the match live on NBCSportsBoston.com and via the NBC Sports app for tablets and mobile devices.
New England Revolution 0, Philadelphia Union 2
March 3, 2018 – Talen Energy Stadium (Chester, Pa.)
Revolution Fall to Philadelphia Union, 2-0
- The Revolution fell to the Philadelphia Union, 2-0, on Saturday, setting the club’s record at 0-1-0 (0 pts.) to open the 2018 MLS season.
- New England's all-time record against Philadelphia drops to 6-11-4, including a 3-7-2 mark in matches played at Talen Energy Stadium.
International Signings Penilla, Somi, Zahibo Debut for Revs
- All three of New England's international signings – midfielder Cristian Penilla, midfielder Wilfried Zahibo, and defender Gabriel Somi – were included in the starting lineup for tonight's season opener.
- Zahibo and Somi both went the distance and played all 90 minutes in Philadelphia. In central midfield, Zahibo logged seven tackles and three fouls won, while Somi registered four tackles and 55 touches at left back.
- Penilla started the match in an attacking midfield position and recorded one chance created before being subbed off for defender Jalil Anibaba following Antonio Delamea's red card.
Turner Makes First Revolution, MLS Appearance with Start in Net
- Goalkeeper Matt Turner made his Revolution and MLS debut in tonight's match.
- The former Fairfield University standout recorded four saves and one claim.
- Turner, who signed with New England as an undrafted rookie ahead of the 2016 MLS campaign, spent much of the last two years completing short-term loan stints to the USL's Richmond Kickers, where he submitted seven shutouts in 27 starts.
MLS Veteran Anibaba, First-Round SuperDraft Selection Bye Make First Revolution Appearances
- Defender Jalil Anibaba, who signed with New England in February, made his debut for the club when he replaced Cristian Penilla as a substitute in the 27th minute. Anibaba joined the Revolution after seven MLS seasons with the Chicago Fire, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, and Houston Dynamo.
- Defender Brandon Bye made his professional debut when he replaced Juan Agudelo in the 55th minute. Bye, the eighth overall selection in January's MLS SuperDraft, recorded one shot on target and two chances created during his 35 minute shift.
Delamea, Dielna Issued Red Cards in Season Opener
- Center backs Antonio Delamea and Claude Dielna were each issued red cards in tonight's match and will be suspended for next weekend's home opener against Colorado.
- Delamea was sent off for denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity in the 24th minute, while Dielna was ejected for a second yellow card in the 86th minute.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Rubiel Vazquez
Assistant Referees: Craig Lowry (AR1), Adam Wienckowski (AR2)
Fourth Official: Christopher Penso
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
Weather: 40 Degrees and Clear
Attendance: 16,452
Scoring Summary:
PHI – Anthony Fontana 1 (C.J. Sapong 1, Alejandro Bedoya 1) 43'
PHI – C.J. Sapong 1 (Cory Burke 1) 69'
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Antonio Delamea (Red Card – Denial of obvious goal scoring opportunity) 24'
NE – Claude Dielna (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 36'
NE – Andrew Farrell (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 59'
PHI – C.J. Sapong (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 63'
NE – Claude Dielna (Red Card – Unsporting Behavior) 86'
NE – Wilfried Zahibo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 90'+1'
New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Gabriel Somi, Claude Dielna ©, Antonio Delamea, Andrew Farrell; Wilfried Zahibo, Scott Caldwell; Cristian Penilla (Jalil Anibaba 27'), Diego Fagundez (Kelyn Rowe 76'), Teal Bunbury; Juan Agudelo (Brandon Bye 55')
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Chris Tierney, Krisztián Németh, Brian Wright
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake; Fabinho, Auston Trusty, Jack Elliott, Keegan Rosenberry; Alejandro Bedoya, Haris Medunjanin; David Accam (Derrick Jones 85'), Anthony Fontana (Jay Simpson 66'), Fabian Herbers (Cory Burke); C.J. Sapong
Substitutes Not Used: John McCarthy, Raymon Gaddis, Richie Marquez, Eric Ayuk
