HOUSTON, Texas (October 2, 2024) – The New England Revolution (9-18-4; 31 pts.) fell to Houston Dynamo FC (14-9-9; 51 pts.), 2-1, on Wednesday night at Shell Energy Stadium. Carles Gil converted from the penalty spot for New England's lone goal, his seventh of the campaign, but the Revolution could not overcome two second-half tallies by the hosts.
New England kept steady pressure on Houston throughout the 90 minutes, generating 3.2 expected goals on 18 shot attempts in the match. The Revs nearly found the breakthrough twice in the opening 13 minutes, first when Bobby Wood got on the end of a cross by Brandon Bye, blasting a first-timed shot off the chest of Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark from close range. Moments later, Bye again provided service to the center of the box for Alhassan Yusuf, who had his first effort blocked before sending the rebound wide of the net.
Revolution goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič, making his 75th MLS start, was called into action in the 25th minute for his first save of the night, denying a Sebastian Kowalczyk volley with a diving stop to keep the match scoreless. The Slovenian finished the night with five saves, including a pair of point-blank stops in the opening three minutes of the second half.
Ezequiel Ponce put Houston ahead in the 50th minute, tucking a long-range effort into the bottom right corner. New England equalized four minutes later from the penalty spot, with Carles Gil converting the Revolution's first penalty attempt of the regular season. The penalty kick was awarded after forward Luca Langoni was hauled down in the box by Houston's Artur. Erik Sviatchenko restored the Houston lead with a powerful volley off a free kick in the 68th minute, with Coco Carrasquilla adding his second assist of the night.
New England generated several late chances in an attempt to rescue a point, with forward Giacomo Vrioni adding a spark off the bench. The Albanian striker, making his 75th Revolution appearance in all competitions, delivered three shot attempts, including one on target that was saved by Clark. Carles Gil was denied a brace in the 75th minute, with Clark parrying away the captain's curling effort.
The Revolution remain alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race as they return to Foxborough to host D.C. United on Saturday, October 5 at Gillette Stadium. The regular season home finale kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app (English and Spanish). Listen on 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) and 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese).
- Carles Gil scored his seventh goal of the season, the Revolution's first attempt from the spot of the 2024 MLS campaign.
- Gil now owns 12 penalty goals in MLS, tied with Shalrie Joseph for second most in club history.
- Gil has now found the scoresheet with a goal or assist in eight of his last 12 MLS appearances. The Spaniard now owns two goals and one assist in four career games against Houston.
- Alhassan Yusuf made the 200th professional appearance of his club career, appearing in a fifth straight MLS contest for New England. The Nigerian logged 90 minutes, completing 43 of his 47 passes and attempting a team-high four shots.
- Goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic made five saves in his 75th MLS start.
- Giacomo Vrioni logged his 75th appearance in all competitions for the Revolution, registering three of shots off the bench.
Scoring Summary:
HOU – Ezequiel Ponce 4 (Coco Carrasquilla 6) 50’
NE – Carles Gil 7 (Penalty Kick) 54’
HOU - Erik Sviatchenko 1 (Coco Carrasquilla 7) 68’
Misconduct Summary:
HOU – Daniel Steres (Yellow Card – Tactical Foul) 8’
NE – Peyton Miller (Yellow Card – Hard Foul) 68’
HOU – Ezequiel Ponce (Yellow Card – Hard Foul) 90’+6
New England Revolution: Aljaž Ivačič; Peyton Miller (Nacho Gil 84’), Xavier Arreaga (Tim Parker 83’), Dave Romney, Brandon Bye; Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster (Ian Harkes 78’); Esmir Bajraktarević, Carles Gil ©, Luca Langoni (Emmanuel Boateng 73’), Bobby Wood (Giacomo Vrioni 73’).
Substitutes Not Used: Earl Edwards Jr., Andrew Farrell, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Nick Lima.
Houston Dynamo FC: Steve Clark ©; Franco Escobar (Ethan Bartlow 90’+4), Daniel Steres (Tate Schmitt 87’), Erik Sviatchenko, Micael dos Santos; Artur, Coco Carrasquilla; Amine Bassi (Ezequiel Ponce 46’), Latif Blessing (Junior Moreno 77’), Sebastian Kowalczyk, Ibrahim Aliyu (McKinze Gaines 77’).
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Tarbell, Brad Smith, Sebastian Ferreira, Brooklyn Raines.
Full statistics available HERE.
