FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (1-1-1; 4 pts.) played New York City FC (3-0-1; 10 pts.) to a 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Diego Fagundez and Juan Agudelo were the goal scorers for New England, finding the back of the net in the 11th and 63rd minutes, respectively. New York City FC's Ismael Tajouri answered both Revolution goals in the 51st and 75th minutes, with the latter tally proving enough to earn the visitors one point.
Fagundez scored for a second consecutive match and his fifth goal in the Revs’ last five games with a curling, right-footed shot from distance that banked in off the near post. The tally brings his MLS career total to 43 goals, moving the 23-year-old ahead of Steve Ralston to claim sole possession of third place on the Revolution's all-time goal scoring list. On the other side of halftime, Agudelo opened his 2018 account three minutes after entering the match as a substitute. Agudelo's headed goal was assisted by Cristian Penilla, who also picked up an assist in the Revolution's win vs. Colorado on March 10.
Newcomer Wilfried Zahibo registered assists on both of New England's goals, his first two helpers with the club. Midfielder Luis Caicedo, also a newcomer to MLS, made his Revolution debut as a late second-half substitute. The 21-year-old Colombian was acquired by the Revs on loan from Colombian Categoría Primera B side Cortuluá on March 8 and officially joined the squad on March 22.
New England returns to action next Saturday, March 31, when the club travels to play the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium for the clubs' lone meeting this season. The match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast locally on myTV38 (WSBK-TV), where Brad Feldman and Paul Mariner will be on the call. Fans can also listen on the radio in English on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 and in Portuguese on 1570 WMVX Nossa Radio.
New England Revolution 2, New York City FC 2
March 24, 2018 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Revolution Play New York City FC to a Draw, 2-2
- The Revolution played New York City FC to a 2-2 draw on Saturday, bringing the club’s record to 1-1-1 (4 pts.) through three matches of the 2018 regular season.
- New England's all-time record against New York City FC moves to 4-3-3, including a 3-1-1 mark at home.
- The win extends New England's home unbeaten run to 10 matches. The Revs have gone 8-0-2 at Gillette Stadium since July 22, 2017
Revs Play 700th All-Time Regular Season Match, 350th Regular Season Home Match
- Today's match marked the 700th all-time regular season game and the 350th regular season home game in the New England Revolution’s 23-year history.
- The Revs own a 176-107-67 record in home games, including a 1-0-1 mark this season.
Fagundez Scores in Second Consecutive Match, Moves Up Revs’ Charts
- Midfielder Diego Fagundez recorded a goal for a second consecutive match in today's contest. The Revolution Homegrown Player now has 43 career goals, which is the third most in club history as he surpasses Steve Ralston (42).
- Fagundez becomes the first Revs player to record goals in back-to-back contests since he recorded three goals over a two-match span to conclude the 2017 MLS regular season. Overall, the Leominster, Mass. native has recorded five goals in his last five matches, dating back to his two-goal effort on Oct. 15, 2017 vs. NYCFC.
- Fagundez leads all Revolution players in career scoring against NYCFC with four goals and three assists in 10 games played (eight starts).
Agudelo Opens 2018 Account with Headed Finish
- Forward Juan Agudelo scored his first goal of the season in the 63rd minute of today's contest. With the goal, Agudelo became the eighth player in club history to record 30 goals in a Revolution jersey.
- Penilla recorded the primary assist on Agudelo's goal, giving the Ecuadorian winger back-to-back matches with an assist.
Zahibo Registers First Two MLS Assists
- Midfielder Wilfried Zahibo registered assists on each of the Revolution's two goals this afternoon. The two assists are Zahibo's first career MLS and Revolution helpers.
- Zahibo's multi-assist performance is the first two-assist game by a Revolution player since Chris Tierney notched two helpers on Sept. 27, 2017 vs. Toronto FC.
- After three matches, Zahibo is tied with fellow MLS newcomer Cristian Penilla for the club lead in assists with two apiece.
Caicedo Makes Revolution Debut
- Midfielder Luis Caicedo replaced forward Teal Bunbury in the 88th minute of today's match, marking his MLS and Revolution debut only days after arriving in New England earlier this week.
- Caicedo became the sixth Revolution player to make his MLS debut this season, joining midfielder/defender Brandon Bye, forward Cristian Penilla, defender Gabriel Somi, goalkeeper Matt Turner, and midfielder Wilfried Zahibo. In addition, defender Jalil Anibaba made his Revolution debut in the season opener at Philadelphia.
Revolution Make One Change to Starting XI
- Revolution Head Coach Brad Friedel made one change to the club’s starting lineup from its most recent MLS match on March 10 vs. the Colorado Rapids, as defender Claude Dielna replaced defender Brandon Bye.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Assistant Referees: Kyle Atkins (AR1), Cameron Blanchard (AR2)
Fourth Official: Robert Sibiga
VAR: Christopher Penso
Weather: 46 Degrees and Cloudy
Attendance: 12,376
Scoring Summary:
NE – Diego Fagundez 2 (Wilfried Zahibo 1) 11'
NYC – Ismael Tajouri 2 (Saad Abdul-Salaam 2, Jesús Medina 3) 51'
NE – Juan Agudelo 1 (Cristian Penilla 2, Wilfried Zahibo 2) 63'
NYC – Ismael Tajouri 3 (Yangel Herrera 2) 75'
Misconduct Summary:
NYC – Ismael Tajouri (Yellow Card – Simulation) 34'
NE – Scott Caldwell (Yellow Card – Persistent Infringement) 43'
NE – Claude Dielna (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 70'
NYC – Saad Abdul-Salaam (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 90'+3'
New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Gabriel Somi, Claude Dielna ©, Jalil Anibaba, Andrew Farrell; Wilfried Zahibo, Scott Caldwell; Cristian Penilla (Brandon Bye 77'), Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe (Juan Agudelo 60'); Teal Bunbury (Luis Caicedo 88')
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Antonio Delamea, Chris Tierney, Zachary Herivaux
New York City FC: Sean Johnson; Ben Sweat, Alexander Callens, Maxime Chanot ©, Saad Abdul-Salaam; Yangel Herrera, Ebenezer Ofori (Sebastian Ibeagha 87'); Jo Inge Berget, Maxi Morález, Jesús Medina; Ismael Tajouri
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Stuver, Anton Tinnerholm, Thomas McNamara, James Sands, Kwame Awuah, Jonathan Lewis
